Vernon housing target set at over 1,800

Aug 21, 2025 | 12:51 PM

The City of Vernon will be tasked with building hundreds of new homes in the near future.

In May, the province announced that housing targets would be set for a number of municipalities, including Vernon and Coldstream, to address housing shortages in B.C.

On Thursday, August 21, the province announced that Vernon’s housing target was set at 1,829 new units.

That figure was developed in consultation between the levels of government, and reflect 75 per cent of the estimated housing need in Vernon.

In response to the province releasing the housing targets, the City of Vernon issued the following statement:

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The City of Vernon is entering a new chapter in its growth strategy with the announcement of provincially mandated housing targets aimed at meeting the needs of a growing and diverse population.

To support these goals, the City has already implemented several measures to streamline the development process. These include reducing approval timelines, simplifying application requirements, and taking a more business-friendly approach to development. This work aligns with the vision set out in Vernon’s new Official Community Plan (OCP), which is currently available in draft form at engagevernon.ca/ocp-tp.

The OCP outlines a future where people of all ages and backgrounds can live, work, connect, and feel welcome in Vernon.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to position Vernon as a welcoming, development-ready community that balances smart growth with livability.

Under the housing target initiative, the province asked that the municipalities hit their targets within the next five years.

The province did not announce the target for Coldstream Thursday, but did issue ones for other communities.

Vernon: 1,829
Penticton: 908
Burnaby: 10,240
Coquitlam: 6,481
Courtenay: 1,334
Township of Langley: 6,596
Langford: 2,993
Pitt Meadows: 727
Richmond: 6,753
Squamish: 1,069

Of the nearly 39,000 homes to be delivered under this round of the housing target, nearly 14,000 would be below-market rental homes. The province did not state how many of those would be located in Vernon.

The province said the housing target initiative was part of the Housing Supply Act strategy and aimed to increase supply, availability, and affordability of housing within B.C.

by Liam Verster

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