2025 Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Housing Updates -Complete
HOUSING AMENDMENTS ADOPTED
The consultation process for the 2025 Housing Updates Project has concluded. On Monday, December 15, 2025, Council, by resolution, adopted the Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 712, 2025 and the Land Use Amendment Bylaw No. 713, 2025. We wish to thank everyone who participated in this housing update process by providing meaningful input to help shape housing policy changes in the District. The OCP bylaw amendments bring the relevant housing sections into alignment with the new Provincial housing legislation, and the Land Use Bylaw amendments implement key OCP housing policies to increase housing options that align with the District’s housing needs, as identified in the Housing Needs Report.
Background:
The District of Metchosin has completed the following in response to meeting new Provincial housing requirements:
- Part I - The first Provincial implementation requirement was “Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing” (SSMUH). The District of Metchosin achieved compliance with this by June 30, 2024. The minimum residential densities required for Metchosin under SSMUH were already permitted in Land Use Bylaw No. 259 with the allowance of one secondary suite per dwelling in every zone, or on parcels greater than 1.98 acres (0.8 ha), one secondary suite or one detached secondary suite. No municipal or regional sewer systems exist within Metchosin, therefore the entire District of Metchosin is exempt from housing densities of 3 dwelling units or more on a parcel.
- Part II - The second Provincial implementation requirement was a standardized Housing Needs Report, and local governments were required to complete an “Interim” Housing Needs Report by January 1, 2025, to forecast housing needs for 20-year intervals, using a methodology required by the Province. In November 2024, Council approved the District’s Interim Housing Needs Report, appended to the District’s 2021 Housing Needs Report.
- Provincial legislation requires the next full Housing Needs Report to be completed by December 31, 2028, following the 2026 Census (data released 2027).
- Part III - The third Provincial implementation requirement under pro-active planning, required local governments to review and update their OCPs and Land Use Bylaws (LUB) before December 31, 2025, to align with the housing needs in their Housing Needs Report and ensure sufficient capacity for the 20-year anticipated housing need forecasted in the District’s Interim Housing Needs Report. On Monday, December 15, 2025, Council adopted the Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 712, 2025 and Land Use Amendment Bylaw No. 713, 2025, which now brings the OCP and LUB in alignment with the District’s Housing Needs Report and Provincial requirements.
- Provincial legislation requires that subsequent OCP and Land Use Bylaw reviews must be completed by December 31, 2030, within two years following the full Housing Needs Report, and every 5 years thereafter.
Reference links:
Notice in Gazette
December 15,2025, Public Hearing Package
Special Council Meeting - 24 November 2025 - First and Second Reading
Special Council Meeting - 5 November 2025 - Housing Policy Updates with Phase 2 public engagement input
Regular Council Meeting - 6 October 2025 - Introduction to Housing Changes
Regular Council Meeting - 15 September 2025 - What We Heard Report
Special Council Meeting - 30 June 2025 - Amended Community Engagement Strategy
Special Community Planning Committee - 23 June 2025 - Aligning the OCP and Land Use Bylaw with Housing Needs