Affordable Housing Acceleration Initiative: Pre-zoning for Non-Profit Housing
Project Update: September 6, 2024: Thank you for your valuable input during Phase 1 engagement for the Affordable Housing Acceleration Initiative!
Taking your input, questions, and ideas into account, the City is kicking off Phase 2 engagement by hosting a virtual community session to share more about the initiative and to hear your thoughts. You can also provide your input in the discussion forum below.
đź’»Virtual Community Session
Join us online on Tuesday, September 17 from 6:00-7:30 pm to:
- Hear directly from City planners about the initiative, its purpose, and proposed zoning changes;
- Ask questions about the initiative; and,
- Share your thoughts on how we can better integrate affordable rental housing projects into neighbourhoods in New Westminster.
Click here to register for the virtual session in advance.
If you cannot join us, the presentation portion of the virtual community session will be posted here shortly afterwards. Please check back for updates!
đź’ˇOnline Discussion Forum
The discussion forum will be open until October 1, 2024. We’d like to hear from you about how these projects can add to the qualities in your neighbourhood. Click here to see what community members are sharing and add your thoughts!
With your help, alongside input from non-profit housing providers and organizations, we will refine zoning changes for Council consideration to facilitate non-profit, affordable rental housing. This type of housing can provide housing options to allow existing residents to keep living in New Westminster while welcoming new ones.
Project Update, July 8, 2024: Thank you for your valuable input on the Affordable Housing Acceleration Initiative!
This phase of engagement has now concluded. Stay tuned in the coming months as we roll out more information on this initiative! Should you have any further questions for staff in the meantime, please post them below using the questions tool on this page.
The City is responding to the affordable housing crisis by amending the city-wide Zoning Bylaw and Official Community Plan (OCP). The purpose of these zoning changes is to reduce some of the regulatory barriers to affordable housing projects.
Background
The Metro Vancouver region, including the City of New Westminster, is in the midst of a housing crisis. While the City has approved more development applications for market ownership and market rental housing units annually than established housing goals, there are still not enough affordable (below and non-market) rental housing units in New Westminster. To learn more about affordable housing in New Westminster, please visit the FAQs page for details.
The increasing gap between the demand and supply of available affordable housing units is a key finding of the two-year review of the City’s Housing Needs Report. The Report identifies a need for 208 new below/non-market rental units to be constructed each year from now to 2031. However, development from 2021 and 2022 did not meet this annual unit goal.
In future years, an additional 100 affordable housing units per year are required to make up for this shortage of units. Without partnerships with and secured funding from Provincial and Federal agencies to drive these projects, it is expected that the gap between the demand and supply of affordable housing units will continue to increase.
What is being proposed?
To achieve the land use and density outlined in the Official Community Plan (OCP), most properties in New Westminster must be rezoned for affordable housing to be constructed. The rezoning process can be challenging for housing providers that are trying to deliver new affordable housing, because project funding often requires zoning to already be in place or to be changed very quickly.
To address these and other challenges that affordable housing projects face in New Westminster, two phases are proposed for the Affordable Housing Acceleration Initiative. To begin, the City will explore changing the Zoning Bylaw across New Westminster to permit all affordable housing projects of up to six storeys when / where:
- The building is owned and operated by a non-profit housing provider;
- The units are rental only;
- Other criteria are met such as entering into a Housing Agreement (which requires the units to be maintained as affordable for the long term); and
- This higher density form of housing is already identified in the Official Community Plan (OCP), including the Downtown and Queensborough Community Plans. This will include new opportunities created in Transit Oriented Development Areas Areas surrounding SkyTrain stations.
If the above criteria are met, a rezoning application would not be required. Projects would still be subject to other standard City approvals, including a Development Permit, Works and Services Agreement, and Building Permit.
We want to hear from you! Your input will help inform the proposed zoning changes on how affordable rental housing projects can be better integrated into New Westminster.
In 2025, as the second phase of this initiative, the City will explore whether the Official Community Plan (OCP) should be further changed in order to further increase the viability of affordable housing.
How can I engage?
đź’»Virtual Community Session: Join us online on Tuesday, September 17 from 6:00-7:30 pm to:
- Hear directly from City planners about the initiative, its purpose, and proposed zoning changes;
- Ask questions; and,
- Share your thoughts on how we can better integrate affordable rental housing projects into neighborhoods in New Westminster
Click here to register!
đź’ˇOnline Discussion Forum: Join the online discussion and tell us what’s important to you when new affordable rental housing is added to your neighbourhood. The forum will be open until October 1, 2024.
How will my input be used?
Input gathered through the virtual session, Be Heard, and other activities will help us understand how to better integrate new affordable housing projects in New Westminster. Specifically, that understanding will help shape changes made to the Zoning Bylaw. The results of the consultation, and how it informed the update, will be summarized and shared in a report to Council and on this webpage later in 2024.
