West Vancouver council vote to reexamine housing legislation compliance

Just weeks after being threatened by the provincial government, the district of West Vancouver has voted to reconsider its zoning bylaws.

Municipal politicians had balked at making the changes that Victoria wanted, saying the timeline for a decision was too tight as some councillors were set to be on vacation.

But it seems a 30-day deadline from B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon was enough to get the council to come to the table, after the ministry declined the district’s request for an extension to implement the changes.

The province is pushing West Vancouver to loosen its zoning bylaws to align with provincial housing legislation aimed at increasing small-scale multi-unit (SSMU) builds.

In a council meeting Monday afternoon, Mayor Mark Sager said he found it “a little ironic” that he sat among notably empty chairs after being denied the extension.

The matter proved controversial among councillors, but all motions to re-examine the bylaws passed Tuesday afternoon.

“Our choice really is to consider this zoning and to vote for it, or to risk unknown consequences in the near future where the province could allow even more density than it is being proposed here, if we say no,” said Coun. Nora Gambioli before the vote.

In a post to social media on July 30, Kahlon said all communities across B.C. have to step up to address the housing crisis.

“West Vancouver council is the only community in B.C. which voted against allowing for housing options,” said Kahlon. “There will be no more extensions. We need to get housing approved and built.”

He told 1130 NewsRadio last month that the whole province is facing the same challenge as in West Vancouver: people are looking for housing they can afford.

“West Vancouver produced its own report that indicated that nearly two-thirds of their workforce comes from outside of their city. Those people would love to be able to live in the city they work in. This is about creating more homes so people can live in the communities they love,” Kahlon said.

Sager bemoaned the result of the vote, saying council was not allowed by the province to have a public hearing on the matter.

“I find that to be a huge, fundamental error in all of this,” said Sager.