The British Columbia government has ordered two of the province’s most unaffordable cities to make changes to encourage housing construction.
On Monday, the province issued ministerial directives to Oak Bay, near Victoria on Vancouver Island, and West Vancouver to amend their zoning bylaws to reach their mandated housing targets.
The directive for West Vancouver includes amending the city’s Official Community Plan bylaw to allow for more density in the Park Royal-Taylor Way area and adjacent to the Ambleside and Dundarave areas.
Oak Bay must make changes for minor development variances and parking bylaws to better accommodate multi-unit residential projects, the province says.
It must also update its official community plan with a focus on housing by the end of the year.
Both municipalities have failed to meet their year-one housing targets as set by the provincial government.
West Vancouver has delivered 58 of its 220 net new units target, while Oak Bay has delivered 16 of the 56 new units it was asked to build.