Family Friendly Housing Policy Update

Project Update, November 5, 2024: Council supported changes to the Zoning Bylaw to implement the updated Family Friendly Housing Policy, which they previously endorsed by Council on October 21. Click here to read the new Family Friendly Housing Policy.

This project has now concluded. 

The City of New Westminster’s Family Friendly Housing Policy came into effect in 2016. It marked the City as the first municipality in British Columbia to require a minimum percentage of three-bedroom units in new residential development projects including townhouses and apartment buildings. For ownership projects, 30% of units must have two or three bedrooms, while rental projects must have a minimum of 25% of such units. The Policy also provides guidance on bedroom design and size, and unit location within the building or site.

The Policy was created alongside the City’s Child and Youth Friendly Community Strategy. At the time, the community was consulted for both projects, which found that 50.7% of parents who participated in the process reported that their housing situation "somewhat" or "did not meet" their family’s needs. Extensive research was also part of the process. The research was focused on: the financial viability of three-plus bedroom units; case studies of similar policies in Canada; and design guidelines for family living. The work was supported by the Society for Children and Youth of BC.

Click here to read the 2016 Policy.

Why did we need a policy update?

In the years since the Family Friendly Housing Policy was adopted, it has been found that 60% of the family units created in townhouses or townhouse-style homes at the base of a multi-unit building are increasingly becoming more expensive. In new apartment buildings, two and three-bedroom units are mainly on the higher and more expensive floors. The increased expense can greatly add to the cost of living for families with children.

Also observed in the results of the Policy is that the size of units, amenity spaces, and storage spaces were often minimized in order to optimize the total number of units in a project. This can impact the functionality and livability of units for families with children.

In response, the City updated the Family Friendly Housing Policy. The goal was to increase minimum unit mix requirements, introduce minimum unit size requirements and better align design details with today’s family’s needs and current economic conditions. 

Summary of Proposed Policy Updates

• Family friendly design guidelines are provided to encourage consideration of family functionality (e.g. bedroom layout, storage, common amenity).
• Ownership projects are required to include a minimum of 40% two- and three-bedroom units, with at least 15% of total units containing three or more bedrooms,
• Rental projects are required to include a minimum of 30% two- and three-bedroom units, with at least 10% of total units containing three or more bedrooms.

All new multi-unit development projects are required to comply with minimum unit size requirements as specified below:

How was my input used?

Thank you to everyone who shared their input on the Family Friendly Housing Policy update. The results of the consultation informed the update to the Policy that was endorsed by Council. Click here to access the discussion questions and participants' responses (click "Go to Discussion" button to see responses) and click here for a quick summary on what was proposed.