Developers trying to build non-market housing in Saanich can expect fewer hurdles and costs after council approved a program to speed up approval processes.
Under the rapid deployment of non-market housing program, endorsed Monday, approval of development permits will be delegated to staff, and rezoning won’t be needed to build to the maximum height allowed in the official community plan.
“This is a way for us to address affordability in our community,” said Mayor Dean Murdock. “One of the things that we can do as a local government is to make it easier, faster and more convenient to be able to get those types of homes built.”
Murdock said the measures are intended for non-profit, non-market housing providers like B.C. Housing, the Capital Regional District and Pacifica Housing.
Many projects have been idled or shelved because of delays and high development costs, the mayor said. “The more we can remove those things that would help get these homes built, I think we’re all going to be better off.”
The biggest time saving will come from eliminating the need for rezoning and allowing developers to build to the maximum height permitted in the OCP. As the program is aimed at creating housing in the district’s centres and corridors, that could mean towers up to 18 storeys tall.
Eligible projects will no longer have to go to council for development-permit approval.
Council also agreed to eliminate parking requirements for non-market housing and to relax a bylaw that requires cash-in-lieu for trees that are not replaced after construction.
Councillors Teale Phelps Bondaroff and Judy Brownoff both pushed back at the idea of relaxing the cash-in-lieu requirement for replacement trees.
“Personally, I’d like to see our tree-replacement bylaws in place for all folks doing development in the district to ensure that we have tree coverage and that the incentives you put in place apply to all people,” said Phelps Bondaroff. “I don’t see particularly the tree-replacement issue being a significant cost impeding these projects.”
But district staff pointed out cash-in-lieu payments for the proposed Nellie McClung library redevelopment, which includes an 18-storey tower of affordable housing, would amount to about $200,000.
“We all want to save trees, we all want to have more trees, we all want affordable housing,” Murdock said during council deliberations. “Do we really want B.C. Housing’s badly needed housing subsidy dollars paying for trees, or do we want them to lower the rents for people to move into our community?
“The reality is we want to create affordability and that’s why we’re getting out of the way with some of these extra costs.”
Developers hoping to qualify for expedited approvals under the new program will have to ensure the projects are rental buildings, owned and operated by a non-profit or government agency, and located within the urban containment boundary.
The program also permits allowing a mixed-use component within the proposed project.
It’s the latest effort by Saanich to provide incentives for affordable-housing projects.
Earlier, council tweaked its policies to prioritize non-market projects, co-operative housing and mixed-use residential projects that are owned and operated by non-market housing providers.
Those projects are being given preference throughout the process, from pre-application to completion. All other projects will be dealt with on a first-come first-served basis.
