Cities ask for more time to comply with B.C.'s zoning laws

Municipalities in British Columbia are asking for more time to comply with the province's new zoning laws. 

Introduced in November, Bill 44 requires municipalities to rezone in order to increase small-scale, multi-unit housing in B.C. The province set a June 30 deadline for local governments to change zoning rules to make it easier to build townhomes, multiplexes and laneway houses.

The cities of Richmond and Coquitlam have requested an extension ahead of the deadline, citing a need to improve infrastructure. 

Coquitlam city council voted Monday in favour of asking for a one-year extension due to "significant concerns" with infrastructure capacity. 

In a May 17 report, city staff said there are known infrastructure constraints in certain areas of Coquitlam that could raise health and safety risks, an issue that qualifies for an extension application. The report also said more work is needed to fully understand the opportunities and issues related to Bill 44. 

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said the city is "part way" through a project to improve sanitary sewer infrastructure in the Steveston neighbourhood. He said it's important to finish the project, which was started in 2018, before increasing density in the area.

The city also wants to consult the public about the bill's potential effects on the historical character of Steveston, which was crowned the best neighbourhood in Metro Vancouver by CBC readers in 2020. 

"In Richmond, we have a major aversion to Bill 44 and what it is going to do to our single-family neighbourhoods," Brodie said. 

"We have shown that we can handle vast amounts for density, but we don't need to do it by allowing sixplexes in every single-family lot, in every single-family neighbourhood in the entire city." 

Brodie said his city is requesting a five-year extension, criticizing the bill's "one-size-fits-all" approach. 

"Bill 44 has enormous consequences for the livability in the city of Richmond, as it must elsewhere," he said 

"And we think that with about 10 minutes more thought, the province could come up easily with a solution that would not be so destructive of the fabric of so many neighbourhoods in the city of Richmond."

In a statement to CBC News, B.C.'s housing ministry said new developments under Bill 44 would "likely occur gradually over the years," giving local governments more time to upgrade infrastructure. 

The statement also noted that changes were made following consultations with numerous stakeholders and the province has provided $51 million in funding to 188 local governments to help them meet new legislated requirements.

The ministry added that, if necessary, it would use a ministerial override to enable density following the June 30 deadline. 

"These changes support our government's work to tackle the housing crisis and build more homes faster," the ministry said.