Read about Central Saanich's Housing Targets and Reporting here.
Housing quality, choice, and affordability are essential for our quality of life and a healthy and diverse community.
The District recognizes local housing options need to be more diverse, and we are working to ensure new housing includes the types needed (secondary suites, rental housing, carriage houses, apartments, townhomes, duplexes, below-market housing, and more). The District’s housing strategy is to increase and diversify our housing stock through infill and densification policies (Official Community Plan).
Carefully managed growth can ensure greater physical and social health, while at the same time preserve agricultural lands and natural areas, increase efficiency of infrastructure, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve quality of life in the District.
A priority of Council (2024-2027 Strategic Plan) is to expand the supply of affordable, attainable and rental housing. The District has heard through the 2023 Community Satisfaction Survey and other public engagement projects that residents, including farmers and businesses, are challenged by housing options.
The new Provincial housing legislation introduced in late 2023 is designed to increase the diversity and amount of housing supply in the coming years. This requires Central Saanich to update what we allow to be built, streamline development processes and more. Read more about the Provincial housing legislation at Housing Targets
How is Central Saanich adding housing
Recent steps Central Saanich has taken include:
- As required by the Province, amended the Zoning Bylaw to allow more housing units on a property and a range of small-scale, multi-unit housing options including secondary suites and detached cottages or carriage houses. The most impactful change is a move away from single-family and duplex zoning.
- Creating Infill and Densification Guidelines to help incorporate more types of housing sensitively into our community and offer the types of housing our residents and businesses need.
- Focus densification near Village Centres, to enhance walkability and healthy communities.
- Encouraging development proposals that advance identified housing or community needs.
- Improving the efficiency and speed of our development process.
- Considering housing as part of the District’s redevelopment of 1903 Mount Newton Cross Road (current site of the Hall, Police Station and Fire Station 2).
Will this impact our rural, small-town charm?
By containing our growth within the Urban Containment Boundary, we can enhance the village centres and business district while protecting rural and agricultural areas. Of our land, 18% is within the Urban Containment Boundary.
The District supports new development that is sensitive to its surrounding neighbourhood while providing the amenities and services needed in the community. Avoiding urban sprawl and focusing on new infrastructure and active transportation projects where there is highest demand ensures sustainable services to the community and preservation of the rural environment. 'As of June 24, 2024, a new zoning bylaw was adopted for residential lots inside and outside the Urban Containment Boundary.
According to the Bylaw inside the Urban Containment Boundary, single-family or duplex housing are permitted to build three or four dwelling units in most areas, in line with Provincial requirements. Certain properties along main corridors in the District are permitted four, six, or eight units depending on lot size. To achieve the requirements outlined by Bill 44, the current residential zones have been replaced with two zones: Residential Neighbourhood and Residential Corridor.
To meet the Provincial mandate Outside the Urban Containment Boundary, Secondary Suites are permitted in the District’s A-3 (Fairground Agriculture), A-5 (Historical Artifacts Agriculture), A-6 (Veterinary Agriculture), A-7 (Agriculture) and RE-5 (Rural Estate) zones.'