To meet new provincial housing legislative requirements. This includes reviewing and updating:

• OCP growth management policies to allow for the uses and densities allowed by small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) and Transit-oriented Development (TOD) bylaws.
  • This change will also meet the requirement to accommodate Whistler's 20-year housing needs identified in the Interim Housing Needs Report.
• Housing policies respecting the provincial classes of housing need.

In late 2023, the Provincial government passed several pieces of legislation to increase housing supply across British Columbia. To date, the RMOW has taken the following required steps to meet the new legislative requirements:

• In June 2024, the Zoning and Parking Bylaw No.303, 2015 was amended to allow for SSMUH and the whistler gondola exchange was designated as a TOD area.

• In December 2024, the Interim HNR was presented to Council, identifying Whistler’s five year and 20-year housing needs as defined by the Province.

To learn more about these initiatives, please see the tabs below.

For reference, the current OCP policies regarding the provincial classes of housing need are identified here. Additionally, beyond the seven specified housing classes, policies regarding employee housing have also been included. Where applicable, key words are shown in bold to highlight the connection between the identified objectives and policies and the associated class of housing need.

The OCP is required to include policies respecting each of the following provincial classes of housing need:

• Affordable housing;
• Rental housing;
• Special needs housing;
• Seniors’ housing;
• Family housing;
• Shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness and housing for individuals at risk of homelessness; and
• Housing in close proximity to transportation infrastructure that supports walking, bicycling, public transit or other alternative forms of transport.

The OCP provides a number of employee housing objectives and policies, this is not an exhaustive list.

The proposed draft OCP amendments to meet new provincial housing legislative requirements are organized by:

• A) Amendments to growth management policies;
• B) Further amendments to support classes of housing need; and
• C) Other amendments to algin with provincial legislation.

Where existing objectives or policies are proposed to be amended, text that is proposed to be removed is crossed out and proposed additions are shown in bold.

This is a new policy to be added. The existing policy 4.1.2.10 and subsequent policies are proposed to be renumbered.

Rationale:

The purpose of the proposed amendment is to align the OCP with the provincial legislative requirement for the OCP to allow for the uses and densities permitted by ‘Part 5 Section 35 – Small-scale Multi-unit Housing’ in “Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015”. Additionally, this proposed policy supports continual monitoring of the development uptake of SSMUH to provide insights to inform community and infrastructure planning. 

Rationale:

The addition of the SSMUH definition is recommended in conjunction with the policy above.

This is a new policy to be added. The existing policy 4.1.2.11 and subsequent policies are proposed to be renumbered.

Rationale:

The purpose of this new policy is to align the OCP with the provincial legislative requirement for the OCP to allow for the provincial minimum densities required to be permitted in the TOD area, designated by “Transit-Oriented Area Designation Bylaw No. 2442, 2024”. 

A TOD Area is an area within a set distance from a transit station that allows for a minimum allowable residential building height and density that local governments must adhere to when exercising their zoning authority in relation to rezoning applications. For properties in the TOD Area to be developed beyond the existing allowable height and density permitted under the current Zoning and Parking Bylaw, a rezoning application is still required. However, the rezoning application for a site zoned for all or partial residential use cannot be rejected based only on the proposed density and/or building height if the proposed density and height are both at or under the provincially prescribed density and height. All rezoning applications would continue to follow the typical rezoning process.

This is a new policy to be added. The existing policy 4.1.2.12 and subsequent policies are proposed to be renumbered.

Rationale:

This draft amendment provides new OCP policy that relates to the following two provincial classes of housing needs: “Shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness and housing for individuals at risk of homelessness” and “Special Needs Housing”.

The Whistler HNR provides Statement of Need #2: Purpose-built housing is required for Whistler’s most vulnerable populations to curtail the rising level of households facing extreme core-housing need and may be on the spectrum of being under housed or homeless. The HNR further recommended an additional assessment of housing needs specifically for vulnerable populations in Whistler.

The Vulnerable Population Housing Needs Assessment (VPHNA) identified the existing supply of, and the current and future community need for, emergency, transitional, supportive and non-market rental housing. It was concluded that housing options for people experiencing vulnerability are needed now. To address this community need, developing new policies that consider the housing needs discussed in the VPHNA was identified as one of the multiple potential actions the RMOW might consider.

Rationale respecting SSMUH related amendment: The amended definition of “accommodation capacity” clarifies that new SSMUH development potential is not included in the definition of “accommodation capacity” and therefore is not subject to the accommodation capacity limit.

SSMUH is legislatively required to be permitted by new provincial housing legislation. It is not recommended for development potential resulting from SSMUH to be included in determining accommodation capacity, as a new framework would be required to allocate bed units to this unique zoning development potential that may be constructed in a variety of forms and sizes across approximately 40 zones and at this time the expected uptake of SSMUH is uncertain. Instead, development uptake of SSMUH will be informed by continued monitoring and reporting.

Rationale respecting transit-oriented area development: The amended definition of “accommodation capacity” clarifies that new transit-oriented area development potential is not included in the definition of “accommodation capacity” and therefore is not subject to the accommodation capacity limit. This ensures the OCP is aligned with the legislative requirement to allow for the provincial minimum allowable residential building height and densities subject to a rezoning application.

Rationale respecting emergency, transitional and supportive housing related amendment: The amended definition of “accommodation capacity” clarifies that new emergency, transitional and supportive housing is not included in the definition of “accommodation capacity” and therefore is not subject to the accommodation capacity limit. In alignment with the new proposed policy 4.1.2.13. above, this amendment is recommended to remove barriers and support the development of new emergency, transitional, and supportive housing.

Rationale:

The references to emergency shelter, transitional housing or special care facilities in the policy above are recommended to be removed and more fulsomely addressed by the proposed new objective 5.3.2. and the associated policies below.

Rationale:

This new OCP objective and policies relate to the following two provincial classes of housing needs: “Shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness and housing for individuals at risk of homelessness” and “Special Needs Housing”.

As described above, developing new policies that consider the housing needs discussed in the VPHNA was identified as one of the multiple potential actions the RMOW might consider meeting this community need.

The VPHNA recommends the RMOW initiate data collection partnerships to support community-based solutions. As it can be difficult to quantify changing housing needs or capture data of those in crisis, moving forward, it is necessary to create opportunities for continued and more detailed data collection to further inform the estimated current and future needs.

The VPHNA recommends the RMOW develop and maintain partnerships with community organizations that serve the needs of vulnerable populations to address the housing needs of these populations. To address housing needs for people experiencing vulnerability, ongoing collaboration among local social services providers, housing providers and the public and private sector will be important moving forward.

Draft NEW Definitions

Rationale:

The above definitions are derived from the VPHNA and are recommended to support the amendments described above regarding diverse housing needs.  

Rationale:

This amendment improves OCP policy as it relates to the “Family Housing” provincial class of housing need. Specifically, the amendment aims to support consideration of the distinct housing needs and challenges faced by lone-parent households, as identified in the HNR and VPHNA. The HNR Statement of Need #3 describes that purpose-built rentals are needed to house Whistler’s lower-income family population, which includes lone-parent households, as these households often face steeper challenges in securing larger homes that are still affordable. Additionally, the VPHNA identifies women and children as a key area of need and provides that based on 2021 Census data, 40% of all one parent female-led households are in core housing need.

Rationale:

Public hearing requirements are determined by the Local Government Act (LGA) and Council direction. As a result of recent changes to provincial legislation, as per section 464 of the LGA, there are now new scenarios for zoning bylaw amendments where a public hearing is prohibited or may not be held. It is noted that for a public hearing to be “not required” or “prohibited” by the LGA, among other criteria, the proposed zoning bylaw amendment must be consistent with the OCP.

Rationale:

The purpose of this amendment is to reflect, that in alignment with the provincial legislative requirement, Schedule A of the OCP provides for the twenty-year housing needs as identified in the HNR.