Selkirk College Students Seek Input for Fruitvale Livable Village Action Plan
By Bob Hall
Selkirk College second-year Integrated Environmental Planning (IEP) Program students are helping the Village of Fruitvale further develop goals and initiatives identified in its Official Community Plan.
The 21 students in the cohort based out of the Castlegar Campus will hold a public open house to present their Fruitvale Livable Village Action Plan. The event will be held on Monday, March 11 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Fruitvale Elementary School (1867 Columbia Gardens Road) and is an opportunity for citizens to familiarize themselves with the draft plans and provide valuable input.
Topics include the sewage treatment plant, ecosystem health and restoration, storm water management, biomass energy plant, downtown redevelopment and design, rail line trails, bike skills park, energy conservation, connectivity to Montrose and Trail, complete streets, urban agriculture,crown land access,infill and increased density, and affordable housing.
The students have been working under the supervision and leadership of Selkirk College IEP instructor Peter Holton in association with the Village of Fruitvale. The involvement of Fruitvale citizens, relevant government agencies, businesses, and non-governmental organizations has been actively solicited throughout the planning process with direction from the village. The upcoming open house is part of that strategy.
Selkirk’s Integrated Environmental Planning students have a 17-year history of preparing pro bono plans for a variety of agency and interest group clients throughout the West Kootenay.
Fruitvale’s OCP identified numerous areas for future study, research, plan development, and implementation. The purpose of the Livable Village Action Plan is to aid in this process. During the plan preparation processes Selkirk Integrated Environmental Planning students are:
· Compiling existing data on each selected topic in order to define the relevant issues and guide the development of a focus plan;
· Gathering information, input and ideas from the public, agencies, residents, landowners, businesses, and elected and appointed officials;
· Developing a set of planning goals and objectives for each individual topic;
· Researching how other entities and jurisdictions address similar issues throughout North America and document technologies and practices appropriate for Fruitvale;
· Outlining discrete action steps that can be taken to address issues and identify the parties that would be responsible for each action step;
· Providing order of magnitude cost estimates.
Final plans will be completed in April and presented to the Village of Fruitvale later this spring.
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