Ucluelet’s council and staff hosted a well-attended open house on March 8 to present, and hear feedback on, the district’s Official Community Plan and emergency notification processes.
“We’re here to get people’s thoughts and opinions on our community and the planning that we’re doing moving forward and how they would like to see Ucluelet look as we grow and change,” said Ucluelet mayor Dianne St. Jacques who added she was “absolutely thrilled” with the number of engaged locals who showed up.
“It’s great to have such a terrific turnout. We’re really happy about that. There’s lots of people coming through and they’re giving us their thoughts on things like short term rentals, bed and breakfasts, parks, and those types of things.”
Vancouver Island University students are working with Ucluelet to update the district’s Official Community Plan and VIU students attended the open house to present various aspects of the OCP and answer questions from community members.
The director of VIU’s Masters of Community Planning Program Pam Shaw said the real-world experiences her students are gaining in Ucluelet is invaluable.
“This is not something that you can gain in the classroom and I’m very grateful to the District of Ucluelet for having the bravery to engage with students, work with us at this level and let students have this experience,” she said. “It’s priceless for us.”