Delta will spend almost $210,000 for a consultant to undertake the North Delta Area Plan review.
Delta council a few weeks ago approved a contract to DIALOG BC to undertake an extensive study of the area plan, which hasn't been updated since 1995.
The consultant will conduct such tasks as a demographic analysis, public consultation, set priority areas, land use planning, urban design, transportation planning, public amenities and market analysis.
Delta staff are to provide direction to the consultant throughout the process as well as ensure the components are completed on time and on budget.
When council earlier agreed to issue a request for proposals for a consultant, a couple of councillors asked why the cost seemed high and why the work wasn't being done by Delta planning staff. Community planning director Thomas Leathem explained that normally area plan reviews are completed in-house by staff, which might use consultant services for small components such as technical research or illustrations.
However, given the number of other major projects to be undertaken by the department this year, as well as an increasing number of new development applications to process, staff asked for a consultant to undertake the extensive North Delta work so the review could be completed in a timely manner.
Leathem said the scope of the North Delta Area Plan review is quite large and the issues are complex.
Meanwhile, the recently assembled North Delta Area Plan Committee is to also discuss a range of issues, including housing and density.
At around 52,000 residents, North Delta has a bigger population than Ladner and Tsawwassen combined.
Single-family makes up the vast majority of the housing stock, but much of it is aging.
In an interview last year, Mayor Lois Jackson, a North Delta resident, said the community has its challenges due to the age and lack of variety of housing and the fact little redevelopment has taken place.
A separate committee called the Invest in North Delta Mayor's Standing Committee is to identify specific measures to attract investment along the Scott Road corridor and other areas of the community to help the revitalization.
That committee is to review residential, commercial and mixed-use development applications. It will also explore potential partnerships Delta could enter into with the development community to encourage economic investment, with a particular emphasis on Scott Road.
At a recent meeting of the committee, staff noted there are many different land use designations along the Scott Road corridor and they will be try to determine whether these could be simplified for the benefit of the development community, noting that higher density is an objective for the corridor.
An earlier study concluded that there is no single economic barrier to development in North Delta, specifically Scott Road, and market forces play a role, staff explained.
One member at that meeting stated it is important to send a clear signal that "Delta is open for business" and create confidence in the building community by following through with what is promised despite potential community opposition.
The new area plan is to be completed by the end of this year with adoption likely to take place in early 2013.
Residents can fill out an on-line survey available on the municipal website.
