TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COUNCIL REPORT: HOUSING TARGET REPORT UPDATE – REPORTING PERIOD 1.2

HOUSING TARGET REPORT UPDATE – REPORTING PERIOD 1.2 AUGUST 1, 2024 TO JULY 31, 2025

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Council receive “Housing Target Update Report – Reporting Period 1.2, August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025”, dated August 7, 2025.

AND THAT Council authorize staff to submit the report titled “Housing Target Update Report – Reporting Period 1.2, August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025”, dated August 7, 2025, in accordance with the Province’s Housing Supply Act and Housing Supply Regulation.

AND FURTHER THAT Council authorize staff to publish the report titled “Housing Target Update Report – Reporting Period 1.2, August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025”, dated August 7, 2025, on the Town’s website to fulfill the legislative requirements of the Province.

ALTERNATIVE OPTION:

THAT Council not approve the report titled “Housing Target Update Report – Reporting Period 1.2, August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025”, dated August 7, 2025.

Staff do not recommend this alternative option for the following reasons:

• the Housing Target Order report that has been prepared is a legislative requirement and must be submitted in accordance with the Province’s Housing Supply Act and Housing Supply Regulation;
• failure to comply with a ministerial order may result in enforceable action by the Province; and
• failure to comply with a ministerial order would likely result in further staff time and resources to achieve compliance at a later date.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to summarize progress that the Town has made on its Housing Target Order (HTO) for the second reporting period (1.2), between August 1, 2024, and July 31, 2025, and report back to the Province before the September 14, 2025 deadline.

BACKGROUND:

Municipalities play an important role in addressing housing supply and demand. A municipality’s primary role in housing supply is through the establishment of land use designations, housing policies in the Official Community Plan (OCP), land use regulations in the Zoning Bylaw, and housing action plans. Improvements to approval processes, incentives, and the completion of housing needs reports also play a supporting role. While municipalities continue to play a supporting role in the administration of new housing construction, the development of new homes remains market-driven and funded by private investment. In recognition of this, the Province enacted legislation to provide additional incentives and opportunities for housing development.

On May 31, 2023, the Province passed the Housing Supply Act and Housing Supply Regulation, which set housing targets in municipalities deemed to have the greatest need for new housing and the highest projected population growth in the province. Since 2023, the Province has established HTOs for three cohorts, comprised of 36 municipalities, which are based on a Housing Target Prioritization Index developed by the province.

On July 30, 2024, the Province announced that the Town was part of the third cohort. The Town’s HTO targets is to provide 585 new homes over the next five years. The period of reporting is between August 1, 2024, and July 31, 2029.

The Town’s HTO sets out the following cumulative housing targets for each year the order is in effect:

• Year 1: 99
• Year 2: 204
• Year 3: 317
• Year 4: 444
• Year 5: 585

The province established a standard template for municipalities to report their progress in meeting their HTO. Progress reports provide a comprehensive summary of housing completions, and the status of other municipal permitting processes, including details on in-stream rezoning and development permit applications. The reporting also provides insight into what challenges and barriers may be present, as municipalities must report on withdrawn applications, and applications that were not approved.

It is important to note that recording building permits includes only those that have been completed and are considered ‘occupied’. Partial occupancies may be considered, but the remainder of the units would be recorded in subsequent reporting periods, once those units were completed. When recording rezoning and development permit applications, each project is only recorded once and is recorded only after approval has been granted, this is to avoid double counting.

This report is the second of six total progress reports that will be submitted to the province. Each report will be shared with Council.

To fulfill all provincial requirements, municipalities must:

1. report back to the Province within 45 days of the end of the current reporting period (September 14, 2025);
2. publish the report on the Town’s website; and
3. Submit Council’s motion to the Province.

ANALYSIS:

The Town is on-pace to achieve its 5-year HTO. In summary, Reporting Period 1.2 includes a total of 260 dwelling unit completions, 197 of which are rented units and 63 are owned units (see Attachment 1). The Town’s Year 1 housing target is 99 units. The Town completed 161 units over the target. The Town has approximately 445 units that are currently under construction. These projects are expected to receive occupancy in subsequent reporting periods.

Municipalities are expected to create favourable conditions to permit housing development to meet their HTOs. This requires on-going initiatives and actions which may include updates to the OCP, Zoning Bylaw, streamlining development approval processes, and establishing housing strategies, action plans and incentives. The approach of each municipality may differ depending on existing bylaw, policies, procedures, and staff resources. The Town has undertaken some initiatives to deliver housing in the community, which are summarized in the HTO report.

In addition, the Town continues to support the provision of below-market and supportive housing through policy and explores opportunities through rezoning applications to include affordable and below-market housing, where possible, in residential developments. Inter-governmental partnerships and investment is necessary to further deliver below-market and supportive housing in the community.

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

Strategic Plan:

• Enhance Livability
• Goal 3: Access to a broad range of housing options to meet the needs of various ages, family types and incomes.
• Goal 4: Ensure proximity to services.

Official Community Plan:

• Land Use Policy LU1.4 Diversity of Forms and Uses: Support a variety of residential and commercial forms and uses to encourage socio-economic diversity, and provide for the diverse needs of youth, families and an aging population.
• Housing Objective HS1A: Create and maintain a range of housing types and tenures to meet the needs of current and future View Royal residents, including families, seniors, people with disabilities and low-income households.
• Housing Objective HS1B: Work toward an increase in the supply of housing that is affordable to young families, and encourage existing residents to remain in the community as their lifestyles and income levels change.
• Housing Policy HS1.1 Range of Housing Types: Ensure the policies of this Plan and the regulations of the Zoning Bylaw support a range of housing, including detached homes, small lot subdivisions, apartments, townhouses, secondary suites and other typologies that meet the housing needs of current and future residents.
• Housing Policy HS2.1 Change Areas Housing: Promote the location of higher density housing in the mixed-use Change Areas to bring people close to transit, shops and services, create vibrant activity hubs and reduce the need for car travel. New housing should respond to housing needs not currently met in the community. This includes housing for young adults, young families and seniors.
• Housing Policy HS2.2 Infill Housing: Consider targeted infill housing within established residential areas to provide new ground-oriented housing, with a focus on providing new family-oriented housing close to parks, schools and other community amenities.

Other Policy Documents:

• Community Climate Action Strategy
• Big Move: 1 (Shift Beyond the Car):
• Shift 1: Optimize land use planning tools to enable compact community growth
  • 1.1.1 Prioritize compact forms of development in residential zones (accessory dwelling units, missing middle zoning)
  • 1.1.3 Allow for more mixed use and greater density along corridors (especially those well served by transit), and close to service and employment areas
  • 1.1.4 Develop employment areas in the Town
  • 1.1.6 Continue to advocate for strong urban growth boundaries

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:

[X] Inform [ ] Consult [ ] Involve [ ] Collaborate [ ] Empower [ ] N/A

TIME CRITICAL:

The Town must complete the HTO progress report for reporting period 1.2 within 45 days of the end of the reporting period; the Town’s deadline is September 14, 2025. The Town is required to submit their report along with a Council resolution to the Province, and upload the report onto the Town’s website.

CONCURRENCE:

REVIEWED BY:

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Housing Target Report 1.2 – August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025