UDI Capital Region, Victoria Residential Builders Association, and WestShore Developers Association collective submission to the CRD Board.

UDI Capital Region, the Victoria Residential Builders Association, and the WestShore Developers Association have submitted a letter to the CRD Board of Directors outlining serious concerns with the proposed Regional Water Supply Development Cost Charge (DCC) program. The letter highlights key issues and offers the following recommendations:

• That the CRD pause advancement of the proposed DCC bylaw until a full, independent economic impact analysis is completed, as recommended in the Province’s DCC Best Practices Guide;
• That population and water demand assumptions in the Water Supply Master Plan be updated to reflect recent BC Stats projections and declining per capita water use, particularly in multi-family housing;
• That the CRD undertakes meaningful engagement with municipalities, First Nations, industry, and the public regarding the scale, timing, and fairness of the proposed capital plan.

Supporting evidence includes an independent economic analysis by Mulholland Parker Land Economists, which found that four out of five housing forms in the region are not viable under current market conditions, and that the proposed DCC would further delay housing project timelines. Updated population forecasts also show a 73% decline in projected growth compared to the last decade, calling into question the assumptions behind the $2B+ capital plan.