Official Community Plan & Transportation Plan Update

Thank you for participating in Phases 1 and 2 of the community engagement process for Vernon's Official Community Plan (OCP) and Transportation Plan (TP). Your feedback, gathered through surveys, open houses, and workshops, has been valuable in shaping the direction of these plans.

Over the past year, residents have shared their thoughts on how Vernon could grow in the coming years. Participants identified challenges, highlighted successes, and provided ideas for future improvements. This input, combined with technical studies, is guiding the development of policies that will influence how land is used, how people move through the community, and how services are delivered.

City staff are currently drafting the OCP and TP. These documents will be available for review later this spring during Phase 3 of public input.

Here is the full Phase 2 Engagement What We Learned Report.

We look forward to connecting with you in the next phase of engagement as we work together to shape the future of Vernon!

We are midway through the review and update of the Official Community Plan and Transportation Plan! Phase 1 and 2 of public engagement are complete. Thank you to everyone who participated and provided feedback.

The team is now shifting focus to the drafting both of these documents including mapping and project lists. Phase 3 of public engagement will be launched later in the spring of 2025 for the draft documents to receive public feedback. Council has endorsed increasing public engagement and advertising from the original engagement strategy. To stay informed when this launches, sign up to the mailing list by entering your email under "Stay Informed" and then click "subscribe".

The survey is now closed. Thank you to those of you who participated in the survey and attended the open house. The results of Phase 2 engagement will be added here once they are available.

The technical studies currently underway are expected to be completed by the end of the year. After the final reports are received, they will be presented to Council and then made available on the Engage Vernon website.

To be added to the mailing list for updates, please enter your email under "Stay Informed" and click "subscribe".

The survey is now live! Be sure to share your thoughts on how you want Vernon to grow as we welcome new neighbours into our community.

This morning, our OCP & TP team met with Council to share updates on several important projects. We presented findings from the Housing Needs Report, which highlighted the types of housing we need to invest in for different income levels over the next 5, 10, and 20 years. We also reviewed our Land Inventory, which gave an overview of the land available to meet these housing needs. The Growth Strategy explored different growth scenario options for Vernon and how to align them with the Housing Needs Report and Land Inventory analysis. Here is a link to the Council Report, full video and presentation from this session.

We also provided updates on the Transportation Plan, focusing on how we prioritize roads and connections to improve mobility. Council participated in an interactive activity exploring the elements that make up our streetscape—this same exercise will be available at our Open House, so feel free to stop by and give it a try!

We invite you to join us at the Open House on November 7th at the Vernon Library from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

October 4, 2024

The City of Vernon is entering the next phase of public engagement for the development of the new Official Community Plan (OCP) and Transportation Plan (TP). We encourage all residents to take part in this important process and share their input on how we plan for the future of our community.

Starting Monday, October 28, an online survey will be available for residents to provide feedback. The survey will remain open until the end of the day on Thursday, November 14. For those who prefer a paper copy, surveys can be picked up at the Community Services Building (3001 32 Avenue) beginning the afternoon of October 28. Paper copies must be returned to the same location by 4:30 p.m. on November 14.

As part of this engagement, the City will also be hosting an Open House on Thursday, November 7, from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Vernon Library / ORL Branch. We invite you to drop by, learn more about the project, and share your thoughts in person.

A project newsletter will be distributed later this month. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please visit the Stay Informed section on the right-hand side of this page to receive updates. We look forward to hearing your feedback and working together to shape Vernon’s future.

September 5, 2024
At its September 3, 2024 Committee of the Whole meeting, Vernon City Council participated in a Strategic Foresight Workshop as part of the ongoing development of new Official Community Plan (OCP) and Transportation Plan (TP).

The workshop provided Council with an opportunity to explore how drivers of change might affect Vernon’s future. Key focus areas included zoning, transit, housing, and infrastructure, with discussions on how factors such as electrification, Indigenous resilience, emerging technologies, and population growth might influence these areas.

For more information and to view the workshop presentation please use the following links:

• Media Release
• Presentation

Thank you for participating in Phase 1 of our community engagement, completing the survey, attending the workshops and pop up events. Read the summary of what we learned from the community here.

The team will consider community feedback along with technical studies to create different options for how we will grow as a city. Phase 2 of community engagement will launch on October 28. This engagement will include a survey that runs until November 14 and an open house on November 7 at the public library from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars and save the date!