Proactive planning

Housing Needs Reports, Official Community Plans, zoning bylaws, and public hearings

B.C. is shifting to a more proactive, long-term approach to planning, where local governments identify their housing needs, and then plan and zone for what is needed. As of 2023, requirements include:

1. All local governments

Update Housing Needs Reports (HNRs) using a standard method on a regular basis for a more consistent, robust understanding of local housing needs over 5 and 20 years. Interim HNRs were due by January 1, 2025. Future HNR updates are due by December 31, 2028, and then every 5 years thereafter.

2. Municipalities

Plan for these needs in Official Community Plans (OCPs) on a regular basis. Municipalities must have completed their first review and update of their OCP based on the Interim HNR by December 31, 2025. Future OCP updates are due every 5 years. 

3. Municipalities

Align zoning bylaws with OCPs and HNRs to pre-zone for the total amount of housing their communities need on a regular basis. Municipalities must have completed their first zoning bylaw update by December 31, 2025. Future zoning updates are due every 5 years. 

Housing Needs Reports

Housing Needs Reports (HNRs) help communities better understand their current and future housing needs. They provide a critical foundation for local strategies and actions to address housing needs, including through community planning and land use decisions.

Municipalities and regional districts were required to complete Interim Housing Needs Reports (HNR) by January 1, 2025, using the new standardized HNR Method. The first “regular” Housing Needs Reports must then be completed by December 31, 2028, and every five years thereafter.

Learn more about Housing Needs Reports.

Official Community Plans

Official Community Plans (OCPs) establish the long-term vision of communities and outline the objectives and policies to guide local planning and land use decisions to achieve this vision. Among other requirements, OCPs must identify areas for residential development to meet anticipated housing needs.

The 2023 changes strengthen proactive planning for housing by requiring municipalities to align OCPs with HNRs. Municipalities must review and update OCPs every five years to accommodate current and anticipated housing needs over 20 years (rather than 5) and include policies that address a wider range of housing types (e.g., affordable housing, rental housing, housing for families, etc.). Public engagement, including a public hearing, is an important part of this work.

Zoning bylaws 

Zoning bylaws regulate the use, density, tenure, and other aspects of land, buildings, and other structures (including in relation to housing).

The 2023 changes require municipalities to align zoning bylaws with their OCPs and HNRs, on a regular basis, including updating zoning bylaws to permit the use and density to accommodate at least the total number of housing units needed over 20 years.

Public hearings

Previously, rezoning processes, including public hearings, contributed to lengthy delays and bigger costs and risks for housing projects.

To speed up the building of homes for people and support proactive planning, one-off, site-by-site public hearings for rezonings have been phased out for housing projects that are consistent with OCPs (which already had a public hearing).  

There will instead be more frequent opportunities for people to be involved in shaping their communities earlier in the process, when OCPs are updated. These opportunities, including a public hearing, provide for more meaningful engagement opportunities for a greater number of community members to participate.

Public hearings will continue to be required whenever local governments update or develop new OCPs or consider rezonings for projects that are not consistent with the OCP.

People will also still be able to engage with their local elected officials about housing projects through other channels and forums.

Timeline

• January 1, 2025: Local governments must have completed their Interim HNR
• March 2025: Proactive Planning guidance provided to local governments
• December 31, 2025: Municipalities must have completed their first review and update of their OCP and zoning bylaws (based on the Interim HNR)
• December 31, 2028: Local governments must have completed their first regular HNR (future updates required every 5 years)
• December 31, 2030: Municipalities must have completed the next round of updates to their OCPs and zoning bylaws (future updates required every 5 years)