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New Zoning, Amenities, Tenant Protections Support People, Create Livable Communities
Ministry of HousingVICTORIA - New measures are coming that will improve the ability of local governments to build more affordable, livable communities for people and help tenants facing eviction from redevelopment.
These new legislative changes, signalled last fall, are part of the shift toward proactive planning to build more housing and provide more certainty and transparency instead of drawn-out and costly rezoning processes.
“We are in a housing crisis, and an affordability crisis, and these tools are part of our broader efforts to increase the number of homes for people and make housing more available so people can live in the community they love,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “These will make it easier and faster for local governments to approve building permits that include amenities and affordable housing in larger developments, and to create the types of complete communities that people want to live in.”
One of the Province’s strategies to address the housing crisis is to accelerate development approvals at the local government level, which often face lengthy delays and added costs. The proposed legislation gives local governments authority to enact bylaws that support proactive planning to build more housing, including affordable housing, while also contributing to reduced timelines for development applications.
“Providing local governments with the ability to define transportation demand measures with new growth will help urban cities meet our sustainable transportation and climate goals, as we provide more housing opportunity,” said Patrick Johnstone, mayor, New Westminster. “I’m also happy to see the Province prioritizing the protection of tenants and affordable housing in our community, so our most vulnerable residents are not displaced from affordable homes accessible by transit.”
The TPB is a result of consultation with multiple cities and other stakeholders, and were included in the recommendations from the Province’s 2018 Rental Housing Task Force report.
“Tenant protection bylaws are an important tool to support renters, while also supporting the creation of more homes,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA for Vancouver-West End and Premier's liaison for renters. “The Rental Housing Task Force heard from renters about the challenges they face and saw how these protections make a real difference, and that’s why it made the recommendation to work with municipalities to improve tenant protections during redevelopment.”
This legislation action is part of the Homes for People plan and the Province will publish guidance clarifying how local governments can transition to using these new proactive planning tools to secure affordable housing and community amenities, starting fall 2024.
Learn More:
To learn about local government housing initiatives to help build homes faster, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/local-governments-and-housing/housing-initiatives
To learn about government’s Homes for People action plan, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HOUS0019-000436
To learn about the steps the Province is taking to tackle the housing crisis and deliver affordable homes for people in British Columbia, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/housing/
For more information about B.C. legislation, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/Legislation
Original post
These new legislative changes, signalled last fall, are part of the shift toward proactive planning to build more housing and provide more certainty and transparency instead of drawn-out and costly rezoning processes.
“We are in a housing crisis, and an affordability crisis, and these tools are part of our broader efforts to increase the number of homes for people and make housing more available so people can live in the community they love,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “These will make it easier and faster for local governments to approve building permits that include amenities and affordable housing in larger developments, and to create the types of complete communities that people want to live in.”
One of the Province’s strategies to address the housing crisis is to accelerate development approvals at the local government level, which often face lengthy delays and added costs. The proposed legislation gives local governments authority to enact bylaws that support proactive planning to build more housing, including affordable housing, while also contributing to reduced timelines for development applications.
- Inclusionary zoning will allow local governments to require affordable housing units in new developments.
- Density bonus updates will ensure more consistency and transparency when developers and local governments use density bonus in exchange for much-needed amenities or affordable housing.
- Site-level infrastructure and transportation demand management (TDM) provide local governments with an increased range of site-specific works and services that they can require in new developments, such as wider sidewalks, benches, protected bike lanes, and end-of-trip facilities, that are critical in supporting safer travel options, sustainability and climate resilience.
- Tenant protection bylaws (TPB) will allow municipalities to require developers to provide added support for tenants facing displacement in cases of redevelopment, including financial assistance, assistance with finding a new place to live and opportunities for right of first refusal on units in a new building.
“Providing local governments with the ability to define transportation demand measures with new growth will help urban cities meet our sustainable transportation and climate goals, as we provide more housing opportunity,” said Patrick Johnstone, mayor, New Westminster. “I’m also happy to see the Province prioritizing the protection of tenants and affordable housing in our community, so our most vulnerable residents are not displaced from affordable homes accessible by transit.”
The TPB is a result of consultation with multiple cities and other stakeholders, and were included in the recommendations from the Province’s 2018 Rental Housing Task Force report.
“Tenant protection bylaws are an important tool to support renters, while also supporting the creation of more homes,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA for Vancouver-West End and Premier's liaison for renters. “The Rental Housing Task Force heard from renters about the challenges they face and saw how these protections make a real difference, and that’s why it made the recommendation to work with municipalities to improve tenant protections during redevelopment.”
This legislation action is part of the Homes for People plan and the Province will publish guidance clarifying how local governments can transition to using these new proactive planning tools to secure affordable housing and community amenities, starting fall 2024.
Learn More:
To learn about local government housing initiatives to help build homes faster, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/local-governments-and-housing/housing-initiatives
To learn about government’s Homes for People action plan, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HOUS0019-000436
To learn about the steps the Province is taking to tackle the housing crisis and deliver affordable homes for people in British Columbia, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/housing/
For more information about B.C. legislation, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/Legislation
Original post