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By Liam Verster

new housing

North Okanagan bylaws changed to align with new provincial housing rules

Jun 20, 2024 | 12:01 PM

The Regional District of North Okanagan’s zoning bylaws have been amended to open more housing opportunities, as part of new provincial legislation.

At the June 19 meeting, the RDNO Board of Directors received reports on changes to the RDNO zoning bylaw and the Silver Star zoning bylaw to comply with Bill 44, the B.C. government’s new housing regulations.

The changes involved:

• Allowing a secondary suite to be built on properties previously zoned to only allow a single family dwelling
• Relaxing of setback, height and parking regulations for dwellings in the RDNO
• The addition of a new Residential Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing zone that allows up to four dwelling units per property
• Rezoning certain properties in the Mabel Lake Water and Sewer Service Areas and the Swan Lake Corridor that are within both the Greater Vernon Water Utility Service Area and the North Okanagan Wastewater Recovery Service Area, once that becomes available

The amendments of the bylaws to align with Bill 44 went through first, second and third readings on May 22, 2024, and were then approved by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on May 30.

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The RDNO Board of Directors adopted the changes to the RDNO and Silver Star Zoning Bylaws at the June 19 meeting.

The board also received a report on Bill 35, the Short Term Rental Accommodation Act, to give context on how it would apply to the RDNO.

The staff report stated the district was not obligated to change its zoning bylaws as the RDNO and Silver Star Zoning Bylaws were both compliant with the act, however, it was noted that the RDNO Zoning Bylaw was more restrictive than the requirements set out in Bill 35 as it does not permit short term rental accommodations within accessory dwelling units.

The staff report stated changes could be made to the RDNO Zoning Bylaw to loosen restrictions on STRs and align closer to the provincial regulations. However, that would “constitute and significant change,” and it was recommended a public hearing be held should the board decide to make any changes.

The report was accepted for information at the June 19 meeting.

The board then directed staff to investigate options to allow for STRs in the Electoral Area rural zones, and for staff to bring back a report on requirements and implications on how business licencing for STRs would affect staffing.