General Infrastructure Planning
For smaller, slow growing communities, more energy aware infrastructure planning policies may take many years, sometimes decades, to deliver results. However, perhaps the single most important CEP principle is to develop a long term planning vision to ensure that things will, eventually, get better.
In this first section, therefore, we look at a number of policies adopted by Quesnel's OCP for ensuring long term success.
The OCP contains a number of policies aimed at gradually increasing density and reshaping the urban mix of commercial and residential users. This is done with the expectation that these changes will eventually result in more livable spaces, reduced emissions as a result of shifting away from automobile toward pedestrian, cycling, and transit modes of travel, reduced cost of transit, and improved business viability of the downtown core.
The policies can be regarded as one of two types: direction policies and implementation policies. The former outline what Council wants to achieve; the latter spell out some of the ways it intends to bring these changes about.
Direction policies
Encouraging a mix of land uses downtown and in other commercial centres
First storey commercial mixed-use developments are a great way of providing more opportunities for people to be within walkable distances of the places they need to go, while at the same time creating a dynamic street environment, making the area safer and more attractive to potential residents and visitors.
The OCP also identifies a economic argument for this:
"Strong planning policies for Downtown Quesnel can promote business retention and new development. As the focal point of the community, a healthy and vibrant downtown can boost morale and stimulate investment".
Accordingly, Quesnel Council will:
"encourage mixed-use residential and commercial development, with residential above first storey commercial uses within the downtown and other specific commercial areas."
As a corollary to this, Council will will also:
"discourage office uses from locating anywhere other than the Downtown area [including government offices]"
Another option along these lines is to:
"in certain areas, allow live-work uses, where people can live in the same building in which they work."
Increase density downtown and in other commercial centres
Increasing the intensity and density of residential land use near commercial and employment centres has a direct impact on local transportation options. People who live near their places of work have more realistic opportunities to walk or take a bicycle to work, or to similarly access other services such as restaurants or dry cleaners. Not only does this reduce the number of vehicle trips, but it also helps to stimulate a vibrant urban centre that is more 'liveable' than conventionally-planned neighbourhoods.
Quesnel Council will:
"encourage the intensification of residential land use and density near commercial and employment centres, along major arterials and in areas where existing services can accommodate higher densities".
Densifying along major arterials helps cut down on traffic created by people moving through several suburban streets to access main streets.
Implementation policies
Some of the things Council will do to bring these things about include:
Favouring infill
Council will:
"encourage infill and redevelopment of existing areas designated as medium density residential before designating new areas as medium density residential."
Densifying existing areas increases the efficiency of many infrastructure services, such as water and wastewater provision, as well as reducing the "embodied energy" of the infrastructure -- since the amount of materials per individual is reduced, energy (and money) is saved on everything from the manufacture of asphalt to traffic signals. Also, of course, the greater the residential density of a location, the more viable public transportation provision becomes.
Offering developers density bonuses
The Quesnel OCP also spells out specific conditions under which it will offer so-called "density bonuses". Developers are attracted by increased density authorizations because the more units they can construct per unit area, the lower their costs per unit. Municipalities, however, often need to limit the density of certain areas to maintain the character of an area. Local Councils can therefore offer somewhat elevated density "bonuses" as an incentive for developers to incorporate other features the municipality wishes to promote and which may offset any negative effects of increased density.
In Quesnel's case, this is phrased as follows:
"Council may consider applications to rezone new areas to allow densities up to 120 dwelling units per hectare [the regular maximum being 90] if development [within designated areas] meets the following criteria:
- Must be within a five minute walk (about 250 metres) of the Downtown core or West Quesnel commercial area;
- Must provide amenities that may include public gardens, public plazas, playground equipment, public art, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and other amenities;
- Primary vehicular access to the development is from a major road that does not require travel through adjacent Low Density Residential Areas;
- Provision of at-grade parking, under-building parking or underground parking;
- Provides a maximum of three stories of residential use;"
The public amenities described are all aimed at improving liveability and providing incentives for people to walk or bicycle around an area rather than exclusively travel by car. In BC's colder climates, this practical design criterion is particularly critical for encouraging pedestrian travel.
Making residential developments conditional on the provision of commercial space
One way of ensuring that the downtown area develops a healthy mix of residential and commercial uses is to tie the construction of one to the other. The OCP, for example, says that Council will:
"allow multi-family residential development within the downtown designation only when the ground floor contains commercial uses."
Being flexible in zoning
Quesnel will be relatively flexible in the way it interprets the zoning of "medium density residential" areas to ensure a lively mix of appropriate commercial, public and institutional uses. The OCP says that Council will:
"consider other uses in the medium density residential designation, including:
- home businesses;
- small parks;
- small places of worship;
- small local commercial uses, especially where located on the ground floor as an integral part of the medium density residential development;
- institutional uses directly related to residential needs, such as medical care, meal provision, exercise facilities, daycare facilities."
