The provincial government has given West Vancouver until the end of the year to zone for more housing in three key areas of the district.
On Monday, B.C.’s Ministry of Housing announced that it was issuing ministerial directives to West Vancouver and Oak Bay, which it called two of the most unaffordable places to live in the province.
The directives are being issued to continue helping the communities improve local processes and build more homes people need, the ministry said.
The ministry said it consulted with the districts, which had 30 days to provide feedback about the ministerial directives, which were first made public at the end of May.
“Feedback from both districts helped inform the final directives, and they align with many current council initiatives,” the ministry said in a written statement.
According to the ministry, West Vancouver must amend its official community plan to increase density in the Park Royal-Taylor Way area; amend the OCP to provide for more density in the "single-family and duplex prescribed areas" adjacent to Ambleside and Dundarave; and adopt the proposed Ambleside Centre local area plan.
The district must complete all these directives by Dec. 31, 2025, the provincial ministry said.
West Van mayor wonders if new housing minister feels as strongly about orders
West Van Mayor Mark Sager said the announcement is complicated by the shuffle in Premier David Eby’s cabinet.
“[Former housing minister Ravi] Kahlon had actually agreed to meet with me this Wednesday,” Sager said. “And of course, he’s now been removed from that position, so I am now seeking to meet with the new minister to discuss it. In the meantime, we’re just taking it all under advisement.”
On July 17, Eby said that Ravi Kahlon is the new minister of jobs and economic growth, and that Christine Boyle is taking over as minister of housing and municipal affairs.
Sager said he’s asked district staff to be prepared but not to take action yet. With summer holidays underway, he said the item will appear on council’s first meeting in September.
“Staff are aware it will come forward and how to address this,” he said. “But the first question is, does the new minister still feel as strongly as the previous minister about some of these directions?
“And there’s a couple [things] in this letter that really need further clarification, quite a bit of further clarification,” Sager said.
The biggest question mark is the form and location of the new transportation hub at Park Royal, which the mayor says appears to be positioned like someone just stuck a pin on a map.
“That’s one of the things we’ve got to discuss, because everything radiates out from that pin drop,” Sager said. “In my view, a proper transit hub at Park Royal needs to consider what exists today, and it needs to have some sensible examination of what is likely going to be needed into the future: rail, SkyTrain, better connections to downtown Vancouver, the new RapidBus terminals.
“All of these things need to be properly considered, so that if we’re going to drop a pin on the map, it’s dropped in the right place,” he said.
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