A rezoning project in Courtenay has been recognized with a provincial award.
The Planning Institute of British Columbia, an association aiming to advancing the job of planning, awarded the city ‘s planning team with a Silver award in the Excellence in Planning Practice – Small Town and Rural Areas category for their small-scale, multi-unit housing rezoning project.
The project aimed to increase housing supply and provide more housing options to the community by making a new housing zone, with city council adopting Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 3135 in June last year.
By adopting that bylaw, it not only made the zone, but also re-zoned 5,649 properties to allow up to four units per lot.
City director of Development Services Marianne Wade says they really appreciate getting this work recognized.
“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 city says this zone came because of the BC Government’s Bill 44, which required local governments to rezone properties restricted to single-residential dwellings, and allow up to four units per lot.
Mayor Bob Wells says it’s very exciting to see the team get this level of recognition, adding the award is a testament to their dedication and expertise.
The team got the award in a conference in Vancouver on Thursday.
