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FREMP
> Estuary Management Plan > Action
Programs > Industrial and Urban Development
Over the next 25 years, more than one million people are expected to
be added to the Greater Vancouver region, raising the total population
to three million people. A rapidly growing population will be looking
to the estuary to satisfy demands for housing, commercial developments,
port expansion, industrial development, and recreation. Protecting the
estuary's environmental quality while sustaining its role in economic
development and accommodating the social and recreational needs of the
growing population around it, continues to be a big challenge.
Many national and international companies have been drawn to the Fraser
River estuary because of the excellent port facilities, abundant hydroelectric
power, efficient intermodal transportation and the large pool of skilled
personnel in the surrounding communities. As a result, the estuary flows
through the largest industrial area in British Columbia, and is well known
to be a "working river."
In order to ensure that human activities in the estuary continue to move
towards sustainability, FREMP needs the tools to manage and keep track
of these changes. To that end, the Estuary Management
Plan (EMP) charges the FREMP partners to:
- work with
municipalities to complete Area Designations
Agreements that will guide integrated foreshore and upland development;
- ensure
that foreshore development does not reduce overall ecological productivity
of the estuary;
- ensure
that water-related industries retain access to strategic nodes along
the Fraser River;
- incorporate
water-based transportation into the regional transportation system;
and
- ensure
that FREMP conveys policies and development requirements accurately
to those applying for development permits.
Through FREMP and its partners, the following activities have occurred:
1. Six
Area Designation Agreement Processes Complete
- Completed:
Richmond (1991), Burnaby (1993), White Rock (1997), New Westminster
(1999), Surrey (2001) and Coquitlam (2002).
- In Progress:
Delta.
2.
Geographic Information System (GIS)
Since 1998, FREMP's in-house GIS system has proven to be a valuable tool
for analyzing project proposals. It easily displays the Area Designation
Agreements, the Habitat Classification System, and a variety of other
information that assists in decision making.
3. Economic
Vision Developed
In 2002, FREMP's former Economic Development Task Group developed a vision
and strategy to promote the importance of intermodal transportation nodes
along the lower Fraser River as part of the long-term sustainable growth
plan for the Greater Vancouver Regional District. The vision aims at raising
awareness among politicians and the public about the importance of water-dependent
industries and related infrastructure.
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