Official Community Plan Open Houses
Join our team at an Open House to learn more about the draft Official Community Plan and share your feedback.
We are holding Open Houses on:
- Thursday, February 6 at Wildflower School (811 Stanley Street) from 5-8 p.m.
- Tuesday, February 11 at Rosemont School (1605 Crease Avenue) from 5-8 p.m.
Media release: City of Nelson Shares Draft Official Community Plan for Public Review
January 22, 2025
After nearly two years of research, planning and public engagement, the City of Nelson is launching an updated draft Official Community Plan for public feedback.
“We are thrilled to share the first draft with you,” said Mayor Janice Morrison. “We’re asking all residents to review the draft and let us know if we got it right and what we can improve. It is important to have your say now because the Official Community Plan will determine Nelson’s future.”
Once finalized, the draft Official Community Plan will be a blueprint for decision-making and will provide a framework for managing future growth and change. All of what the City does must conform to the Official Community Plan. Provincial legislation now prohibits public hearings for zoning changes that are primarily residential that are consistent with the Official Community Plan.
Ideas proposed in the draft Official Community Plan include:
- Adjusting policies to align with climate action, equity, and health;
- Increasing our efforts towards Indigenous reconciliation;
- Doing more to protect our community from wildfires;
- Allowing affordable housing providers to build anywhere in the city so that we can solve our housing crisis as quickly as possible;
- Implementing new design guidelines for Baker Street and larger developments citywide;
- Giving property owners more flexibility to lower costs to build housing and to better protect our heritage;
- Working to reduce human-wildlife conflict; and
- Continuing our longstanding work to keep our downtown strong and to make our waterfront even more accessible.
The City is not proposing any land use designation changes.
The draft Official Community Plan is an update that builds from the current version. More is staying the same than is changing. The plan would lead to gradual changes in Nelson’s neighbourhoods, such as more neighbourhood-serving businesses to help make Nelson more walkable.
Residents are encouraged to visit nelson2050.ca to review the draft Official Community Plan, learn more about the proposed changes and complete a survey or two. Residents who complete a survey by February 12 will be entered to win a $250 gift card to any local business.