Our City, Our Homes

Project update, March 10, 2025: Thank you to all who participated for providing your valuable feedback on the Our City, Our Homes housing initiatives! This engagement has now concluded, and our team is working on summarizing what we heard from the community. Work on these housing initiatives will also include feedback from local housing providers and developers, various City departments, neighbouring municipalities, research and technical analysis.

Check this page for upcoming updates, including a summary of what we heard from the survey and our drop-in events that will be shared here later this spring.

What's Happening?

When it comes to housing, there’s a lot on the go!

Governments of all levels across Canada are working to tackle the housing crisis. Here in New Westminster, the City is continuing to advance Council’s Strategic Priorities Plan to clear the way for all types of new homes needed today and in the future. Together, we are working hard towards more and better housing for all.

There are several bylaws and policy tools the City uses to enable housing development. Currently, the City is making updates to our Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw. These are the primary regulations for what type of housing (e.g. apartment, townhouse, or duplex) is allowed where, and how big or tall it is allowed to be. The coming changes will impact many properties in the city through one of the following initiatives:

	Transit Oriented Development Areas: The Province has identified five transit-oriented development areas in New Westminster at 22nd Street, New Westminster, Columbia, Sapperton, and Braid SkyTrain stations. These areas are now required to be designated for greater density.
	Townhouses: Today, townhouses are allowed in the city in limited locations and when approved by City Council through a rezoning application. In an effort to see more townhouses built, we’re exploring more locations and reduced development approvals processes.
	Infill housing: This initiative explores allowing multiplexes of up to six units to be built on properties in the city that currently allow houses, suites, and laneway houses.
	Non-profit affordable housing: The goal of this program is to reduce barriers to non-profit housing providers to build affordable rental housing by streamlining development approvals processes.

Several of the initiatives above are part of the City’s participation in the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Accelerator Fund. The Province of British Columbia has also made significant changes to housing legislation, impacting how local governments operate when it comes to reviewing development applications. The City is required to meet timelines related to both. Learn more about how senior government is shaping housing in our city by clicking through the links.

Right now, the City is not making changes to housing regulations in Queensborough because more research is needed on infrastructure like water and sewer systems to see if the area can support more housing. The Province has given the City an extension until May 2029 to complete this research before making any decisions. The City will consult with residents before any changes in Queensborough are finalized.

What's Next?

Our team is working on summarizing what we heard from our community this spring (see “Past engagement opportunities” below for engagement details). When the engagement summary is prepared, it will be posted on this page. Check back here soon!

The feedback received will help shape changes to the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw related to location, type, and process for housing options in New Westminster, ranging from duplexes through apartment towers. The community’s feedback will be combined with feedback from local housing providers and developers, various City departments, neighbouring municipalities, and technical analysis. All of this feedback will be presented to City Council early summer. See the Project Timeline on this page for more detail.

Past Engagement Opportunities

The Our City, Our Homes engagement period was February 22- March 9, 2025. The information and questions presented to the community as part of this engagement are available in a section of this page titled “Open House Information Boards”.

The purpose of the Our City, Our Homes community engagement was to:

• Help community members understand the changes and new programs related to housing: where they come from, how they work, and why they are being made.
• Hear your questions, concerns, and hopes for the future of housing in New Westminster.
• Seek your feedback on proposed locations, types, and regulations for the different housing types we’re working on.

Engagement activities included:

🎪 In-Person Events;(Completed)

The City hosted three drop in events that allowed the public to stop by to talk with staff. All events presented similar information and resources, and asked participants questions to gather their input on specific topics. Drop-ins were held March 1, March 5, and March 8, 2025..

💻 Virtual Session (Completed)

On March 6, City staff presented information and asked questions for input in an online format. The event started with a quick introductory presentation and allowed participants to jump on at any time to learn about the four housing initiatives as well as provide their feedback..

📋 Survey (Closed)

From February 22 through March 9, participants provided input through a series of online questions about housing types, locations, and regulations. The survey provided the core information needed to answer the questions, which were the same as those asked at the events listed above.