Image: City of Abbotsford / Mayor Ross Siemens (centre) and Abbotsford councillors are pictured. The City of Abbotsford wants to hear from its residents as the municipality plots its official path of growth and development over the next quarter-century. the city is encouraging residents and businesses to help shape the future growth of Abbotsford by partaking in the "Abbotsforward 2050 update of the Official Community Plan (OCP) through a series of engagement opportunities.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

City of Abbotsford

City of Abbotsford soliciting feedback from residents, businesses on city’s growth plans for the next 25 years

Apr 30, 2024 | 11:02 AM

ABBOTSFORD — The City of Abbotsford wants to hear from its residents as the municipality plots its official path of growth and development over the next quarter-century.

According to a statement released Tuesday (Apr. 30), the city is encouraging residents and businesses to help shape the future growth of Abbotsford by partaking in the “Abbotsforward” 2050 update of the Official Community Plan (OCP) through a series of engagement venues.

As the city’s primary municipal land use management and development plan, the updated OCP will be utilized to better meet the needs of current and future residents and businesses by guiding where and how growth and new development takes place in Abbotsford over the next 25 years. Through the community engagement process, the city hopes to solicit input from residents and business owners to better understand the opportunities and constraints facing Abbotsford today to ensure the updated OCP reflects and represents key goals for the future of the municipality.

The community is invited to share its perspective on a variety of long-term planning considerations, like increasing housing supply; encouraging investment in Abbotsford’s residential and commercial mixed-use centres; and, opportunities to coordinate transportation and parks with residential growth, through in-person information sessions and an online survey. Throughout May, project events will provide an opportunity for community members to give feedback on some of the City’s early ideas for improving the OCP.

City staff will be on hand to hear feedback, discuss ideas, and answer questions at the open-house style information sessions, which will be held:

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• Saturday, May 11, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm – Seven Oaks Mall (near Purdy’s Chocolates)
• Thursday, May 16, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Mountain Elementary School
• Saturday, May 25, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Open Space Gallery in Historic Downtown (33765 Essendene Ave – previously Hemingway’s Books)
• Friday, May 31, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Highstreet Mall, main plaza near Cineplex Cinemas

Feedback solicited through the in-person events and online survey will be used to better guide high-level directions for improving the OCP, the city says, and to draft new and updated policies for further community feedback.

The online survey will run from May 11 to June 7, 2024. Anyone who lives and works in Abbotsford is encouraged to learn more about the OCP update process, take the survey and share their feedback at letstalkabbotsford.ca/ocp.