The OCP is the District’s highest-level planning document. It lays out a long-term vision for how Sooke will grow over the next 20 years, including where housing, parks, neighbourhoods, business, and services should go - in a way that balances community values, environmental protection, infrastructure capacity, and affordability.
District of Sooke Council Adopts New Official Community Plan
At the Monday, December 8, 2025 Regular Council meeting, Sooke Council adopted a new Official Community Plan (OCP), marking a significant milestone after several years of engagement, technical review, and community conversation to guide how Sooke will grow over the next 20 years. The plan is rooted in a community vision:
“Sooke is a small town with a big heart. It is a vibrant net-zero emissions community, cradled in the stunning beauty and vitality of the ocean and forest.”
Using evidence from the District’s latest Housing Needs Report - which forecasts 4,737 homes needed in Sooke over the next 20 years - the OCP helps align land use, housing, and infrastructure planning with projected housing demand and community values. A key direction of the plan is a more compact growth approach, reducing sprawl and helping protect rural and natural lands while improving the long-term affordability of infrastructure and services through more efficient, centralized use.
The updated OCP includes community-informed policy direction and actions to be implemented over the coming years that help balance housing, the natural environment, mobility, and community character.
At the December 3, 2025 Public Hearing, Council heard concerns - including questions related to property rights and suggestions that OCP updates would lead to land expropriation from waterfront property owners. At the December 8, 2025 meeting, staff and Council provided additional clarity to reassure residents that the District does not have any plans to expropriate waterfront property.
Increasing waterfront access has long been a community priority, identified in both previous OCPs, and District’s 2009 and 2020 Parks and Trails Master Plans. Identifying such aspirations in an OCP is a standard land-use planning practice under provincial legislation. These policies help guide future planning discussions during rezoning or subdivision applications; they do not authorize expropriation.
As part of the updated plan, Development Permit Areas (DPAs) have been reorganized into nine categories to provide clearer guidance on how development should occur in sensitive or strategic areas such as environmental contexts, steep slopes, and the town core.
Jayden Riley, Manager of Community Planning, emphasized how DPAs work in relation to zoning and the broader OCP framework, “Zoning continues to regulate use and density and is a separate bylaw. DPAs provide guidelines to ensure that development is carried out responsibly - in other words, zoning is the what and where, and DPAs are the how. In B.C., OCPs are living documents. Adoption is not the end of the conversation; it’s the foundation for future, more targeted updates as conditions change.”
Residents can learn more about the OCP, including the staff presentation and Council discussion, at sooke.ca/meetings. All Council and Committee meetings are open to the public, recorded, and available through the District’s website and YouTube channel.
With adoption complete, the District now moves into the implementation phase. This includes beginning work to digitize the OCP into an interactive online format, advancing zoning bylaw alignment, and proceeding with service planning. Implementation will be coordinated with the municipal budget to ensure progress occurs at a pace the community can afford.
Mayor Maja Tait expressed her appreciation to residents and reflected on the significance of this milestone, “On behalf of Council, I want to thank everyone who contributed to this new OCP. Over several years, residents shared ideas, concerns, and hopes for Sooke’s future. While no plan can reflect every viewpoint, this OCP represents a balanced and thoughtful path forward that honours our community’s values and sets a strong foundation for the years ahead.”
To learn more about Sooke’s new OCP, visit sooke.ca/ocp.
FAQs
What is an Official Community Plan (OCP)?
Why did Sooke update its OCP now?
The previous Official Community Plan (OCP) was adopted in 2010. Since then, Sooke has experienced considerable growth and change. The update reflects several years of community input and technical work, including a Housing Needs Report that estimates how many homes the community will need over the next 20 years. It also helps ensure Sooke meets new provincial requirements for housing planning under recent legislation, while aligning with the community’s long-term vision.
What does “compact growth” mean for Sooke?
Instead of expanding outward and creating sprawl, “compact growth” means focusing new homes, infrastructure, and services in and around the town centre and existing neighbourhoods. This makes better use of existing roads and utilities, and helps protect natural and rural areas outside the core.
What happens if a property falls within more than one Development Permit Area (DPA)?
Even if multiple DPAs overlap on a property, only one development permit application is required. Staff take a proportionate approach, meaning that minor or low-risk projects typically require minimal - and sometimes no - professional reporting. Requirements scale with the complexity of the proposal and the environmental or safety sensitivity of the site.
What is the 15-metre setback (foreshore context), and is it new?
No, the 15-metre setback is not new. It has been part of Sooke’s Zoning Bylaw for more than a decade and regulates how close new structures may be built to the natural boundary of the ocean.
The Foreshore Development Permit Area (DPA) is separate. It provides guidelines to ensure shoreline development is designed responsibly, considering erosion, flooding, habitat protection, and slope stability.
Importantly:
- The 15-metre setback is existing and is not changed by the new OCP.
- The Foreshore DPA does not create legal non-conformity for existing homes or structures.
- Routine yard and garden maintenance, invasive species removal, hazardous tree removal, and maintenance of existing structures are exempt and do not require a development permit.
How does the OCP relate to the Transportation Master Plan and the Parks and Trails Master Plan?
The OCP brings together direction from Council-adopted master plans so that planning is coordinated and integrated across the community. The OCP’s maps showing future road concepts or potential shoreline access are conceptual, illustrating desired long-term connections rather than engineering alignments or pre-approved projects.
To be clear:
- These maps represent planning aspirations, not construction commitments.
- Nothing in the OCP authorizes expropriation or public access across private property.
- Any future projects would still require Council approval, detailed planning, funding, design, and public engagement.
What happens now that the OCP is adopted?
The District will begin implementation: updating bylaws and zoning, scheduling infrastructure and service improvements, and preparing supporting materials. An online, interactive OCP will be developed to help people easily navigate the plan. All this will be done in phases, tied to the municipal budget, so that growth proceeds at a pace that’s sustainable and affordable.
Will the plan stay fixed now that it's adopted?
Not necessarily. The OCP will be reviewed every five years - per provincial guidelines - to ensure it remains aligned with updated housing needs, population trends, and community priorities. The District may also consider amendments between reviews if new needs emerge.
How can I learn more about how Council made its decision?
The staff presentation and minutes from Council’s discussion and the Public Hearing are available on the project information webpage at letstalk.sooke.ca/ocp. Information here explains how feedback was addressed, what changes were made, and the reasoning behind final decisions. Watch/listen to the December 8, 2025 meeting here: Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 800, 2022 - Third Reading and Adoption.
Who decides how the plan is carried out?
Council sets the high-level direction by adopting the OCP and continues to guide implementation through strategic planning and budget decisions.
District staff are responsible for carrying out the plan, including preparing updates to bylaws and policies; however, any bylaw changes must be considered and approved by Council. Staff also review development applications, coordinate long-term projects, and create materials to help the public understand how the OCP applies. Implementation happens over many years, not all at once, and is phased to align with community priorities, available resources, and Council direction.
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Sooke, BC V9Z 1J2
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