PROJECT UPDATE |
SURVEY NOW CLOSED & PHASE 1 BASELINE ASSESSMENT REPORT
Thank you to everyone who provided their feedback for Phase 1 of the Woodgrove Area Plan project. The survey is now closed. Over the coming weeks, will be compiling everything we heard into an Engagement Summary Report. The report will identify the main themes we heard from the community and be used to inform what growth scenarios to test in Phase 2. If you'd like to stay informed on when the report is published, please subscribe to project updates.
PHASE 1 | BASELINE ASSESSMENT REPORT
A Baseline Assessment Report (March 2025) has been completed which identifies the current state of the Woodgrove Secondary Urban Centre as it relates to the supply of housing, daily needs, retail, capacity of the transportation and transit network, and capacity of sewer and water infrastructure. For more information on the findings, view the Baseline Assessment Report.
Staff presented the findings to the Governance and Priority Committee meeting on Monday, March 24th. To view the Staff Report and video of the meeting, visit the Council Meeting webpage.
The purpose of the Woodgrove Area Plan project is to provide more detailed land use and policy guidance for land within the Woodgrove Secondary Urban Centre. The Plan is intended to build on City Plan: Nanaimo ReImagined and the Nanaimo Framework of Five City Goals.
Scope Area
The scope area for the Woodgrove Area Plan includes the boundaries of the Woodgrove Secondary Urban Centre, as shown here: Woodgrove Area Plan Boundary. The boundaries reflect those shown on Schedule 2: Future Land Use Designation of City Plan: Nanaimo ReImagined. However, as the Woodgrove area currently serves both a citywide and regional function, a wider lens will be cast for the purposes of preparing the Area Plan.
Objectives
The objectives of the Woodgrove Area Plan are as follows:
- Build on City Plan: Nanaimo ReImagined desired outcomes, policies, and public input;
- Refine the vision and desired outcomes for the study area that will guide its evolution over the next 25 years, within the context of the new Provincial Housing Legislation;
- Develop a future growth concept and development policies for where and how new development can be integrated into the scope area over time (if/when development is proposed);
- Identify implementation actions and monitoring to determine what infrastructure and public amenity investments are needed to realize the growth concept; and,
- Produce a Woodgrove Area Plan document that represents the community visions for growth for the area and acts as a tool for the development community in realizing that vision.
Project Timeline
The Woodgrove Area Plan project launched in January 2025 and is scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2026. Check back for updates to the project timeline.
Scope of the Project
The Woodgrove Area Plan will be completed in four phases outlined below.
Phase 1 – Baseline & Needs Assessment
Phase 1A | Complete a ‘Baseline Assessment’ to determine the current state of the Woodgrove Secondary Urban Centre as it relates to the following:
- Supply of housing, office, and employment;
- Capacity of the transportation network and transit;
- Capacity of the sewer and water infrastructure; and,
- Access to parks, recreation, culture, and wellness facilities.
Phase 1B | Building off the ‘Baseline Assessment’, complete a ‘Needs Assessment’ to determine the following:
- Projected demand for housing, employment, and office;
- Projected transportation infrastructure demands;
- Projected sewer and water infrastructure demands; and,
- Projected parks, recreation, culture and wellness demands.
Phase 1B will include the first round of community engagement, which will focus on sharing the results of the ‘Baseline & Needs Assessment’ and gathering the community’s input on their vision, goals, and needs for the area. As City Plan provides a high-level vision and policy direction for the area, the intent of engagement is to seek feedback on what will make this area unique.
Phase 2 – Scenarios Testing: Identify benchmark indicators and test two (2) to three (3) ‘future case’ scenarios as they relate to housing, transportation, infrastructure, and access to daily needs. Testing will involve evaluating each action to determine its impact, feasibility, cost, and implementation logistics. This will help to prioritize viable actions that move us closer to achieving the community’s vision and goals identified in Phase 1.
A second round of community engagement will include seeking feedback on the 2 to 3 ‘future case’ scenarios. The community will have an opportunity to evaluate various actions the City can take and understand the trade-offs present in pursuing any one of the possible future directions.
Phase 3 – Preferred Scenario: Develop a preferred scenario with supporting policies, design guidelines, actions, and monitoring framework.
The final round of community engagement will include seeking input on the preferred scenario including policies, design guidelines, action, and monitoring framework. The feedback will be used to inform the final document, the Woodgrove Area Plan.
Phase 4 – Woodgrove Area Plan: Prepare the Woodgrove Area Plan, that provides detailed land use, policy guidance, infrastructure planning, and daily needs. Key aspects of the plan will include:
- policies relating to land use, transportation, infrastructure, and access to daily needs;
- mapping to support the policy framework, where appropriate;
- form and character design guidelines;
- implementation actions; and,
- monitoring framework.
The Woodgrove Area Plan is intended to form part of City Plan, with the implementation actions and monitoring framework incorporating into the Integrated Action Plan and Monitoring Strategy.
Have Any Questions?
Feel free to reach out to staff if you have any questions on this project.
Kasia Biegun | Project Manager
T: 250.755.4434
E: woodgrove.areaplan@nanaimo.ca
