Despite provincially-mandated housing targets and rezonings, Greater Victoria’s year-to-date housing starts are down 16% according to CMHC. From January to November, housing starts were 3,668 vs 4,348 during the same period in 2023.
The City of Victoria housing starts have declined 48% from 839 last year to 436 this year. Many other municipalities are also declining: Oak Bay 29%; Sidney 54%; North Saanich 61%; View Royal 62%; Esquimalt 75%, Central Saanich at 77%.
BC govt and municipal officials claim housing supply is improving despite evidence to the contrary. These claims are not credible and reveal poor policy execution by the BC government.
The BC govt’s housing targets have been in place for more than a year and appear to be having no impact in most municipalities. Ironically, BC’s Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon is focused on Sooke refusing to adopt the province’s mandatory rezoning legislation, while he ignores massive declines in other municipalities, including zero starts in Metchosin and Highlands. Sooke’s housing starts are up 24% over last year.
As usual, fifty-one per cent of all new housing in the CRD is in two West Shore municipalities – Langford at 1,350 up 21%; and Colwood – 526, an increase of 138%.
One of the major flaws in the province’s legislation, is enabling municipalities to increase fees such as DCCs (development charges) and ACCs (amenity charges) without caps. Victoria and Oak Bay are ratcheting up regulations and fees to obstruct the province’s legislation which is supposed to enable up to 6 units on single family lots.
Victoria increased DCCs 258% and Oak Bay recently approved DCCs and ACCs up to $35,652 per unit for low density residential. For missing middle, which the province is trying to encourage, the charge is $23,188 per unit. They also increased site setbacks and reduced the building height of missing middle housing vs the recommendations in the province’s site standards manual. This manual should be mandatory, not optional.
BC’s housing policy is only political grandstanding without the following:
1. A cap on fees and taxes including Development Cost Charges (DCCs) and amenity contributions.
2. Mandatory site standards outlining suitable setbacks, building heights, etc to make housing buildable and more affordable.
3. Enforced timelines for development and permit approvals.
4. Requiring all municipalities to partcipate and show results, rather than offloading their housing responsibilities to Langford and Colwood.