B.C. provincial housing minister is asking local governments to review bylaws to reduce barriers to multi-unit housing development as the one-year anniversary of major provincial zoning changes approaches.
In a letter to the Regional District of Nanaimo board on May 29, Ravi Kahlon said in monitoring progress on the provincial small-scale multi-unit housing requirements implemented last year, he sees ongoing barriers to development.
RDN board Chair Vanessa Craig says she was not surprised to get the letter but points out the RDN has made changes and is faced with challenges beyond zoning.
Bill 44 (small-scale multi-unit housing) removes zoning barriers for building denser housing by allowing multiple dwelling on all land zoned single-family. The bill exempts areas that are not serviced by water and sewer run by a municipality or regional district.
There are only two areas in the RDN that are not in the jurisdiction of a member municipality and are serviced for water and sewer. The majority of the RDN’s properties are on wells and septic systems.
Craig says French Creek and the Fairwinds area are both included in the Bill 44 changes, but the availability of water makes development a challenge.
“The whole east coast of Vancouver Island has water issues, whether or not you are on a well or taking water from river water sources. The bigger question of how we develop in the area while still meeting environmental needs of water – the fish still need water in the streams as all the wildlife do, as well as human needs,” she says. “That’s part of a bigger question that I think is going to take us a while to figure out. If it was a simple thing to address, we probably would have done it by now but certainly it is on our list of things to be considering going forward but we don’t have an answer right yet.”
She adds the French Creek is at capacity for water and cannot sustain more development and there are plans to grow the Fairwinds area.
