Housing Needs and Targets

Provincial regulations require the collection of approximately 50 different data indicators about past and current population, households, income and economy, and housing stock, as well as projected population, households, and housing stock to inform the Housing Needs Report

Prior to July 1, 2024, the District tracked housing data by building permits issued (when the home is starting construction). As of July 1, 2024, to align with the Provincial reporting requirements, the District counts housing units by occupancy permits (when the home is ready to be moved in to). In addition, the District is also now tracking tenure, unit size (studio/one bedroom, two bedroom and three plus bedroom), affordability (below market and market), and supportive housing units. 

The total unit count is ‘net new units’, which means new units that are ready for move in, minus units that were lost through demolition.

Understanding our housing needs helps our community evolve and stay vibrant. This would also help our community identify the existing and projected gaps in housing supply in terms of local demographics, housing stock, and other factors. The District needs to monitor and plan for growth for many reasons, including:

1. Being proactive: Planning ahead informs the District’s land use planning and helps us identify the areas and the types of housing our community needs. This avoids urban sprawl and protects our agricultural land, it also helps us plan for transportation improvements, sewers, water systems and more to support the community.
2. Providing a range of housing opportunities and protecting housing affordability: Having diverse housing stocks and affordable housing options will serve a broad range of lifestyles and income levels in our community.

In May 2023, the Province of BC brought into force the Housing Supply Act to help increase the amount and pace of new housing by giving the Province authority to set housing targets for 47 municipalities that are prescribed under the Housing Supply Regulation.

The ministerial order sets out the total minimum number of net new housing units that must be completed each year over a five-year period. Net new means new units that are ready for move in, minus units that were lost through demolition.

Housing targets will be measured after the first six months, then annually by net new units completed and actions taken by the municipality to meet the targets. 
 

If the cumulative annual housing target has not been met, the municipality will be required to submit planned actions we will take within two years to meet the target. 

Central Saanich is unique in having more than 60% of our land base in the Agricultural Land Reserve, which is critical for the region’s food security and economy. Therefore most growth will occur within our Urban Containment Boundary (18% of our land base), which ensures housing and infrastructure is contained to village centres and neighbourhoods, creating walkable communities near transit. 

The District’s Official Community Plan was updated in 2023. Through this process, the Urban Containment Boundary remained unchanged, and updated policy was developed to guide future growth in our community.

Additionally, we have Infill and Densification Guidelines, which helps to pave the way for a smooth transition to incorporate more diverse housing types into Central Saanich's housing inventory. 

Central Saanich has taken several actions in recent years to understand and address the need for more diverse types of housing, and it is resulting in significantly more multi-unit, primarily rental housing.

The District recognizes there are impacts of increasing housing on municipal infrastructure, parking, our tree canopy and road safety. The District will be reviewing parking standards, the zoning bylaw and design guidelines to help mitigate impacts of development. 

We will also be reviewing fees and charges the District collects from new development to fund improvements for important infrastructure and community amenities such as roads, parks, utilities, and more (the District’s Development Cost Charges Bylaw and the creation of a new Amenity Cost Charge Bylaw). 

The property taxes contributed from new housing have helped to spread out the impact of property taxes. These funds have meant that each year taxes are about 0.5-0.7% less than they would be without the new construction (based on recent years).
In 2025, we will be looking at how the District collects funds from new development to fund infrastructure and community amenities through the District’s Development Cost Charges Bylaw and the creation of a new Amenity Cost Charge Bylaw.