Courtenay Annual Report 2025 draft

Land use policies and procedures

Form and character development permit guideline updates

Provincial housing legislation and Courtenay’s community planning In late 2023, the Province of B.C. introduced housing reforms, including Bill 44 – Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, requiring municipalities to take a more proactive, long-term approach to housing supply. Local governments were required to prepare housing needs reports forecasting five- and 20-year demand and update their Official Community Plan (OCP) by December 31, 2025, to ensure sufficient land capacity and supportive policies. Courtenay’s 2025 OCP update aligns the City’s growth management framework with these requirements through land-use, infrastructure and servicing analysis. Engagement will follow the Local Government Act and include residents, K’ómoks First Nation, neighbouring governments and key agencies. These changes continue to shape the City’s long-term planning and approach to managing growth.

In 2025, the City advanced updates to its form and character Development Permit Area (DPA) guidelines to align with new provincial small-scale, multi-unit housing requirements and streamline the approval process. The Residential Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing (R-SSMUH) zone, adopted in 2024, now applies to more than 5,600 properties, enabling up to four units on many residential lots. The proposed DPA changes remove DPA2 requirements for developments with fewer than three units and exclude three- and four-unit projects from DPA1, reducing processing time while supporting neighbourhood compatibility. Public input was gathered through an open house and online survey in February. engagecomoxvalley.ca/courtenay-ssmuh Harmston Avenue Civic Precinct local area planning In 2025, the City continued planning for the Harmston Avenue Civic Precinct, identified in the Downtown Vitalization Local Area Plan as a future civic and public space hub. The precinct area connects parks, recreation, culture and potential mixed-use development within the downtown. Technical studies and phased engagement refined concept options for Harmston Park and surrounding civic lands. Community feedback, gathered through surveys and in-person events, will inform the preferred concept and guide future capital planning and detailed design.

Dingwall Steps

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