Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, October 01, 2006
Ucluelet’s efforts to transform itself from coastal fishing village and forestry town to tourism mecca are gaining international recognition.
The district’s Official Community Plan, adopted in 2004, has been shortlisted for a LivCom Award for environmental sustainability for a community under 20,000. The International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom) are endorsed by the United Nations Environment Program.
"It’s exciting but it’s humbling at the same time," said planner Felice Mazzoni, 35, who will travel to the award ceremony in Hangzhou, China, in November with Coun. Dario Corlazzoli and three representatives from Malaspina College.
"We never thought we would be in an international competition, but stranger things have happened."
The plan, developed with community input gathered through questionnaires, coffee klatches, barbecues and open houses, sets the standards high for those who want to build in the community of 1,700.
Provisions in the Official Community Plan include: requiring developers to include affordable housing and staff housing in their projects, density bonuses to reduce buildings’ footprints, and guarantees of 100 per cent public waterfront access. It requires the use of green development standards such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for buildings and environmentally sensitive land-management provisions for drainage and storm-water management.
"Council has said ‘we like development, we just want the right kind of development,’ " Mazzoni said.
"We’re not going to just have anybody come into town. We want certain things."
The payoffs have been huge for a municipality that had an operating surplus of only $60,000 in 2005. To date, the community has received $9 million in combined cash, parkland and amenities such as a new skateboard park, basketball court and tot-park as well as contributions toward a new community centre and multi-purpose field.
The density-bonus system has also contributed to retaining 40 to 60 per cent of the total natural greenspace area of development properties. The provincial minimum subdivision requirement is five per cent.
As the community’s only planner, Mazzoni engaged the help of a couple of Malaspina College students in developing the plan.
He was returning to the town he grew up in when he took the position in 1997. To say the job has grown is an understatement.
"In the first year I think I had one application for a lot-line variance. Now we have something like $800 million in rezonings over the past two years. … So we’ve gone from this sleepy little town where nothing ever happened to everybody wanting to do something," he said.
The village is interviewing for a planning assistant to help him.
Ucluelet is the only town in North America listed as a finalist in its category for communities under 20,000. It will be facing competitors from England, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, New Zealand, Australia, Austria and South Africa.
Finalists will be judged on categories such as enhancement of landscape, heritage, environmentally sensitive practices, community sustainability and planning for the future.
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006
