Official Community Plan

An Official Community Plan (OCP) is Sooke’s long-term roadmap for how our community will grow and change over time. It guides decisions about housing, transportation, parks and trails, the environment, climate action, and the local economy.

Think of it as a shared vision that helps us move in the same direction as Sooke grows.

An OCP provides direction on land use, reflecting:

• Where homes can be built and what kinds of housing are available.
• How we move around, including walking, biking, transit, and driving.
• Where parks, trails, and community facilities go.
• How we protect nature, waterfront areas, and wildlife.
• How we prepare for climate change and natural hazards.
• Where businesses can operate, helping support a local, resilient economy.

See the current OCP, Bylaw No. 400: Official Community Plan (OCP) Bylaw

The OCP Is Currently Under Review

The District of Sooke is updating its Official Community Plan to ensure it reflects community values, emerging needs, and provincial requirements.

Learn more:

• letstalk.sooke.ca/ocp

How the OCP Gets Created

The OCP is shaped through community input, technical studies, and provincial requirements. Creating or updating an OCP usually includes:

1. Listening to residents, businesses, community groups, and First Nations.
2. Researching trends, such as population, housing needs, climate impacts, and transportation patterns.
3. Drafting policies, mapping land uses, and identifying priorities.
4. Reviewing and revising, based on public feedback.
5. Council consideration and adoption, following statutory processes.

Community voices help ensure the plan reflects local values.

Provincial Regulations & Requirements for OCPs

As part of the update for Sooke’s OCP we follow regulations set by the Government of British Columbia under the Local Government Act (and related policy). Some key points include:

• Municipalities are required to adopt an OCP by bylaw.
• Once an OCP is adopted, all bylaws and works undertaken must be consistent with it.
• The OCP must include certain required statements and map designations such as:
  • Residential development required to meet anticipated housing needs over a 20-year period.
  • Present and proposed commercial, industrial, institutional, agricultural, recreational and public utility land-uses.
  • Present and proposed public facilities (schools, parks, waste treatment sites).
  • Any areas subject to hazardous conditions or environmentally sensitive land that should be restricted from development.
• The OCP must consider the most-recent housing needs report when developing or amending housing policies, map designations, or statements.
• Local governments may include optional policy statements, such as social development, environmental protection, farmland preservation, etc.
• Local governments can designate “development permit areas” in the OCP for special treatment of things like hazard protection, climate adaptation, energy conservation, or form and character of development.
• Under recent legislative changes, municipalities are required to update their OCPs every five years, align them with housing needs reports, designate land to meet housing needs, and conduct public engagement accordingly.

Learn more:

• Official community plans for local governments - Province of British Columbia