COMOX VALLEY DEVELOPERS DIALOGUE: Organized under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan, and hosted by the City of Courtenay, the regional ‘sharing and learning’ session initiated a conversation with the Comox Valley development community about collaboration, alignment and consistency (December 2010)
Note to Reader:
Released in February 2004, the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia introduced a framework for building partnerships and demonstrating what can be achieved through a ‘top-down & bottom-up strategy’ that aligns efforts at the provincial, regional and local scales to respond and adapt to a changing world.
2010 was a ‘watershed year’ for the Water Sustainability Action Plan, with outreach taking place at 10 major events in three regions, to provide peer-based learning for Living Water Smart, Building Greener Communities, and Adapting to a Changing Climate. The last of these events, held in December 2010 and hosted by the City of Courtenay, was the…..
2010 Comox Valley Developers Dialogue
The purpose of the Developers Dialogue was to open lines of communication to the local development community. The Developers Dialogue was portrayed as an opportunity for the local development community and local government staff to focus on how all the players can work together towards low environmental impact development.
Collaboration, Alignment, Consistency
Derek Richmond, Manager of Engineering with the City of Courtenay, opened the session by describing the elements of a successful project outcome as portrayed in the image below. His emphasis was on the process that leads to success. He connected the dots to integrated watershed planning, ‘front-end loading’ in the development application process, and greenhouse gas reduction.
“The end product is a successful project. But what we really want to focus on is the process – that is, the process of how we can work with you (the development community) to ensure that we expedite the process, that you end up with the product that you want, and that you keep down your costs,” stated Derek Richmond.
“We know…and you know….that if we do things right at the front-end, the end result will be a lot better, and everyone will wind up saving time and money. The end product that you have will be an added-value product.”
In summary, this ‘sharing and learning’ session initiated a conversation with the Comox Valley development community about collaboration, alignment and consistency.
Quotable Quote
“The format was excellent for ‘stirring the pot’ as it allowed for a variety of ideas, questions and comments to flow easily and freely. The non-formal setting made everyone comfortable in sharing comments, whether positive or negative. This is certainly appreciated among the building and development community,” stated Kip Keylock, representing the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce.
To Learn More:
To read the complete story of stories posted on the Vancouver Island community-of-interest, click on Comox Valley 2010 Developers Dialogue.
Download the set of slides that established a frame of reference for the sharing and learning that ensued at the Comox Valley Developers Dialogue.
YouTube Videos
The Comox Valley Developers Dialogue was designed as ‘bridging event’ between the 2009 and 2011 series of annual seminar programs organized under the umbrella of CAVI, Convening for Action on Vancouver Island. This is a program element for the Water Sustainability Action Plan.
Watch Derek Richmond explain the process leading up to the Developers Dialogue
Watch Kim Stephens explain the ‘regional team approach’ and what it means to be enabled