Community Plans and Reports
Community plans are responsible for managing the growth and development through applicable land use policies and bylaws adopted by Council. The key community planning initiatives that help to guide the City of Duncan’s community vision include:
Official Community Plan
The City of Duncan’s Official Community Plan (OCP) is a statement of objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land use management, within the area covered by the plan, respecting the purposes of local government. This OCP represents the vision and aspirations of property owners, residents, businesses, and Council for how Duncan, as a small city with a bright future, can become the most livable small town in Canada. It was adopted by Council on March 4, 2024, and will be reviewed again in 5 year’s time.
Official Community Plan No. 3226, 2024
For more information on the adoption process of the OCP, please visit the OCP update project page.
Station Street Place Making Project
The design for the Station Street Placemaking Project was developed in 2020 by residents and interested parties through a series of workshops facilitated by Mark Lakeman, a well-known placemaking advocate, and designer. This project will transform an underutilized empty lot into a dynamic public space that will serve as a hub for community events, festivals, and other activities.
With a letter of support from the Downtown Duncan Business Improvement Association, the City successfully applied for a grant in the amount of $1 million from the Government of B.C. through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP) to undertake this Project.
Transportation + Mobility Strategy
The Transportation + Mobility Strategy (TMS) will be used to help our decision-making when it comes to transportation policies, programs, projects, and investments. It will cover all the ways we get around Duncan including driving, walking, cycling, and taking public transit.
Cairnsmore Sustainable Neighbourhood Plan
Initiated in 2018 and adopted in April 2021 as part of the 2018-2022 Council Strategic Plan, the Cairnsmore Sustainable Neighbourhood Plan was developed through work with community members to decide what is important to protect and celebrate in the Cairnsmore neighbourhood. The goal of the plan is to help maintain existing assets while planning how future development and change should be integrated over the coming decades.
University Village Sustainable Local Area Plan
The University Village Sustainable Local Area Plan (UVSLAP) is an innovative, climate-friendly plan for a high-growth neighbourhood along the common border of the City of Duncan and Municipality of North Cowichan, close to the Vancouver Island University Cowichan Campus. The UVSLAP provides detailed land use and urban design guidelines for the area, within the context of each community’s Official Community Plan, with particularly notable climate mitigation policies.
Rotary and McAdam Park Master Plan
The McAdam and Rotary Parks Master Plan is a long-term vision and strategy for building on and renewing the parks’ existing natural assets, addressing current issues, and planning for a future that supports a productive natural environment while welcoming a wide range of people to use and enjoy the parks. A Parks Master Plan is a planning tool that provides important direction to physical development and changes happen within specific parks.
Trans-Canada Highway Corridor Management Plan
The Trans-Canada Highway Corridor Mangement Plan – Boys Road to Beverly Street (2014) provides strategies that address related safety, traffic congestion, accessibility, and aesthetics along the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) Corridor as well as the surrounding land uses and roadway networks.
2014 TCH Corridor Management Plan – Boys Road to Beverly Street
2005 TCH Corridor Management Plan – Drinkwater Road to Cowichan Bay Road
Urban Forest Strategy
In October 2010, the City of Duncan undertook a comprehensive study to assess and analyze the urban forest within its boundaries. The resulting Urban Forest Strategy brings forward a vision and strategy to maintain and sustain the City of Duncan’s urban forest, along with recommendations for implementation.
More information on the Urban Forest Strategy can be found here.
Placemaking Design Plans: 85 Station Street and Whistler Avenue
Located at the intersection of Craig and Station Street in the core of downtown Duncan. The west half of the site was acquired by the City of Duncan in 2014 after the removal of the aged former Red Balloon commercial building due to health and safety issues. As a lawn-area, the site has functioned as an extension of the Station Street Park, recognized by visitors for its three totems, and known by locals for its remarkable “Fake Forest” mural. The recent expansion of this public space provides a special opportunity to create gathering space and public amenities.
Whistler Street is a nearly three block long spur off Coronation Avenue in the Northeast area of Duncan. The street and private parcels appear to have more asphalt and parking area then necessary and very little landscaping and vegetation making the street feel unwelcoming. Public engagement throughout 2020 resulted in a final streetscape design that sustainably transforms the public street into a multi-modal urban space and a destination for public events and residents.
