Official Community Plan

D

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B COMMUNITY AMENITY CONTRIBUTION POLICY

Exemptions • Housing developments that achieve affordable housing through equivalent other means than CAC contributions are exempt from the affordable housing component of the CAC policy. Examples of achieving affordable housing through other means includes, but is not limited to: • Small units 29m 2 in size or less.

Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) policy is a commonly used planning tool practiced in many municipalities in BC to ensure that a proposed development contributes positively to the community. CACs are negotiated with City staff and provided by development applicants during a rezoning application process. They are different from other required development charges such as Development Cost Charges (DCC), which are levied on new developments to pay for offsite infrastructure upgrades. Objectives • To provide clear and transparent guidance for both the City and development applicants. • To ensure that the impact of development and the mitigation of impact, including the provision of community amenities, are considered as part of the rezoning process. Principles When negotiating CACs, a few principles must be considered: • Nexus, wherein there is a direct, demonstrable link between CACs and the impacts of the proposed development. • Amenities provided are proportional to the impact that the proposed development generates and consistent with CACs of other applicants. • CACs shall apply only to the net increase in development rights achieved through zoning amendments.

This exemption shall be made in consideration to the desired mix of housing within new developments as described in the Affordable Housing chapter of the OCP; and • Dedicated price-restricted affordable housing development, or sufficient

number of price-restricted units within a development, generally operated by a non-profit organization.

Policies 1. Development proposals that require

zoning are expected to properly address the impacts of the development on City facilities and services. 2. The City should only consider rezoning property following the submission of an application to amend the Zoning Bylaw and consideration of the applicant’s impact assessment and mitigation proposals that the City considers necessary or appropriate. Mitigation costs should not exceed any increase in land value that is likely to result from the zoning amendment. 3. The City will negotiate, as a minimum, amenities in the form of both affordable housing as well as public amenity facilities in the form of parks, recreation, culture, and/or senior facilities.

PART D Implementation