Tiny Anmore is expected to double its population over the next 25 years and is asking residents how it should handle the extra growth.
On Tuesday, the village of Anmore will gather feedback at an open house to prepare for its update of the official community plan (OCP), a general guide on future land development, transportation, recreation, environment and social issues.
Mayor Heather Anderson said there are few pressing matters before the municipality of 2,400 residents, who have a median household income of more than $100,000 (compared to $65,000 for the Lower Mainland).
Recently, it hired a consultant to look at the village's financial sustainability, she said. The results of the study will be available in September, after village staff have incorporated residents' feedback into a draft OCP document and gets ready for another round of public input.
The final OCP draft is expected to be ready in the fall before a public hearing in December.
Among the consultant's work will be examining whether Anmore can continue with its one-acre lot sizes.
In 2002, two-thirds of Anmore residents voted down a proposal to allow subdivisions of half-acre properties - a decision that formed the basis of the current OCP, which was adopted in 2005.
Relaxing the rules for smaller lots would increase the tax base and give relief to homeowners - especially seniors, Anderson said.
"Like every municipality, we are struggling with infrastructure costs and providing the best services possible with limited dollars," she said, adding, "As the population gets older, residents are saying, 'I love living in Anmore but I really don't love managing a one-acre parcel of land.' It just gets too hard when you're in your 70s and 80s to maintain that size of a lot.
"That's the message I've been hearing from people. They want options for the seniors who don't want to be forced out of Anmore," Anderson said.
Besides land use, the updated OCP will also consider future recreational areas. Anmore is home to Buntzen Lake, a BC Hydro reservoir that is a popular summer destination for out-of-towners.
With the Evergreen Line set to be built through neighbouring Port Moody - which is also undergoing an OCP update - by the summer of 2016, Anderson expects there to be more demand for recreation by day trippers.
As well, the updated OCP will include a section on the Ioco lands, of which Imperial Oil is currently selling 232 acres: 150 acres in Anmore and the remaining 82 (including the historic townsite) in Port Moody.
Anderson said village council sees that as a separate component of the new OCP that will have a neighbourhood plan, similar to how Coquitlam laid out its vision for Burke Mountain.
"It will be the biggest development that has ever happened in Anmore so we are going to be looking at that differently," she said.
Anmore's OCP visioning fair is on Tuesday, June 18 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Anmore elementary school (30 Elementary Rd.). For more information, visit www.anmoreocpupdate.com.
