Affordable Housing Acceleration Initiative: Pre-zoning for Non-Profit Housing

Project Update: February 21, 2025

Your feedback is important in shaping how affordable housing contributes to diverse housing options in all neighbourhoods of New Westminster. The input received on this page has been reviewed and will help shape Phase 2 of the Affordable Housing Acceleration Program. 

We’ve moved our project updates and engagement opportunities to the Our City, Our Homes page on Be Heard where you can learn about this initiative, along with other housing initiatives the City is undertaking.

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?

Phase 1: Zoning Bylaw Amendments (Complete) 

The City’s Zoning Bylaw has been amended to allow affordable rental housing projects to skip rezoning if they meet all of the following requirements:

• The project is no more than six storeys;
• The property is owned and operated by a registered non-profit housing provider, or registered housing co-operative, or government agency;
• The units will be rental only;
• The project’s long term affordability and rental only tenure are secured via a legal agreement; and,
• The property is currently designated Residential – Multiple-Unit Buildings (RM) in the City’s Official Community Plan.

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.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in engagement opportunities. Input and feedback collected through the engagement helped refine the Zoning Bylaw changes. Click here to read the report that summarizes the input and feedback.