The scenic beauty of Gibsons' Harbour Area has both attracted development interest and captured the imagination of the community, which has come together frequently to envision ways to enliven and enhance the Harbour.  Concepts and ideas for the Harbour have ranged from a pedestrian ferry service going from the Government Wharf to the Sea Bus terminal in downtown Vancouver, to a hotel convention centre, to new facilities for a working waterfront, to new parks and natural areas. Ideas have been visionary (a train system linking the water to Upper Gibsons) and they have been pragmatic (discussing revenue potential for the Town). Every study of the Harbour to date has recognized the tremendous significance of the area to the Town's image and livelihood, and has endeavoured to find ways to develop and enhance the area while retaining the existing scale and character that make the Harbour desirable to residents and visitors.

Since 2009 the Town has been working with a group of consultants, key stakeholders and residents on a Harbour Area Plan with the vision of facilitating balanced development that ensures the ongoing attractiveness and the social, cultural, economic and environmental vitality of the Harbour Area, recognizing the unique and crucial role it plays in the life and economy of Gibsons. This vision is support by five major goals:

Goal 1:    Retain the scale and character of the Harbour Area.

Goal 2:    Make the waterfront fully accessible physically and visually, retaining the sense of proximity to nature.

Goal 3:    Ensure environmentally responsible and sustainable planning and development.

Goal 4:    Support and enhance social and cultural activity in the Harbour Area.

Goal 5:    Ensure the economic viability of the Harbour Area, recognizing the unique role the Harbour plays in the local economy and economic history of the area.

Through a community visioning process and through detailed technical and environmental analysis, the Town's consultants have proposed a land use framework for the Harbour Area that would result in economically viable new development while advancing the goals above and increasing the quality of life in the area. Click here to view Harbour Plan

Background and Process

The Town hired a team of consultants to work with the Town and its residents to come up with a future vision for the Harbour Area.  Phase I of the Planning process is complete and included two open houses with the public and a Design charrette that took place in the fall of 2009.  A Harbour Vision was completed in January 2010 and was presented to the Planning Committee in February 2010.

Phase II of the planning process examined the economic viability of development in the Harbour Area and made adjustments to the plan to ensure that there is a reasonable expectation that development and enhancement will proceed. (Click here to view Phase II Study). These background reports formed the foundation of the Harbour Area Plan (Click here to view Draft 3.1).

Contact Information

Municipal Planner
Michael Epp
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Location and Mailing Address
474 South Fletcher Road
Box 340
Gibsons, BC  V0N 1V0

Business Hours
8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding statutory holidays).