Provincial Housing Legislation Implementation

In November 2023, the Provincial Government introduced wide ranging changes to the housing legislation that governs how municipalities plan for and approve new development, to deliver on the priorities of the Province’s Homes for People Action Plan. Following Public Hearings on January 26, 2026, Council supported bylaws that would update the OCP. The changes would align the OCP with the provincial legislation by integrating the City’s Interim Housing Needs Report and Transit Oriented Development Areas.

Learn more about how we're encouraging new housing! The video below introduces New Westminster's Transit Oriented Development Areas.

You can also access the December 15 report here. These documents outline the proposed approach to implementing with the Transit Oriented Development Areas Program.

Interim Housing Needs Report Integration

The new Provincial legislation required municipalities to complete an Interim Housing Needs Report, and to reflect the outcomes of the report within their Official Community Plan by December 31, 2025. This includes ensuring that the OCP Land Use Designation Map can accommodate 27,523 new housing units by 2044 to meet the 20 year total housing need identified in the Housing Needs Report. Once the OCP is amended to incorporate Transit Oriented Development Areas, the Map will include more than enough capacity to meet the 20-year housing need.

Transit Oriented Development Areas

The City has planned for and enabled density around transit for many years. However, the introduction of the Provincial Government’s Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Area legislation has enabled more dispersed population and housing supply than currently designated within the OCP. The City is updating the OCP to align our Plan with the Transit Oriented Development Area legislation. 

Land Use Designations and Mapping

Existing land use designations for properties within the TOD areas would be updated to align with the minimum densities permitted by the Provincial housing legislation, ranging from low, mid and high-rise development.

There are four new land use designations that would permit a mid-rise building form for properties within Provincially identified distances of a SkyTrain station. These new designations and their locations are summarized below:

New land use designations are only proposed where existing land use designations were equal to or less than the densities enabled by the Provincial housing legislation.

The proposed land use designations can be viewed here for the mainland, and here for Downtown. Draft land use designation map for the OCP can be viewed here, and Downtown here.

The proposed land use designations have been harmonized across the OCP and Downtown Community Plan for clarity and consistency.

Aligning non-residential designations in Transit Oriented Development Areas

Provincial transit oriented development legislation applies to any property zoned for residential use, even if the OCP designated only for non-residential uses, such as office and health care spaces. To reflect the legislation, land use designations are being updated to permit residential uses that align with the  TOD Area legislation. For example, the Commercial and Health Care designation for properties area near Royal Columbian Hospital has been updated to allow affordable rental housing, while still requiring ground floor commercial space. Residential would be added as a complementary use to Commercial Waterfront to support mixed-use vibrancy. Within other commercial, employment, and industrial designations, caretaker units would be removed as a complementary use since these lands are intended to stay non-residential.

Infill in Transit Oriented Development Areas

The City is required to consider higher density land uses within the TOD areas due to the Provincial housing legislation. At their meeting on October 27, 2025, Council provided direction to allow infill housing within the Transit Oriented Development Areas, as it would help provide housing choice.

How Do I Learn More?

Following Public Hearings on January 26, 2026, Council supported amendments to the City’s Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw to implement Transit Oriented Development Areas, the Townhouse Program, and the Non-Profit Affordable Housing Initiative. Now that the Public Hearings have concluded, Council cannot consider new information for the proposed amendments.

The changes proposed were directed by Council’s Strategic Priorities Plan, with some programs required by provincial legislation or connected to our participation in a funding program. Staff have engaged with residents to understand how these changes might best reflect the community’s values and our city’s physical context. People’s suggestions, feedback, and comments have been analyzed and combined with legal and technical requirements to create the proposed bylaw changes.

You can find more information on this process on the Our City, Our Homes Be Heard Webpage (see the Documents and Links to Learn More sections).

Have more questions about these proposed amendments? Contact the Planning Department for information:

Housing and Land Use Planning

604-527-4532

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