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Coun. Adriane Carr, who brought forward the motion in November for a citywide plan and timeline, said the plan is an opportunity to end squabbling in council chambers and in the public discourse.

“I saw a lot of divisiveness in council chambers, one side against each other, about pace of growth, the kind of growth, the big issues that we face as a city,” she said.

“I thought it’s about time. We have not had an actual city-wide plan since 1928 in Vancouver.”

The plan will go beyond land-use and transportation to include a long-range vision to address environmental, social, cultural and economic policy, aligning it with regional plans.

It won’t get into the nitty-gritty of zoning, densities, or building heights in neighbourhoods, but would produce a strategic framework that’ll guide future plans, and a “high level physical plan” that could indicate things like future additional housing capacity, transportation corridors, town centres and green spaces, factoring in population projections, job growth and housing affordability targets.

The city will be seeking public input when the plan launches formally in October. Councillors stress the process is meant to be inclusive and collaborative.

About $7.5 million of the $17.9 million price tag will go toward the consultation and engagement process, while $9.2 million will pay for new staff to work on the plan over the next three years.

According to a staff report, the project will require 30 to 35 staff. Some of the current staff will be redeployed to the project at a cost of $8.4 million over the duration of the project.

Stewart defended the cost on Wednesday, saying the plan will be worth it.

“The citizens deserve it. If you blow your planning, your whole city doesn’t stand a chance, so we have to get this right and the cost is justified.”

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