Saanich will fall short of provincially set housing targets this year, but could be poised to more than meet the mark next year, after issuing what the mayor says is over three times the normal number of building permits in the 12 months ending Sept. 30.
A provincially required housing-target progress report unveiled at Saanich council Monday night showed the district handed over occupancy permits for just 338 units between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024.
The provincial target was 440 in the first year — and 4,610 net new units to be completed in five years.
But Mayor Dean Murdock noted that in the same 12-month period, the district issued 1,081 building permits — over three times what Saanich normally approves in a year. “Those will translate into occupancy in next year’s report.”
Saanich’s target for Oct. 1, 2024-Sept. 30, 2025 is 1,041 homes.
Murdock said nearly a third of the new building permits issued in the last year were for below-market housing. “Those are affordable homes at prices people can afford in order to settle in our community.”
The mayor said Saanich has been working on streamlining its processes and eliminating red tape to speed up the pace of development, and the report shows the district is “making good progress.”
“We’re seeing more immediate improvement in the number of development permits and building permits that are being issued.”
The report, which the district will be required to submit to the province at the end of each year, notes that Saanich has updated its official community plan to identify areas that support higher density and has undertaking a cross-department review of the development and rezoning application process to reduce review and processing timelines.
Saanich has also increased staffing and introduced better technology, it says.
The province set housing targets for municipalities around B.C. last year. Municipalities that meet targets are expected to get provincial funding for amenities such as parks, bike lanes and recreation centres.
Murdock said it’s important to ensure the district has land-use policies, an official community plan and bylaws that are “very clear” about the types of homes council wants to see built in locations where it makes sense to densify and add new residents.
“That clarity of expectation and certainty about how we want to grow, I think, is conducive to a process that can be much faster and geared towards approving those applications that are aligned with that vision.”
If communities don’t meet the targets, or have not shown enough progress in getting close to the targets, the province can appoint an independent adviser to assist them.
If that doesn’t work, the province could overrule the municipality with the power to rezone entire neighbourhoods to create more density.
The province has said it will determine municipalities’ progress based on their net new units, policy actions, initiatives, innovative approaches and partnerships designed to increase housing supply.
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