Vancouver’s planning department will grapple with subjects ranging from heritage buildings to policy statements for large parcels of land in 2015.

In a sit-down with the Courier earlier this month, Brian Jackson, the city’s manager of planning and development, outlined priorities for the coming year.

Finding more ways to protect heritage buildings remains a top concern. A series of reports related to the city’s Heritage Action Plan will be brought forward in stages in 2015.

Last June, council approved a one-year prohibition on demolishing pre-1940 homes in the First Shaughnessy District so the city could review the area’s official development plan and determine what steps can be taken to conserve heritage property in the district.

Jackson expects a report on that issue will be brought forward in March or April followed, in June, by recommendations on how to save more of the city’s character homes. In the fall, another report on additional heritage preservation techniques or methods, as well as how to finance them, will be unveiled, along with an update to heritage register — the first update in almost 30 years.

Read more: http://www.vancourier.com/news/developing-story-heritage-land-use-studies-on-2015-planning-agenda-1.1737933