Penticton Herald
At the end of June, B.C. NDP Bill 44 will come into effect, abolishing single-family zoning in all municipalities with more than 5,000 residents.
City councils will be mandated to permit three to four housing units – in the form of secondary suites, laneway houses, townhomes, triplexes, and house-plexes – on residential single-family lots.
This dramatic densification will be accomplished through a significant seizure of zoning power from local communities. Towns with more than 5,000 residents will be forced to rewrite their community housing plans to follow a “policy manual” drawn up by the NDP. …
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie pointed out that replacing public hearings with automatic rezonings will mean the scrapping of traffic studies: “Are we going to assume that traffic will take care of itself?”
He also expressed worry over how municipalities would cope with the increased strain on infrastructure, water supply, and public services. …