March 12th, 2024

At Committee of the Whole on February 27th, Council endorsed the proposed Housing Action Plan work plan brought forward by District staff. Direction was also given to District staff to proceed with a Development Cost Charge (DCC) update and development of a new Amenity Cost Charge (ACC) Bylaw as part of Bill 46.

Most actions included in the District’s Housing Action Plan will still be subject to Council consideration, and adoption or approval. This includes all Zoning and OCP Bylaw updates that have been mandated under Provincial Legislation (primarily Bill 44), as well as new DCC and ACC revenue options made available under the new Provincial Legislation. To implement Bill 46, District staff are seeking direction to increase the scope of the DCC project to incorporate a new ACC Bylaw (funded by the grant) and to procure a consultant.

All elements of the Housing Action Plan can be reviewed in the table at the end of the report (linked below), but some highlights with corresponding deadlines include:

• Waiving DCCs and Development Fees for affordable housing (Q3 2024);
• Removing the ADP review requirements for DPs for “plexes” (Q3 2024);
• Updating Single Family Zoning to permit four units on all RS-1 and RS-2 lots, amending height, setbacks, lot coverage, and density to align with Provincial direction (Q2 2024);
• Pursuing as-of-right zoning to allow for six-plexes along Frequent Transit Networks (Q3 2025);
• Exploring parking solutions, including eliminating and reducing requirements (Q3 2025);
• Updating the Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) policy to exempt density bonus units from CACs (Q1 2024);
• Piloting and implementing a two-tier Density Bonus program for market rental and affordable rental in zoning (Q3 2024);
• Removing Public Hearing requirements for all housing development aligned with the OCP (Q2 2024);
• Updating Housing Needs Report based on new Provincial Guidelines (20 year horizon) (Q4 2024);
• Developing and adopting an ACC Bylaw (no timeline);
• Completing a DCC update to consider expanded scope under provincial housing legislation (no timeline).

More information can be found in the full report by District staff.