What’s the Difference Between an Official Community Plan and a Master Plan?
- Christine Wong
- Jun 23
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 8
Clarifying Two Key Documents in Municipal Planning and How They Relate to You.
The groundwork for many of the projects we work on is laid out in long-term planning documents, like Official Community Plans (OCPs) and Master Plans. At first glance, they can seem similar, but did you know one informs the other?
Local governments use these plans to guide decisions regarding land use, development, parks and recreation, transportation, culture, climate resilience, water services infrastructure, and more. When your local government asks for your input, do you think about how the Plan may impact you or your community-at-large? Being curious about learning and engaging empowers you and your connection to community well-being. You are part of that!
Official Community Plan (OCP)
An OCP is a legal, long-term planning document adopted by municipal councils under provincial legislation (like British Columbia’s Local Government Act). It outlines a community’s long-term vision, goals, policies, and maps that guide growth, land use, transportation, and environmental protection.
Key Features of an OCP:
Legal status: It has regulatory authority and guides zoning bylaws and development permits.
Community-driven: Developed through extensive public consultation to reflect residents’ values and priorities.
Long-term vision: Focuses on sustainable growth and balancing social, economic, and environmental goals.
Policy framework: Acts as a blueprint for decision-making by council and staff on land use and development.
How an OCP Impacts You
You are part of your community as it evolves and grows. Similarly, what you need and want from your community may evolve over time. What may not seem important to you today may become very important five years from now. As such, the land-use goals and policies that guide decisions regarding zoning, development permits, and infrastructure have an impact on what your community will look and function like in the future. When someone proposes a new building, business, or housing development, it must align with the OCP’s direction. Because the OCP has such a significant impact on how neighbourhoods take shape, local governments are obliged to engage with the public. Community members are invited to share their ideas and feedback, particularly on draft policies and land use concepts, so that the final plan accurately reflects local values, priorities, and aspirations. Don't underestimate the power of policy!
Master Plan
A Master Plan focuses on specific aspects of a community, such as transportation, parks and recreation, arts and culture, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and other key areas. Unlike the OCP, which covers broad policy, a Master Plan is more detailed in its focus.
Key Features of a Master Plan:
Topic-specific focus: Addresses a specific area or system, like transportation, parks, housing, or neighbourhood revitalization, rather than broad topics.
Implementation-oriented: Provides detailed strategies, actions, and timelines to guide how progress will be made over time.
How a Master Plan Impacts You
Master Plans break down the big-picture goals identified in the OCP into detailed, actionable steps. For example, a Transportation Master Plan might identify exactly where new sidewalks, bike lanes, or transit upgrades should go, based on land-use or priorities outlined in the OCP. This helps the municipality determine which projects to prioritize and how to allocate its funding.
Master Plans shift a community’s vision into identifying new projects and services you see and use every day. Design, construction, and change come later, but what that looks like is guided at this master planning stage.
Key Takeaways
OCPs guide long-term, community-wide growth and carry legal weight in land use and development decisions.
Master Plans focus on specific systems, like parks, housing, or transportation, and turn broad goals into actionable steps.
OCPs provide the big-picture vision and direction; Master Plans fill in the details with a topic-specific vision, strategies, timelines, and implementation tools.
Public input is essential for both, and together, OCPs and Master Plans shape the everyday spaces, services, and infrastructure that define community life.
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