Courtenay rezoning project honoured with silver award for planning excellence

The City of Courtenay is being recognized for planning excellence.

The Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC) announced a Silver Award in the category of Excellence in Planning Practice – Small Town and Rural Areas for Courtenay’s small-scale, multi-unit housing (SSMUH) rezoning project.

PIBC presented the award to members of the City’s project team at their annual conference in Vancouver on June 12. 

“We are very appreciative that Courtenay’s creative approach to developing the R-SSMUH zone has been selected for this award of excellence by our professional planning colleagues in BC,” said Marianne Wade, the City’s Director of Development Services.

“While the updated zoning was required by the province, we saw it as an opportunity to create a new approach to how we develop zoning,” said Wade. “This included the use of digital tools to help residents envision the different forms of development permitted in neighbourhoods by this new zone, which allowed them to see how it could be implemented in our community, now and into the future. The R-SSMUH zone was shaped collaboratively, using public feedback and extensive analysis to make sure the new zoning aligned with the vision and policies of our Official Community Plan, while meeting the provincial mandate for housing supply.”

The Province of B.C.’s Bill 44 (Housing Supply) required local governments to rezone properties that were previously restricted to single-residential dwellings, to permit up to four housing units per lot. Council adopted the R-SSMUH zone in June 2024, meeting all requirements from the Province.

Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells said the award was a testament to the dedication and expertise of City planning staff. “It’s very exciting for the planning team to get this level of professional recognition,” said Wells. “These provincial housing mandates required a great deal of policy development and implementation, while at the same time the City was also working on streamlining processes. It was a tremendous amount of effort by staff and our Council is extremely proud that their work has been recognized through this award.”

 The City’s Official Community Plan (OCP), adopted in 2022, was already well-positioned to support the province’s housing mandate. The OCP established the goal of building more homes within existing urban residential neighbourhoods.

For the new R-SSMUH zone, Courtenay’s focus was on understanding property sizes and how the various development types for up to four dwelling units could be applied to various lot sizes within the provincial guidelines.

A three-dimensional fly-through model was instrumental in demonstrating the new zone for the public in an engaging, accessible way. It helped test the R-SSMUH zone regulations on what could potentially be built in Courtenay, and anticipate various potential outcomes for subdivision, while considering neighborhood character. The updated Zoning Bylaw was developed through a collaborative process, informed by extensive research, expert consultation, and community feedback.

The new zoning was adopted by Council in June 2024. The R-SSMUH zone applies to 5,648 Courtenay properties, focusing on ground-oriented, multi-unit housing that can fit into existing single-dwelling neighbourhoods.

Learn about the new zoning at www.courtenay.ca/ssmuh  

For a full list of award winners from the Planning Institute of BC, visit www.pibc.bc.ca