Saanich is now ready to start accepting applications to redevelop properties inside the district's urban containment boundary after rezoning roughly 27,000 lots from single detached or duplex use to allow for three, four or six units.
The zoning changes bring the district into line with new provincial Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) legislation that requires municipalities to ease restrictions on development with the aim of creating more housing stock.
Saanich successfully met the province's June 30 deadline, according to a district news release.
“This has been a significant undertaking for staff who have worked tirelessly to ensure Saanich is in compliance with provincial housing direction, in a way that makes sense for our community,” Mayor Dean Murdock said in the news release.
As well as the changes for multi-unit buildings, property-owners within the urban containment boundary will also be allowed to build a secondary suite or garden suites without putting in a rezoning application. Property owners outside the boundary will be allowed to build secondary suites, but not garden suites.
Though zoning changes will no longer be necessary, building permits will still be required, and B.C. Building Code requirements must be followed.
With the scale of the changes, the district has created an application guide to help walk property owners through the process.