Concerns rising in Okanagan over B.C.’s new infill-housing legislation
Global News
Last year, the province announced it was mandating changes so that single-family lots can now house multiple housing units.
Municipalities across B.C. only have a few months left to amend zoning bylaws to accommodate more infill housing.
Last year, the province announced it was mandating changes so that single-family lots can now house multiple housing units.
In November, the plan became law, and municipalities have until June 30 to adopt new zoning bylaws to support the new legislation.
It’s an effort to tackle the housing crisis but there are concerns the new law could drastically alter neighbourhoods, with multi-unit housing being constructed on single-family residential lots.
“We have to allow up to four units, and possibly six units, depending on factors related to lot size, garbage collection areas and parking requirements,” said City of Kelowna spokesperson Nola Kilmartin.
The city says it’s now identified how many lots could be affected by the new law, and that’s more than 11,000 urban lots and more than 13,000 suburban lots.
“Those sound like large numbers,” said Kilmartin. “But we really have to put it in perspective that not every property owner is going to go knock their home down and redevelop with multiple lots.”
The new legislation is raising concerns, especially in some neighbourhoods like Kelowna’s historic Abbott Street corridor.
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