All residential properties zoned for single-family dwellings in all of the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s nine electoral areas will soon have the ability to create or construct an attached secondary suite to their home.
The CVRD has completed a process to update its zoning in the electoral areas to conform with the province’s new Bill 44.
Introduced in November, Bill 44 requires municipalities in B.C. to rezone in order to increase small-scale, multi-unit housing in B.C.
While many residential zones in the electoral areas already allowed for attached suites, the legislation further stipulates that attached suites no longer have minimum site area requirements, owner occupancy requirements, or special regulations concerning the access to the suite.
The province set a June 30 deadline for local governments to change their zoning rules to make it easier to build townhomes, multiplexes and laneway houses.
The province is also prohibiting local governments from holding public hearings on these zoning changes to comply with the new legislation to streamline the process in order to have much-needed housing available as soon as possible.
The zoning amendment bylaws for all electoral areas, except for Electoral Areas A and C were adopted by the CVRD’s board of directors at a board meeting on May 22.
The amendment bylaw for Electoral Areas A and C is anticipated to be considered for adoption later this month.
“Housing is the most pressing issue facing our region, and indeed the entire province, so this new legislation comes as a welcome tool to provide property owners in the Cowichan region greater flexibility to add a suite to their family home,” said Ian Morrison, chair of the CVRD’s Electoral Area Services Committee.
“Whether it’s to accommodate aging parents, adult children, or simply to generate additional income, adding rental units to our housing stock is desperately needed. We hope this will encourage residents to invest in their home and property, and play a role in the solution to the housing crisis we’re facing today.”
Most residential property zones in the CVRD that are subject to Bill 44 already permit suites, but amendments to the related regulations were required to comply with the new legislation.
The zoning changes imposed by Bill 44 do not require owners to build suites; it simply enables owners to build a suite if they wish to.
To learn more about the new provincial housing legislation and how it impacts the nine electoral areas, visit www.planyourcowichan.ca/new-provincial-housing-legislation.ca.
