At the June 24th meeting of Council, Council passed a series of land use changes that will align all relevant City regulations for the Rotary Waterfront Park area with the vision for the future of this critical piece of waterfront. These rezoning and OCP amendments are part of the City of Prince Rupert’s efforts to drive investment in the community while securing waterfront views, creating friendly streets and inviting public spaces, and promoting development.
Specifically, following the collaborative vision set by Prince Rupert 2030 Plan, the City of Prince Rupert has rezoned the area shown in Map 1 from Commercial and Industrial into the proposed Zoning Category: Waterfront Terminal Zone. In addition to the zoning changes, the City plans to extend the City Core Development Permit Area, the Downtown District, and the Waterfront Character Area to encompass the subject properties, as shown in red on the Map 2.
Waterfront Zoning Bylaw Amendment
Map 1 - Proposed Zoning
Zoning is one of the tools the City has at its disposal to help drive development and manage future land uses in an area. By proactively rezoning the properties seen on the map, the City will ensure the future growth of the area aligns with the community vision for the waterfront. The City has re-zoned the properties from Waterfront Industrial Zone (M3) and Core Commercial Zone (C1) to Waterfront Terminal Zone (WT). This change will enable the city to establish area-specific regulations to protect waterfront views, secure future waterfront access and enable future commercial development. In addition, the rezoning to a new Waterfront Terminal Zone (WT) will allow planned and potential developments desired by the community for the area to proceed, such as a ferry terminal, retail uses, outdoor markets, parks and recreation facilities, as well as a potential future marina. Please Refer to Map 1 to see the properties being discussed and the Zoning Amendments being proposed.
Map 2- Proposed land use amendment to the Official Community Plan (OCP)
OCP Amendment
The Official Community Plan (OCP) is the City's overarching land use bylaw that describes the long-term vision of community development in Prince Rupert. It Includes objectives, policies and guidelines that were established with community input and guide all other land use decision making of Council. Although ideas surrounding the waterfront and the potential uses of this area were noted in the OCP, it is necessary to amend the existing OCP to enable the vision for this area to proceed. Map 2 illustrates the two properties proposed to be amended from Industrial to City Core designations. Additionally, the City intends to extend the City Core Development Permit Area, the Downtown District, and the Waterfront Character Area to encompass the previously mentioned properties. The extension of these DPA areas allows the City to ensure that the character and form of future development aligns with existing guidelines. These guidelines were adopted to help promote inviting public spaces and celebrate the character of Prince Rupert. The current and intended boundaries of the City Core Development Permit Area, the Downtown District and the Waterfront Character Area can be seen in Map 3.
Map 3- Proposed amendment to extend the City Core, Waterfront character area, and Downtown district in the Official Community Plan (OCP) 
