At their meeting on May 6th, Council received a report on the city’s progress towards meeting the housing targets set out by the province. Delta issued 242 occupancy permits between October 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, and 112 net new housing units (Occupancy Permits – Demolitions). While there was no target for the interim report, the city is expected to meet a target of 514 housing units by September 30, 2024.  

City staff expressed concerns about the requirement to deduct demolition permits against the occupancy permits issued, noting demolition permits represent the start of a development, and it can be years before an occupancy permit is issued for the project. Additionally, staff communicated to the Housing Targets Branch their intention to calculate the 'net new units' by subtracting the units removed under the demolition permit from the units achieved under the occupancy permit on a project-by-project basis, as this would be an accurate reflection of the number of new units as per city staff. The report also noted that while market conditions encouraged developers to proceed through the development approvals and construction process as quickly as possible, rising interest rates and construction costs have meant that more projects are being put on hold for extended periods of time at all stages, waiting for more favourable market conditions to proceed.  

Additional information can be found in the full staff report.