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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil this Week 2015-03-02.pdfA year ago Council was presented with a report outlining the process to move forward with the Hammond Area Plan Process, and that triggered a huge body of work that was summarized for Council at the March 2, 2015 Workshop. The presentation was introduced by Jim Charlebois, Manager of Community Planning, who noted that the level of participa- tion in the project from community members has been extraordinary, and that the time and thoughtfulness of the feedback was an inspira- tion to the team doing the work. The presentation started with a video that was culled from the work done in the first two phases of the Area Plan Process. The video showed some of the photos submitted by the community as part of the #MyHammond: Community Character Photo Project and brief clips from interviews that were conducted with community elders talking about the Hammond that they grew up in in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Both of these projects were presented at the first community Open House at the Hammond Community Centre in June of 2014. The video showed clips from the second video series called ‘Hammond: The Next Generation’ features comments, observations and suggestions from current residents of the community. . ..cont’d City of Maple Ridge Council This Week Maple Ridge 11995 Haney Place Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 Canada Tel: 604-463-5221 Fax: 604-467-7329 Website Enquiries Email Inside This Issue:  Hammond Area Plan Update & Consultation Summary  Public Works & Development Services  Community Development, Parks & Recreation Services  Pitt Meadows Airport Society  Albion Flats— History & Options Update  Council Reports & Committee Minutes & Agendas Hammond Area Plan Update & Consultation Summary March 2, 2015 Hammond Area Plan Update & Consultation Summary ...cont’d That video was unveiled at the second Open House in November of 2014, along with information that had been gathered as part of the #MyHammond Talks online surveys conducted throughout the summer and early fall of 2014. The complete videos and information can be viewed on the City website on the #MyHammond: Hammond Area Plan Process page. Lisa Zosiak, Planner 2, completed the presentation by noting that the key information from the first two phases of the project is summarized in a report that was part of the agenda and noted that the Draft Guiding Principles for the work moving forward came from the citizens of the neigh- bourhood. The Hammond Area Plan Process will now move to a more technical phase with the development of the Draft Area Plan and continued community consultation that will lead up to the presentation of the Hammond Area Plan Bylaw for Council later this year. Council thanked Mr. Charlebois and Ms. Zosiak for the presentation and noted that the level of community consultation and collaboration created a new benchmark in the community. The report was received as information. Council This Week Page 2 Work Plan Overview: Public Works & Development Services Frank Quinn, General Manager: Public Works & Development Services presented Council with an overview presentation highlighting key points from the Division’s 2015 Workplan Overview report. The presentation highlighted work done in 2014 to improve walkability in the community, traffic calming, neighbourhood engagement, infrastructure paving and an extensive list of policy items that came before Council in 2014.. The presentation featured key work for the 2015 Work Plan. One of the major projects will be the creation of a ‘Responsible Development Charter’ to help bridge the gap between the perception of the public that the development community have free rein and the perception of the develop- ment community that there is too much regulation that holds up their work. This work will also in- volve a review of our development processes and work to create a liaison committee with the Ur- ban Development Institute and the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association to create a fo- rum where builders can share their experiences and best practices from around the region to al- low our community to ensure that we are using best practices to optimize our processes. He noted that Council will see options for the Albion Flats area, garbage/organics handling and derelict buildings as they relate to development applications, continued work on walkability in the community and a report on the Adjudication Process. Workplan Overview: PWDS ...cont’d Mr. Quinn also presented Council with information on Business Licences and work that estab- lished a liaison committee with the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association and the Chamber of Commerce to look at issues around appropriate use in buildings, business licensing requirements and feedback on issues like the Sign Bylaw that will come back before Council this year. Mr. Quinn noted that there will be further work coming before Council relating to bylaw enforcement to get direction on enforcement priorities moving forward. Council asked a number of questions about the department activities and noted areas where they would like further information so they could set the Strategic Direction of the City. Council thanked Mr. Quinn and his staff for the report. Council This Week Page 3 Work Plan Overview: Community Development, Parks & Recreation Services Kelly Swift, General Manager: Community Development, Parks & Recreation Services, made a presentation that highlighted aspects of the department’s 2015 Work Plan. Ms. Swift noted that there is a Parks Master Plan that was adopted in 2010, however that master plan has not yet been funded by Council. Ms. Swift walked Council through the department’s vision and values statements and the governance model relating to the Parks & Recreation Commission and the fact that the department carries out its work with a wide range of collaboration, including formal agreements with community organizations such as the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society and the Maple Ridge Arts Council. Ms. Swift’s presentation provided high level summaries of work in the areas of Arts & Culture, Festivals & Events, Volunteers, Neighbourhood Development, Social Planning, Children and Youth Services and Seniors Services. The report also spoke about the operations of the recreation cen- tres, aquatics facilities, rinks, Cemetery, parks and trails. Council had a number of questions about specific areas of the department’s work and Ms. Swift will be bringing back more detailed reports on community development, the operation of the lei- sure centre, and follow up discussion will take place on facility bookings and future development of community centres based on growing needs for the community. Council thanked Ms. Swift for her presentation. Pitt Meadows Airport Society Council received a report on the Pitt Meadows Airport Society with background information on its history and governance. Council received the report for information. Council This Week Page 4 Albion Flats—History & Options Update This report and discussion have been moved forward to a future meeting. Council Reports & Committee Minutes & Reports Council had a brief discussion regarding moving the ‘Council Reports’ from the Tuesday Council meetings to the Workshop forum as a way of reducing the length of Council meetings, however providing a forum for reviewing the work Council members are doing in the community. Further to that, there is a desire to explore how the Committees of Council, and the outside com- mittee work, might be better presented so that members of those bodies can present information to Council as a whole for feedback and discussion. There will be further discussion on this matter at an upcoming Workshop meeting to determine the best method to deal with these two items. Council This Week is an informal summary of the reports and discussion of Council’s work at Workshop. This document will provide links to all reports and presentations that were provided to Council as part of their deliberations. The comments are not the official minutes of the meeting. These notes are intended to capture the essence of the discussion so that citizens can keep in touch with the work of Council in this public meeting. This version of Council This Week has been modified to a more accessible version that better meets the needs of our citizens with visual impairments. Please Note!