City of Powell River council has awarded a contract to a consultant firm to review its official community plan (OCP).
Council voted at a special meeting on October 25 to engage Arlington Group Planning + Architecture Inc., which is based in Vancouver, for $164,964.
The city issued a request for proposals for consultants interested in undertaking a major review of the OCP and developing a new sustainable official community plan. The city received six proposals, which ranged from a low of $142,653 to a high of $166,662.
Staff evaluated the proposals and recommended the Arlington Group, because it had a clearer project understanding and most appropriate community engagement strategy, according to Carlos Felip, manager of development services. “I would say that five out of the six submissions that we received were similar in terms of technical content,” he said. “The big difference between the first and the fifth was that the first is proposing a very comprehensive public participation process.”
The Arlington Group was the only proponent who recognized the special character of the four founding communities, Townsite, Wildwood, Westview and Cranberry, Felip explained. The company proposed two public consultation events at each of these locations, in addition to other community-wide meetings. In total, it is proposing 10 public information gatherings, plus the statutory public hearing. “We believe that the Arlington Group will be the one to do the best work for the city,” he said. “We’ll work closely with them.”
Felip also said he was not going to recommend to council that it establish a community advisory group for the OCP review process. “We are ensuring full participation by a generous number of public meetings where direct public input is encouraged,” he said. “My experience has demonstrated that this process is more effective than an advisory group.”
