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Town of Ladysmith talks OCP over breakfast

Public engagement event held at Aggie Hall on Nov. 5
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Ladysmith’s director of development services Jake Belobaba, middle, chats with residents who attended the town’s OCP community engagement event Saturday, Nov. 5, at Aggie Hall. (Duck Paterson photo)

Ladysmith residents turned out to talk about the official community plan over a pancake breakfast.

The Town of Ladysmith held a public engagement event Saturday, Nov. 5, at Aggie Hall, where residents were invited to provide feedback on the draft OCP. As part of the open house, the Ladysmith Kinsmen Club served a breakfast of pancakes, sausages, eggs and fruit.

The Town of Ladysmith is updating its OCP as the current plan has been in place since 2005. The OCP is a land-use planning document, but it influences how people experience their town with regards to their shopping choices, transportation connections, recreation options and more.

Ladysmith’s proposed new OCP is intended to guide decision-making around housing choices, transportation and emissions, asset management, character, affordability, protection of ecologically sensitive areas and financial planning.

A citizens’ steering committee was created to lead development of the OCP, and participants representing various sectors and segments of the town have assisted in working toward the creation of a document that will guide Ladysmith for years to come.

This past weekend’s open house attracted close to 100 people and the consulting firm of Ahne Studio was there with charts, handouts and a survey.

“It was great to hear the comments from the public. Lots of questions, which is good,” said Jake Belobaba, the town’s director of development services. “It shows that most people are interested and it generates thought processes as well as giving a better understanding of the direction.”

All the ingredients for the Kinsmen pancake breakfast were donated by the Ladysmith Save-On-Foods.

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editor@ladysmithchronicle.com