A provincial bill supporting the development of Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing will apply to 3500 Whistler properties. On April 19, Whistler’s Mayor and Council got their first look at what B.C.’s new provincial housing legislation could mean for the resort.
RMOW must pass the new bylaws by the Province of B.C.’s “Homes for People” housing action by June 30. The housing plan, released last spring, aims to build more homes faster. To that end, local governments such as RMOW must align their bylaws with the provincial bills.
Bill 44 aims to support Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) development in what the province calls “restricted zones”: areas where current zoning bylaws limit residential use to single-family, detached dwellings or duplexes. Under the new laws, zoning must permit between three and four units on these properties, depending on lot size.
In Whistler, the legislation applies to 3500 properties.
Depending on parcel size, location and existing zoning, the prescribed requirements must allow for:
Auxiliary residential dwelling units on all parcels,
A minimum of three housing units on parcels that are 280 m2 or smaller;
A minimum of four housing units on parcels greater than 280 m2; and
A minimum of six housing units on parcels greater than 280m2 AND within 400m of frequent bus service, as defined in the regulation. This doesn’t apply to any parcels in Whistler at this time.
“The legislation sets out what must be permitted under zoning; it does not prescribe that this number of units must be built,” RMOW Director of Planning Mike Kirkegaard said in his presentation to Council on Tuesday. “That is up to the property owner.”
Estimating the potential uptake of new housing in Whistler is difficult. According to staff, the legislation’s possible implications on Whistler’s accommodation capacity limit, infrastructure and employee housing needs will need to be assessed. For now, a set of guiding principles and a broad framework have been presented, which will pave the way for “bylaw testing” and further review in the months and years ahead.
“The high-level policy objectives of the province—more homes for people faster—is very much in alignment with our RMOW objectives and Council’s strategic priority on housing,” Kirkegaard said.