The Town of Diamond Valley will soon be seeking community input as it develops a new municipal development plan (MDP).
The plan, which aims to guide the town's growth over the next two decades, will reflect the values of Diamond Valley’s residents, making community input a vital part of the process.
According to Mayor Barry Crane, a new MDP is necessary now that Diamond Valley is sparking significant interest among developers.
"We really have a lot of interest in the community right now," he said.
"With amalgamation and really putting ourselves on the map through that process, we have upwards of 14 developers interested in our community for different subdivisions, developments, buildings, small parcel developments, affordable housing and things of that nature."
Topics to be addressed by the MDP include land use, economic growth, transportation and housing, among numerous other issues of significant importance to the Town and residents, while keeping in mind factors such as the environment and protecting existing agricultural operations.
"All of those things get built into the MDP, and in order to do that, we have to have as much public engagement as possible," said Crane.
The Town will be seeking community feedback through various engagement activities including surveys, pop-up community events, youth worksheets and a stakeholder workshop aimed at local businesses and the development industry.
"The municipal development plan is one of the absolute key pins of any community and this would be the thing that I would suggest everyone put your two cents worth in and give us some comments," said Crane.
"Give us feedback, attend any open house that we hold and let us know your thoughts, because this is what is going to guide the future growth of our community for the next 20 to 25 years."
Crane aims for the Town to have the plan finalized ahead of next year's municipal election.
"Anyone interested in running for council in October of 2025, this would be an absolute perfect opportunity to really get to know what councils are responsible for and what kind of involvement they can have in the greater growth of their community," added Crane.
Two rounds of public engagement are currently slated in the MDP project timeline, with the first in December of this year and the next set for June of 2025.
According to Crane, dates and further details for upcoming engagement opportunities are being finalized and will be announced soon.
Learn more on the Town of Diamond Valley website.
