Courtenay Annual Report 2025 draft

Palace Place, 397 5th Street

Form and character guideline updates for small-scale housing

In 2025, the City advanced changes to its form and character Development Permit Area (DPA) guidelines to support faster delivery of small-scale housing while maintaining neighbourhood character and environmental objectives. Key updates include: • Aligning guidelines with provincial SSMUH legislation and the R-SSMUH zone applied to 5,600+ properties. • Proposed removal of DPA2 requirements for developments with fewer than three units. • Added flexibility for three- and four-unit projects in DPA1 (commercial, industrial, mixed-use and multi-residential areas). • Public engagement through an online survey and open house. • Council review scheduled for April 2025, followed by a public hearing. engagecomoxvalley.ca/courtenay-ssmuh Modernizing development services In 2025, the City made progress in modernizing development services and improving the application experience. Over the past year, the number of incomplete development applications began to decrease, attributed to the introduction of pre-application meetings, digital online application forms and clearer communication about development requirements. Additional improvements included updates to the development procedural bylaw and the expansion of online resources related to accessory dwelling units and landscape security deposits. Together, these incremental changes have enhanced service delivery, improved clarity for applicants and supported more efficient development review processes.

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