Official Community Plan Refresh

Draft Official Community Plan (OCP) Now Available for Review!

Langford's Official Community Plan sets the direction for future growth to 100,000 residents, guided by community input.

For the first time in over 16 years, the City of Langford is strategically updating its Official Community Plan (OCP). This refreshed and reimagined Plan outlines how and where the city will grow to address both current and future challenges while ensuring accountability, transparency, and follow-through on community objectives.

This refresh/rethink builds on the city’s strengths while introducing bold new ideas and modern approaches to shared challenges, including climate, housing affordability, equity, public health, and rising infrastructure costs – referred to as the “Five Crises”. Focused on implementation and outcomes, key sections of the OCP have been refined, reorganized, and consolidated to drive meaningful progress while making the best use of public time and resources.

Rather than planning for a fixed number of years with uncertain outcomes, the refreshed/reimagined OCP plans for a population of 100,000 residents. This approach offers the key advantage of focusing on what Langford needs to support that milestone, no matter how long it takes to get there. It’s an example of planning for outcomes, not timeframes; a best practice that keeps city growth strategies relevant over time.

How the Draft Official Community Plan Came Together

Public Input and Engagement
City of Langford staff led the development of this draft Official Community Plan (OCP) with valuable input from external experts and extensive community engagement. Public consultation was a key component of the process, ensuring that community voices directly influenced the Plan alongside in-depth research on current and future opportunities and challenges, a review of best practices, and technical analysis. To review the engagement process, please see the public engagement summaries in the document section of this project page.

Addressing Community Concerns
While there was broad support for the proposed vision and all of the associated “Big Ideas” for the Plan, some residents also raised concerns about potential overcrowding, traffic congestion, limited green spaces in certain areas, affordability, and financial impacts, including potential increases in property taxes. These concerns were carefully considered alongside technical analysis and expert recommendations in drafting the OCP.

As a result, the Plan takes a strategic approach, directing growth to the City Centre, Corridors, and Urban Centres; areas where existing infrastructure can support development, and where frequent transit and active transportation options, such as walking/rolling, and cycling, are most viable. This approach reflects the balance between accommodating growth, addressing community concerns, and applying expert guidance to ensure a sustainable and livable future for Langford.

Which Key Parts of the Current OCP Are We Keeping?

This draft OCP is based on the strong foundation provided by the 2008 OCP. Much of the policy intent has been retained, while consolidating, reorganizing, and clarifying repetitive or overlapping policies, incorporating current information, and highlighting the actions necessary to achieve the desired outcomes and targets.
More specifically, the following key policies of the 2008 OCP have been carried forward into the new draft:

• A sustainable and complete community is the vision and framework for all policies.
• Achieve a mode-share of 42% of all trips to be made by walking, rolling, cycling, and transit by 2038. This has been updated to align with the OCP outcome of 100,000 residents rather than a date.
• Implement a modal hierarchy to direct all transportation infrastructure improvements according to the following:

1. Pedestrians and movement with mobility aids
2. Cycling and micro-mobility
3. Public transit
4. Shared vehicles
5. Commercial vehicles.
6. Single-occupant vehicles

• Social community uses, such as parks, community gardens, and daycares, are permitted on public and private lands in all areas.
• A wide range of housing sizes, types, and tenures are enabled in residential and mixed-use areas.

The draft OCP “connects the dots” more deliberately and effectively between the intent of these existing policies and the proposed new Land Use and Growth Management Strategy.

How Can I Provide My Comments on the Draft?

After an engaging and inspiring process developing the draft OCP, we now want to hear what you think about the draft. This is an important stage of public engagement before the plan is finalized for Council to consider. You will also have a chance to speak directly to Council about the Plan at the public hearing! The survey is now open and closes Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. (PST).