New legislation from the province designed to whip local governments into shape when it comes to residential zoning is wind at the back of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), according to Mayor Jack Crompton.
“Ultimately [the Nov.1] announcement is good news for Whistler,” he said.
The legislation—which comes hot on the heels of other legislation around short-term rentals—is part of the province’s larger Homes for People Action Plan, with changes meant to increase density across existing neighborhoods by overruling limits on density and allowing all single-family zones to permit secondary suites and laneway homes. Overall zoning density will go up, with moves to require local governments to permit three or four housing units on single-family lots, and up to six on lots that are near frequent transit links.
The province is setting a timer, too. It is requiring all local governments to get in line by applying changes to their bylaws to reflect the provincial legislation by June 30, 2024.
The RMOW is ahead of the legislation since it already permits secondary suites in single-family residential zones, but it will be affected due to the densification changes. The legislation also includes measures to speed up permitting and remove case-by-case public engagement for applications that fall within the guidelines of a municipality’s Official Community Plan (OCP). OCPs, in turn, would need to be updated every five years as a counterweight to less public engagement, by legislating more general feedback and community input at the planning level.
When asked whether removing avenues for public engagement would be a problem, Crompton said the changes were good for the community and that he didn’t believe Whistlerites would have an issue with the spirit of the changes.
“The resistance to worker housing in this town isn’t as pronounced as it might be in other places. Most of us know that we need to accelerate the work that we are doing housing people and so this helps do that,” he said.
“Housing for people who live in this place is critical to our long-term success. Most people understand that. There are very few days that I don’t bump into a resident who doesn’t talk to me about the importance of housing.”
Included in the legislation proposed is $51 million in funding to support the zoning changes required. Given there are 161 municipalities in the province, and many will have to bring forward significant changes to their bylaws, local governments will be keen to get a slice.
“We’ll be watching to see how the $51 million earmarked for these changes will be allocated and look forward to having additional resources to adjust to the changes the province is making,” Whistler’s mayor said.
Crompton stressed the RMOW was already laser-focused on providing more worker housing options, so while the legislation was welcome, it isn’t going to affect as large a change on the planning and permitting process as it otherwise might have.
“For many communities around B.C., this will fundamentally shift the way they’ve been doing things to this point. For us, it’s wind at our back to really help us get where we want to go,” he said.
Increased density comes with increased strain on existing municipal infrastructure, which will require additional funds to keep up with demand.
“Our hope is that the province continues to invest in municipalities around B.C. Adding residential density means we’ll require growing infrastructure,” said Crompton.
For municipalities, funding for capital projects commonly comes out of reserve funds, which are topped up each year through property taxes as part of the yearly budget.
Crompton said he didn’t believe the RMOW would need to increase its contributions to reserves in response to increased density, saying that added density would support the required infrastructure through utilities and property taxes.
“We can’t afford to take our eye off the ball. We need to ensure we have strong reserves to continue to invest in important infrastructure,” he said.
The province has set out a rapid timeline: Local governments can expect a cheat sheet on what they need to do by next month, while the $51 million earmarked for zoning changes is expected for distribution this winter. Bylaws will need to be updated to accommodate the new zoning by June 2024, and every local government is required to complete an interim housing needs report by December of the same year.
“This work fits nicely into the Housing Action Plan that we are already working on,” said Crompton. ‘[The province’s] timeline, though aggressive, is something I expect us to be able to meet.”
