2040 Official Community Plan

Diversify economic and employment oppor-

tunities, revitalize downtown, and create

jobs for the anticipated population increase.

The focus of the Official Community Plan in infra-

structure capacity is to facilitate economic activities

and create employment for the projected population

increase, and the replacement jobs that will be lost to

future economic changes.

The supply of vacant and available employment lands

within urban areas is limited: 76 ha for industries and

12 ha for commercial growth. The constraint is accen-

tuated by the surrounding ALR and the preference of

businesses to locate on major traffic routes or with-

in commercial centres. This nodal and corridor pat-

tern of commercial use corresponds with the City’s

growth strategy for compact, sustainable and healthy

community development. In order to meet the 2040

population’s commercial space needs and projected

service jobs, commercial growth will have to take

place largely within existing commercial centres and

corridors through densification. This will trigger re-

development and changes to site coverage/floor area

ratio (FAR), built forms (multi-level), parking provision

(ratio and parkade), retail format (more compact and

higher sale per m

) and other design and operational

aspects.

Although the industrial reserve is notable, the long

term challenge for space remains. Quantitatively, the

current vacant industrial reserve may meet the next

12 years of demand; however, it falls far short of 2040

needs. Changes and adaptation will be indispensable

and, like commercial development, industrial growth

will in large parts come through densification of exist-

ing industrial development sites, and a higher FAR for

the currently vacant industrial lands. Changes to the

industrial sector will not be confined to site/building

design, but extended to the types of industries that

can thrive in a compact and intensive use environ-

ment. One of the main intentions of the OCP is to

facilitate those anticipated changes for a successful

transition – to ensure continual and robust industrial

growth in Chilliwack.

The service sector accounts for 73% of the City’s la-

bour force/employment: it has to be an important

part of Chilliwack’s economic development planning.

In today’s service economy, service growth and de-

velopment redefines economic diversification, which

traditionally refers to a calculated distribution of em-

ployment and businesses among the primary, manu-

facturing and service sectors. Today, economic diver-

sification frequently refers to building a knowledge

economy, capitalizing on the information age, nurtur-

ing a Learning Economy and embracing the service in-

dustry (tourism and health care). This will influence

Chilliwack’s future land use and economic develop-

ment directions, given that its assets encompass

Canada Education Park, the University of the Fraser

Valley, tourism destinations, the downtown and its

attraction to the film industry. Through the OCP and

Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (CEPCO),

the City will work with various responsible agencies

to promote their growth and development. Efforts

focusing on the downtown include a Downtown Land

Use and Development Plan, which has been in effect

since 2009, and a community based Downtown Plan

Implementation Committee that oversees its imple-

mentation and ongoing planning.

(Agriculture forms a separate part of the City’s eco-

nomic development strategy and is addressed under

Goal 2 of this plan.)

In the face of current and future economic changes

and employment challenges, the OCP can, and will,

play a pivotal role to ensure all of the growth capac-

Goal 3 - Grow the Economy

GOAL 3

GROW THE

ECONOMY