Lake Windermere OCP
Consultation has concluded. Thank you to all who participated.

The RDEK Board of Directors adopted the Lake Windermere Official Community Plan (OCP) at its November 1st monthly board meeting. The adopted plan will be posted early next week (Nov. 4-8)
BACKGROUND:
A public hearing was held on October 23, 2019
A June 9 open house kicked off a public comment period that was open until July 10. Over 150 responses were received either via e-mail, letter or comment form in addition to 139 stock letters received from a Wildsight write-in campaign.
Changes made to the DRAFT Lake Windermere OCP since the June 9 Open House:
- Section 4.3(1)(c) – Changed from supporting a stand-alone process to look at incorporating secondary suites in to the Upper Columbia Zoning Bylaw to simply supporting an amendment to the Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw to permit secondary suites in the plan area. This change was made due to the number of public comments received asking for the RDEK to do more to permit secondary suites and address issues such as providing housing for young families and the emerging workforce. A public hearing is still required for any changes proposed to the zoning bylaw.
- Section 4.3(5) – Westside Residential Policies. Through the public comment period, many comments were received which opposed development on the west side of the District of Invermere. Reasons for opposition were to protect sensitive grassland ecosystems, leaving wildlife corridors untouched by development and recognizing the significance of the southern mountain goat herd. In order to achieve the environmental protections the public desires to see on these private properties, providing limited development opportunity in the less sensitive areas can be used to secure meaningful protection for environmentally sensitive areas, wildlife habitat and community amenities.
- Section 9.1 – Inserted correct name for the Markin-MacPhail Westside Legacy Trail.
- Section 9.3(3) – Change to reflect already established Electoral F parks and trails service.
- Section 13.3(2) – Added reference to Shuswap Indian Band.
- Section 15.3(10) – Added policy recognizing limited servicing capacity at Athalmer Road which will need to be addressed in any future developments.
- Section 16.1, 16.3(11) and (12) – Acknowledge that the community GHG reduction targets, objectives and policies’ will need to be updated prior to the end of the plans lifecycle and added a policy which supports completing a community greenhouse gas reduction plan for the plan area.
Useful links:
- Updated Draft Plan (published Sept.10.19) - note: the original draft (presented June 9) is available in the document library
- Summary of public feedback
- Redacted public feedback
- Redacted Form Letter
- Background Information on the Lake Windermere OCP Planning Process
If you have any questions about the Lake Windermere OCP process, please contact Kris Belanger at 250-489-6903 or via email at [email protected]