Infill Housing

Providing more housing choice is a key focus of the Official Community Plan (OCP).

In New Westminster, this means encouraging more ground oriented housing, laneway houses and townhouses, duplexes, triplexes and quadraplexes.  Enabling these forms of housing is aligned with Council’s new Strategic Priorities Plan, which identifies homes and housing options as a key priority for the City. 

Laneway and Carriage Houses

Townhouses and rowhouses are attached, ground oriented units. The units are side-by-side, not stacked. Rowhouses are fee simple developments with parking on each fee simple lot. Townhouses are strata title developments which may have shared or designated parking typically at the rear of the property. Infill townhouse and rowhouse projects provide smaller and fewer units than standard townhouse projects, which helps them fit better in established neighbourhoods. 

These dwelling forms were also enabled in 2017, and the program was refined in 2019. Consultation on the program was undertaken in 2022, but given the on-going housing crisis, anticipated changes to provincial regulations, the scope and timeline of that review has shifted.

 

Interested in building infill townhouses or rowhouses?

The next phase of the Infill Housing Program will include consideration of how duplexes and triplexes are permitted. Allowing these housing forms is one way the City can help increase the amount of ground oriented infill housing other than single detached dwellings, a key objective of the Official Community Plan. In order to facilitate pilot projects in advance of a policy framework, Council has endorsed an interim development review policy.

 

Click here to see the Interim Development Review Policy: Duplexes, Triplexes and Quadraplexes.

Applicants interested in building duplexes, triplexes and quadraplexes now have two options:

1. Wait until the full Program is developed. At which point we will be able to provide more clarity and guidance to applicants and likely a shorter application process.
2. Apply as a pilot project. Pilot projects will help us understand which regulations, guidelines, and approval process to include in the program. Pilot projects would be subject to thoughtful design, site planning and landscaping review, and likely a longer application process. Applications that don’t meet the requirements outlined in the Interim Policy will have to wait for the full Program to be developed.