The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) commissioned CitySpaces to undertake the Nanaimo Airport Land Use Report. It involved two central tasks with regard to its relationship with the Nanaimo Airport Commission:
- Seek clarity over land use jurisdiction on lands owned by the Nanaimo Airport Commission. The issues relating to jurisdiction came to the forefront during the public process to update an Official Community Plan (OCP) for the Regional District of Nanaimo. It was decided at that time to exclude airport lands from the OCP process and address these lands through another process that would hopefully clarify land use jurisdiction and bring greater certainty to the Regional District of Nanaimo, the Nanaimo Airport Commission and the public; and
- Provide advice to the Regional District of Nanaimo on an appropriate process to include the airport lands in the Official Community Plan, based on feedback from consultations with the parties, key informants, residents and the general public.
The Nanaimo Airport Land Use Report summarized the work undertaken by CitySpaces and provided a recommendation for proceeding towards achieving a zoning and development permit area for the airport, and inclusion of the airport lands in the OCP.
The consultant’s work consisted of three primary tasks:
- A jurisdictional review of comparable airports in British Columbia. The review examined the relationships between airport authorities and local governments in eight jurisdictions.
- A broad consultation process to engage key stakeholders including local governments, residents, organizations and other interested parties within the catchment area of the Nanaimo Airport.
- Recommend a process and set of principles for the development of a Memorandum of Understanding and an approach to include the airport lands in the OCP .
PROJECT TEAM:
Brenda McBain Deane Strongitharm