Master Planning

City of Port Alberni Embarks on Long-Term Strategic Master Planning

The City of Port Alberni is taking bold steps to secure its future by initiating an ambitious long-term strategic Master Planning process. This forward-thinking approach aims to comprehensively address the city’s infrastructure, services, and programs, ensuring they evolve in line with the needs and expectations of its citizens.

By laying out a clear path for sustainable development and efficient resource management, Port Alberni is positioning itself to deliver reliable, high-quality services for generations to come.

A Vision for the Future

The Master Planning initiative focuses on mapping out the future of the city’s infrastructure, including transportation networks, public utilities, parks and recreation facilities, and more. The goal is to align these essential systems with the growing demands of the community while keeping an eye on emerging challenges and opportunities presented in today’s world. This proactive approach ensures that the city’s infrastructure will not only meet present-day standards and demand but also accommodate future growth and technological advancements.

“This plan isn’t just about improving what we have; it’s about building a foundation that will support our city’s growth and quality of life for the next 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years,” says Mayor Sharie Minions.

The plans will build on the Official Community Plan and past planning studies to provide the city with a road map of repair, renovation, improvement, and growth projects that are most needed in the next ten years, and beyond.

Citizen input will be critical during the development of these plans, to ensure that the city’s projects and expenditures in the coming years reflect what is most important to the community.

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The following individual master planning projects will be initiated in the following order:

Parks, Recreation & Culture
All of our parks, trails, natural areas, and City recreation buildings, as well as our recreational and cultural programs.

Fire Services
Our fire hall, equipment, training facilities, fire prevention programs, wildfire risk management, and the PAFD’s functional roles within the broader Alberni Valley emergency response network of City, Regional and BC agencies.

The Fire Services Master Plan project began in July 2024, and the draft Master Plan is now available in the Documents window to the right.

Transportation
Including our roads, intersections, bridges, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, bus shelters, street lighting, and cycling networks.

Stormwater
Our storm sewers, combined sewer outfalls, sewer separation program, culverts, catch basins, and roadside ditches, as well as our development standards and by-laws for stormwater management.

Watershed Protection
Protecting the safety, quality and quantity of our primary drinking water sources: the China Creek and Bainbridge Lake watersheds.

Greenhouse Gas Management Plan for City Infrastructure
An integrated companion project to all of the other Master Plans, the Greenhouse Gas Management Plan will develop program-specific climate mitigating policies and goals for each Master Plan, and a long-term program of capital works and operational changes, to help achieve the City’s emission greenhouse gas reduction objectives.

Wastewater & Water
Consisting of our sanitary sewers, sewage pumping stations, and treatment plant. Encompassing our drinking water treatment plant, pumping stations, reservoirs, fire hydrants, and our network of distribution pipes and valves.