As mentioned in previous updates, at Committee of the Whole on March 11th, Council received a report for information on the Squamish Housing Action Plan (SHAP). The report outlined Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) milestones completed to date, next steps, and progress on housing targets set by the Province. 

So far, the District has updated single-family zoning, held a successful Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) contest, and amended the OCP to remove Development Permit (DP) requirements. 

The following table highlights building permit (BP) issuance in 2024 and housing targets for 2025 and 2026 based on the District’s HAF commitments and the 2023 and 2024 Housing Needs Reports (HNRs): 

In terms of next steps, the report listed the following: 

• One milestone remains in Initiative 1: Affordable Housing Accelerator. Staff are in the process of completing a feasibility analysis of District-owned lands to identify any additional opportunities to develop new affordable housing units on District-owned land. This initiative will likely be completed early;  
• Initiative 2: Squamish Community Housing Society (SCHS) Development Stimulator Fund is delayed due to the window for BC Housing funding being closed. The District has distributed the pre-development funds and has supported pre-development conversations with SCHS. Success of this initiative relies on SCHS completing pre-development work and submitting a successful application to BC Housing; 
• Initiative 3: Missing Middle Housing Accelerator is on track. Two milestones remain: explore parking solutions and pursue zoning of sixplexes along the core transit network. Potential zoning for sixplexes will be explored and is anticipated to be complete by the end of September 2025 in conjunction with the Complete Communities Zoning Bylaw Update identified in initiative 7. The parking review is nearly complete, with Staff exploring additional opportunities to offer creative parking solutions through zoning.  
• Staff are working towards completion of Initiative 7: the Complete Communities Infrastructure Review. Work is being undertaken to model growth scenarios to inform updates to various infrastructure master plans. Staff are preparing to launch the Complete Communities Zoning Bylaw update, to be completed by September 2025. This initiative is on track.  
• Initiative 8: Staff will present the Amenity Cost Charge (ACC) Bylaw updates to Council in late March 2025 for readings, with anticipated adoption in April.  
• Initiative 9: Staff have completed the Interim HNR and are preparing an OCP update to integrate this document, as per provincial legislation. 

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

October 10, 2024

As mentioned in previous updates, on October 1st, Council adopted Official Community Plan (OCP), Zoning, and Advisory Design Panel (ADP) amendments relating to the Squamish Housing Action Plan (SHAP). Staff presented proposed updates to the ADP and OCP Bylaws at the May 21st, 2024 Special Business Meeting, which fulfill certain Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) commitments and actions within the SHAP, along with associated Zoning Bylaw amendments. 

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

April 23, 2024

At Committee of the Whole on April 9th, Council directed staff to bring forward Zoning Bylaw amendments related to Bill 44, Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), Provincial mandates. After implementation of Council feedback, staff will bring forward the amendments for consideration of three readings on April 16th. 

The proposed amendments plan to consolidate zoning in the majority of the District into one new R-1 zone and make the necessary changes to align with Provincial legislation on multi-unit lots. The amendments also highlight changes related to proposed parking reductions under Bill 44. 

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