The District of Sechelt has successfully aligned its residential policies within the Official Community Plan (OCP) with provincial requirements, months ahead of the 2025 deadline.
A staff report presented on April 9 to the District of Sechelt committee of the whole confirmed that the district’s current OCP policies meet updated standards under the Local Government Act. This means no further amendments are required before the overall OCP review.
Kevin Pearson, senior policy planner for Sechelt, called the development a “good news story.” He explained that the district has now met requirements for both small-scale multi-unit housing and the housing needs report (HNR).
“By the end of this year, we had to show that our OCP could meet the housing needs forecast for close to 3,000 units over a 20-year period, from 2021 to 2041,” Pearson said.
The analysis indicates that amendments adopted in December 2024 have put Sechelt in a strong position to support development within existing OCP residential land-use designations. Pearson noted that this work now allows the district to focus on other components of the OCP, beyond residential housing.
New provisions added to the Local Government Act in 2023 require all municipal OCPs in B.C. to align residential policies, maps, and designated areas with updated housing needs reports by the end of 2025. Sechelt received its updated HNR last fall, which identified a need for land and density to support 726 housing units by the end of 2026 and a total of 2,890 units by 2041.
The report notes that the five- and twenty-year time frames of the HNR began with the 2021 Canada Census, meaning the district has been preparing for these targets for four years. The 2023–2026 strategic plan also emphasizes effective growth and housing availability, guiding council to streamline development density provisions in the current OCP.
Bylaw Amendment No. 492-35, adopted in December 2024, increased floor-area ratios and building heights within Sechelt’s residential zones. Combined with the small-scale multi-unit housing amendment to Zoning Bylaw No. 580 in June 2024, the OCP and zoning bylaws now comply with provincial legislation without the need for further mapping changes.
The report describes the outcome as a “win-win” scenario, meeting provincial housing requirements while allowing staff to focus on developing the new OCP. The updated policies ensure that the quantity of reasonably serviced residential land exceeds the forecasted 20-year housing unit demand, even if the HNR projections are slightly higher than historical development trends.
The district anticipates approximately 150 new housing units per year over the next two decades, compared with historical averages closer to 100 units annually. This alignment provides Sechelt with the flexibility to accommodate growth while maintaining effective land-use planning.
With residential policies now fully aligned with the Local Government Act, Sechelt has set a strong foundation for future housing development and the creation of the new OCP, ensuring the district can meet long-term community housing needs.
