The boundaries for the Clayton Corridor Plan are being extended.
According to a City of Surrey corporate report, the boundary extensions were done to accommodate new provincial housing legislation. The legislation centres around expanding housing requirements near public transit.
City council passed Corporate Report R044 at its regular meeting March 11, approving the proposed plan area boundary extensions to the Clayton Corridor Plan (along with City Centre and the Fleetwood plans), and approving amendments to Surrey zoning bylaw, 1993, No. 12000, which aligns with plan boundary extensions.
The report, submitted by Don Luymes, GM of Planning & Development, updated city council on the new provincial housing and development financing legislation.
“The report provides an overview of the immediate implications for Surrey, as well as short‐term and longer‐term actions necessary to implement the new tools and planning frameworks created by the legislation,” Luymes wrote.
City council also approved a second-reading of the bylaw amendment and set a public hearing for it for April 8.
The changes stem from new provincial legislation written to increase the amount of new affordable housing in urban centres in B.C.
Three bills were written which seek to streamline the approval process in an effort to speed up new builds.
Bill 44 covers housing statutes for residential development and introduces Small‐Scale Multi‐Unit Housing (SSMUH). The legislation allows for SSMUHs to be build on urban lots zoned for single family homes and duplexes. Examples of SSMUHs include: secondary suites, laneway homes, triplexes, quadplexes, and townhouses.
Bill 46 covers housing statutes for development financing framework.
Bill 47 covers housing statutes for Transit‐Oriented Areas (TOA) and it mandates TOAs be designated around transit stations—both bus exchanges and Skytrains stations. In TOAs local councils cannot reject developments up to a certain density and height “solely on the basis of density and/or height.” Densities and heights vary by transit station type. The bill also “restricts local governments from requiring residential off‐street parking within TOAs.”
Some of the legislation takes effect immediately, but municipal governments have until June 30, 2024, to amend local bylaws as needed to comply with the new bills. Other parts of the bills will be implemented in 2025.
