On November 30, 2023, the provincial Legislature adopted Bill 44 (Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023), which amended the Local Government Act (the “Act”) in order to facilitate the delivery of “more small-scale, multi-unit housing for people, including townhomes, triplexes and laneway homes, and fix outdated zoning rules to help build more homes faster.”

Under a new Section 481.3(7) of the Local Government Act, the Regional District “must consider applicable guidelines” made by the Minister (e.g. the SSMUH Policy Manual) when developing or adopting a zoning bylaw to permit the use and density of use required under to be permitted under the Act.

On December 7, 2023, the provincial government released the Provincial Policy Manual & Site Standards (the “Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) Policy Manual”, or the “Manual”) as a resource to assist local governments with the implementation of zoning bylaw amendments required to comply with the changes to the Act.

The Manual includes recommended approaches to regulations governing building types, density, setbacks, building height, parcel coverage, vehicle parking requirements as well as the use of development permit area designations.

When considering these regulations, the province has advised that “creating a favourable regulatory environment for SSMUH housing to help overcome these barriers will require an openness to new building forms in areas traditionally reserved for detached single-family and duplex homes.”

In response, the Regional District is proposing a number of amendments to the various Electoral Area Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning bylaws in order to ensure compliance the new requirements of the Local Government Act as it relates to SSMUH and prior to the statutory deadline of June 30, 2024.  These are contained in Draft Amendment Bylaw linked below.

Upon adoption of the bylaws, the Regional District is required notify the Minister of Housing, in writing, that the bylaw(s) have been adopted, the location(s) of any exempted land(s) and the legislative provisions supporting the exemptions.

planning@rdos.bc.ca