What does the City’s 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP) say about this area?

    Yarrow is a rural community that is outside the City’s Urban Growth Boundary and bordered by the Agricultural Land Reserve. As shown in the map below, the OCP designates the majority of the properties within Yarrow as “Low Density Residential” with several properties designated as “General Commercial” along Yarrow Central Road. Along No. 3 Road, some parcels are designated as “General Industrial”. Overall, these OCP designations support a minimal growth scenario with a central pedestrian-friendly commercial area for residents and visitors to shop, work, obtain services and attend local events. 

    What are the neighbourhood boundaries for Yarrow?

    The Yarrow neighbourhood, as defined in the City’s 2040 Official Community Plan, is an area bounded by land within the Agricultural Land Reserve on all sides. In addition, the Yarrow neighbourhood is bordered by the Vedder River, Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve and Browne Creek Wetlands to the north and the B.C. Hydro Railway (Southern Railway of British Columbia) to the east.

    What is a neighbourhood plan?

    A neighbourhood plan is a tool to help residents identify a common vision for their neighbourhood, prioritize neighbourhood goals and identify options for achieving them, and convey the types of projects a local community supports. It also helps Council understand how residents want their neighbourhood to develop over time. Neighbourhood plans can be used to:

    • Develop a shared vision for your neighbourhood.
    • Provide greater detail on the type of development that will occur and how it will occur. 
    • Identify and enhance important focal points or pedestrian connections.
    • Influence what new buildings should look like.

    What is the difference between the Official Community Plan (OCP) and a neighbourhood plan?

    Both the OCP and neighbourhood plans guide decision-making. The OCP provides general, high-level guidance for the whole City, and neighbourhood plans provide guidance at a finer, more local scale. While the OCP sets out the overarching vision for how Chilliwack should develop over time, neighbourhood plans speak to how smaller areas will help achieve that city-wide vision, while considering the specific needs and desires of the neighbourhood. Other City plans, bylaws and policies that inform decision-making in the City are shown in the diagram below:

    Why is the City undertaking a neighbourhood plan for Yarrow?

    In 2015, the City’s the Sanitary Sewer Bylaw was updated to allow lots 0.2 hectares (0.5 acre) to be created in areas not connected to sanitary sewer. Previously, the minimum lot size for properties not connected to sanitary sewer was 1 hectare (2.5 acres). This has since resulted in a number of subdivisions in Yarrow. Additionally, there has been development interest in commercial, industrial and mixed-use development in Yarrow. To support future decision-making and provide clear guidance to property owners and developers, it was determined that a neighbourhood plan should be undertaken, taking into account: 

    • current and future development patterns;
    • privacy, building orientation;
    • compatibility issues; and,
    • neighbourhood fit within the rural setting of the community.

    Developing a neighbourhood plan will ensure there is a unified vision for how Yarrow develops over time. The neighbourhood plan will build on the City’s overarching OCP vision for this area as well as clarify expectations with respect to new development. The neighbourhood plan will set out goals and objectives, and identify actions on how to achieve them.

    How much growth and development is envisioned for Yarrow?

    The City’s 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP), updated in 2014, provides a high-level vision for how Chilliwack should grow and develop over time. Most growth and development in Chilliwack is planned to occur within the Urban Growth Boundary, where existing and future growth is concentrated within and along the urban corridor of the Chilliwack Proper and Sardis-Vedder neighbourhoods, where services (sewer, water, and storm) and amenities already exist.

    As a rural community, Yarrow is subject to servicing limitations and floodplain impacts. Yarrow Water Works and the septic system maintain the current development situation in Yarrow; these servicing constraints have implications for residential and non-residential development by ultimately limiting the increase in density and form of development to occur. For this reason, the City’s OCP envisions a minimal growth scenario for Yarrow. As this neighbourhood plan does not anticipate significant growth, the intent of this plan seeks to manage subdivision development in a more comprehensive manner and understand thresholds for residential development based on existing and future servicing limitations. This plan will also clarify non-residential land uses (commercial, industrial) to determine what type of uses will be permitted and where.

    How does the City manage traffic congestion?

    We have a Transportation Plan, updated in 2018, which includes provisions for traffic growth and volumes as well as information regarding cycling network and transit expansions. Through the Yarrow neighbourhood planning process, we will build on the existing information we have in place by engaging the public to understand residents concerns and priorities and by providing an opportunity for the community to offer comments and suggestions regarding possible solutions to address safety and pedestrian comfort (i.e., sidewalks, plantings, lighting, etc.). 

    In addition to the Transportation Plan, we are currently developing the City’s first Active Transportation Plan, with the intention to improve the safety and accessibility of our walking, riding, and rolling infrastructure on a City-wide basis. For more information on the Active Transportation Plan, please visit https://www.engagechilliwack.com/activetransportation or contact the Engineering Department at 604-793-2907 or engineeringinfo@chilliwack.com

    How can I become more involved?

    If you would like to stay informed in the planning process for the Yarrow Neighbourhood Plan, please sign up on Engage Chilliwack (www.engagechilliwack.com) and/ or contact the Planning Department at planning@chilliwack.com or 604-793-2906 to be kept apprised of future engagement events.