The province wants to see 1,233 new housing units constructed in the Municipality of North Cowichan within the next five years.
The Ministry of Housing announced in a statement that it has set housing targets for 10 communities across B.C., including North Cowichan, that would see more than 17,000 new homes built over the next half decade.
The ministry said the 10 municipalities were determined to have some of the greatest need of new housing in the province, and the housing targets are the third the government has set in what it considers priority communities in B.C. as the housing crisis continues.
"The best way to solve the housing crisis and build more homes for people is by working together," said Ravi Kahlon, minister of Housing.
"Our government is working closely with municipalities to ensure more homes are built in communities with the greatest needs. By having these targets, all levels of government will be able to align to address the housing crisis and help build more affordable housing for people in these communities for years to come."
A total of 17,599 homes are expected to be delivered by the third set of communities targeted in the government’s housing-target strategy, representing a 58 per cent increase in overall housing to be built when compared to historical trends.
The ministry said the municipalities will be evaluated after six months, then every year, on their progress toward achieving the housing targets.
“The province will monitor progress and work with the municipalities to support them in achieving their targets,” the government said.
“In addition to the targets, the province has sent each of the 10 municipalities a list of housing guidelines that recommend the number of units by size (one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedroom), rental versus owned units, below-market rental units and units with on-site supports.”
The province's Housing Supply Act, which came into effect in 2023, enables the government to establish housing targets for communities based on areas of greatest need and highest projected growth.
The initiative is part of the province's Homes for People action plan to deliver more homes in B.C., building on the government’s $19-billion housing investment.
North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said municipalities can’t control the housing markets and it will be up to developers to build the new homes.
But he said North Cowichan can help facilitate the needed house construction by improving its approval process for new developments by making it more efficient and less time consuming, as well as updating its zoning processes to realign with the municipality’s recently updated official community plan.
Douglas said work is ongoing to deal with these issues, and he believes the construction of 1,233 new housing units in North Cowichan over the next five years is an achievable goal.
“Housing starts and the number of development permits that we have been issuing recently in the municipality is in line with that goal,” he said.
“But we would have preferred the government would have decided to base our success rate in achieving the housing targets by the number of building permits we have issued, rather than on how many houses that will be completed within five years, because North Cowichan has little control over that.”
Douglas pointed out that the housing market in North Cowichan has been red hot for the past five years and there has been a significant amount of new housing activity that has already taken place, or will be soon.
“We’re also anticipating a lot more with the construction of the new Cowichan District Hospital,” he said.
“The plan for that [Bell McKinnon Road] area is for approximately 6,000 new housing units to be built over time. We already have a number of applications for housing developments there, but we’re waiting for new infrastructure, mainly water and sewer, to be put in place to service the developments before we can approve building permits, but we’re anticipating significant growth around the new hospital.”
However, Douglas said that the government’s targets for non-market and affordable housing will be a bit of a challenge for North Cowichan to meet.
He said meeting the targets for subsidized housing depends substantially on funding from the province to help build it.
“It’s up to funding from BC Housing if we want to meet or exceed those targets,” he said.
“As well, the new infrastructure we’re putting in place for the hospital and that area is costly, and we’ve made clear to senior levels of governments that we need their help with that. Other municipalities have also raised similar concerns, so we’re hoping more funding will soon be available.”
