The fourth round of Housing Target Orders from the B.C. government has been released and the three communities that make up the Comox Valley are on the list that need to build homes due to rising housing needs.
Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells said the City of Courtenay is in a good position to meet the expected targets.
鈥淐ourtenay has already made tremendous progress in achieving the province鈥檚 ambitious land use and building permit targets since we adopted our Official Community Plan in 2022, and we鈥檙e confident that we鈥檒l meet or exceed the Ministry鈥檚 expectations on this one too,鈥� said Mayor Wells. 鈥淐ourtenay has implemented sweeping changes to support the development of new housing in Courtenay, and have a clear understanding of our role in addressing the ongoing housing crisis.
鈥淲e look forward to working with our development community and every level of government to support the ongoing growth of our neighbourhoods,鈥� added Wells. 鈥淚ncreasing access to all forms of housing will benefit residents, businesses and our community as a whole, both now and into the future. We will also continue advocating for support from our provincial and federal government partners for the infrastructure funding we will need to meet these housing targets, especially in south Courtenay.鈥�
Courtenay has rezoned over 60 per cent of properties in the city to allow small-scale, multi-unit housing which permits up to four units.
Courtenay has also eliminated rezoning requirements for secondary suites and accessory units, adding nearly 1,700 new homes in the city since 2021, and changed zoning to allow more housing in the city.
In 2024, there were 625 net new housing units, including single-detached, secondary housing, duplex, townhouses and apartments.
Cumberland's Mayor Vickey Brown responded to the B.C. government's statement that communities need to be address the demand that fits within their needs and budgets.
"I am happy that the the minister acknowledges that we will need their support to provide housing that people can afford. Housing costs in the village have risen by 54 per cent while our population has increased along with housing starts. Building more market based housing is not going to provide affordable homes in the Village, that has clearly been demonstrated. We have been waiting for years for BC housing to fund our affordable housing project," stated Brown. "Cumberland has seen dramatic growth over the past decade, and it has been hard on our community. It's been challenging for us to attract multifamily and rental developments at the scale that fits a village. Thanks to provincial grants we have modernized our planning department and are working hard to speed up approvals."
"I can see how we've ended up on the list (low vacancy high demand), but I sincerely hope that we do not end up with targets," continued Brown. "I'm not sure how they will help get us the housing that fits. I believe we are doing everything we can to attract multifamily developments and are building new zoning into our new official community plan. We are also very committed to improving the infrastructure that serves our current and future residents but without funding from the higher levels of government there is no way for us to catch up. I am concerned that housing targets will force us into a constant growth strategy where current growth pays for past infrastructure instead of the more sustainable strategy that has current growth paying for the services they require."
Comox has yet to receive their housing target amount. They have reached out to the province for further information at this time.
"Comox has been taking proactive steps to improve our development approvals process, supported by both Provincial and Federal grant funding. This work includes updating our Official Community Plan (OCP), streamlining application procedures, reviewing zoning bylaws, and modernizing our subdivision and servicing bylaws," said Jordan Wall, Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Comox.
"A key focus of these efforts is community consultation. We remain committed to ensuring residents have the opportunity to provide input on these important changes. This summer, we will be sharing the draft OCP map and other proposed updates for public review and feedback."
