Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act 

On November 30, 2023, the provincial Legislature adopted Bill 44 (Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023), which amended the Local Government Act (the “Act”) in order to facilitate the delivery of “more small-scale, multi-unit housing for people, including townhomes, triplexes and laneway homes, and fix outdated zoning rules to help build more homes faster.”

Under a new Section 481.3(7) of the Local Government Act, the Village “must consider applicable guidelines” made by the Minister (e.g. the SSMUH Policy Manual) when developing or adopting a zoning bylaw to permit the use and density of use required under to be permitted under the Act.

On December 7, 2023, the provincial government released the Provincial Policy Manual & Site Standards (the “Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) Policy Manual”, or the “Manual”) as a resource to assist local governments with the implementation of zoning bylaw amendments required to comply with the changes to the Act.

The Manual includes recommended approaches to regulations governing building types, density, setbacks, building height, parcel coverage, vehicle parking requirements as well as the use of development permit area designations.

When considering these regulations, the province has advised that “creating a favourable regulatory environment for SSMUH housing to help overcome these barriers will require an openness to new building forms in areas traditionally reserved for detached single-family and duplex homes.”

In response, the Village of Keremeos is proposing a number of amendments to its Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning Bylaw in order to ensure compliance the new requirements of the Local Government Act as it relates to SSMUH and prior to the statutory deadline of June 30, 2024.  These are contained in Draft Amendment Bylaw Nos. 850-05 & 851-06 (see links below).

Upon adoption of the bylaws, the Village is required notify the Minister of Housing, in writing, that the bylaw(s) have been adopted, the location(s) of any exempted land(s) and the legislative provisions supporting the exemptions.

Bylaw Status

Contact Us!

info@keremeos.ca

2021 Housing Needs Assessment Report

In April 2019, provincial legislative requirements took effect that require all local governments to collect data and analyze trends in order to assess current and anticipated housing needs. These housing needs reports are to follow provincial reporting guidelines and include historical data, current data, and/or projections on approximately 50 distinct kinds of data related to housing and local economic and demographic conditions.

The 2021 report provides a summary of current and future housing needs for the region based on the data review. It is important to note that this study provides a potential picture of the current housing situation across the region and estimates how this may evolve over next five years but does not make recommendations on how to address regional housing needs. It is meant to support conversations about housing need and provide decision-makers, planners, community members, service providers, businesses, and housing developers with the information they need to undertake future housing work across the region.

The report area includes the following municipalities and electoral areas:

• District of Summerland
• Electoral Area “A” (Rural Osoyoos)
• City of Penticton
• Electoral Area “B” (Cawston)
• Town of Oliver
• Electoral Area “C” (Oliver Rural)
• Village of Keremeos
• Electoral “D” (East Skaha / Vaseux)
• Town of Princeton
• Electoral Area “E” (Naramata)
• Town of Osoyoos
• Electoral Area “F” (Okanagan Lake West / West Bench)
• Electoral Area “G” (Rural Keremeos)
• Electoral Area “H” (Princeton Rural)
• Electoral Area “I” (Kaleden / Apex)