Do it or we do it for you: B.C. government tells West Vancouver it has 30 days to allow small-scale, multi unit housing

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon has warned the City of West Vancouver that it has 30 days to change its bylaws to allow multi-unit housing.

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The province has given the District of West Vancouver a blunt warning: Change your bylaws to allow multi-unit buildings on single-family and duplex lots within 30 days or we’ll impose the changes on you.

Do it or we do it for you: B.C. government tells West Vancouver it has 30 days to allow small-scale, multi unit housing Back to video

Passed in November, Bill 44 requires all communities with 5,000 or more residents to allow up to four units to be built on a single-family or duplex lots and up to six units on a single-family or duplex lot near transit hubs, such as bus loops or SkyTrain stations.

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The deadline to change bylaws to conform with the legislation was June 30.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon told reporters Thursday that while 90 per cent of communities across B.C. have adhered to the requirements, West Van has flat out refused to make the changes.

Two communities, Wells and the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, have had their request for an extension granted, according to Kahlon, due to extenuating circumstances such as wildfire damage and a lack of necessary infrastructure. However, West Van doesn’t have any such circumstances that warrant an extension.

“West Vancouver has 80 per cent of their employees that work for them coming outside of their community into town, leading to more congestion, leading to more traffic challenges,” said Kahlon. “So it’s imperative that a community like West Vancouver allows different types of housing so that young families can find a way to live in the community, have access to wonderful schools and work in the community.”

He said that if Mayor Mark Sager and his city council fail to make the required changes in the next 30 days, the province is prepared to install them unilaterally through an order in council.

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The city council’s rejection of the bylaw changes came during a meeting on May 27, with Sager and his councillors voting unanimously in opposition to multiplex development in West Van.

“They’re treating private property as though it was their own, and moving at a reckless pace as they paint a broad brushstroke across the province,” said Coun. Linda Watt at the meeting, stating she “will vigorously oppose any entity that seeks to destroy the nature and character of our community.”

“Our unelected premier has not called a referendum, he hasn’t invited the citizens to vote to shift the municipal planning decision-making process to the province. Instead, our premier, who again was not elected by the people, is ramming legislation through at an alarming speed.”

Coun. Sharon Thompson added that she believes the provincial legislation is “reactive” and espouses a “whack-a-mole” style of development.

Thompson also defended West Van’s record on housing development, stating there are currently 700 units in the development queue, not including projects like Rodgers Creek that have already been approved.

“We’ve been proactive. We’ve recognized it. We’ve set ourselves up for the type of gentle infill that provides the type of housing that we need in our community,” she said. “We are on the cusp of discussing the approval of Cypress Village that would see an increase in our population of 25 per cent and these are all things that we’ve done that have a planning and a purpose in our community, that work in our community.”

As for Kahlon’s threat to impose Bill 44 on West Van, Sager said Thursday he is calling for a special meeting of city council on Monday morning to discuss the minister’s letter and reconsider the bylaw changes.

The mayor said he isn’t sure the legislation should even apply to his community, given city council has already taken steps to allow secondary suites and coach houses on all single-family lots. He said he has heard almost every other mayor throughout Metro Vancouver slam the province’s overriding of local jurisdiction.

“I think everybody feels that the province is overstepping their jurisdiction,” he said.

One mayor who agrees with Sager, but hasn’t gone so far as to outright reject Bill 44, is Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward, who had applied for an extension from the province due to challenges with water mains and other infrastructure in neighbourhoods like Walnut Grove and Aldergrove.

He said he had requested a bit more time to make the necessary infrastructure upgrades before making the bylaw changes, but said Kahlon made it pretty clear that wasn’t going to be possible.

“We have tens of millions of dollars going into a long-term capital plan for water utility upgrades. In the meantime, staff have identified some concerns about densifying some of these older neighbourhoods,” said Woodward.

“We wanted some more time to specifically identify which areas that would apply to, currently that’s been refused as we now know that none of that was of any interest to the minister.”

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