One Nanaimo-based contractor said it's "refreshing" to see a reduction in barriers to getting multi-unit housing built in various forms since the provincial government implemented Bill 44, their mandate to increase housing density province-wide. (Dreamstime)

By Jordan Davidson

housing density

‘A real refreshing sign:’ Nanaimo contractor sees positive local effects of new housing density rules

Sep 6, 2024 | 5:24 AM

NANAIMO — While it’s been a few months since the B.C. government passed legislation to increase housing density, the impacts are already being felt locally.

Bill 44 was passed in the fall of 2023, which allows for more multi-unit homes to be built on properties, with a June 30, 2024 deadline for municipalities to amend their bylaws.

Nanaimo-based contractor Jeff Boehm of Boehm Construction told NanaimoNewsNOW he’s been in business locally for 20 years and he’s already seeing a positive impact of the new legislation at the ground level.

“We’ve all been conditioned for many, many years to brace for impact when we’re going to the City for any number of projects. There’s always red tape and there’s always delays.”

The City of Nanaimo adopted the new legislation in June, and since then Boehm has seen an increase in calls asking about new builds or renovations which were previously not permitted.

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“Inquiries (such as), ‘I like to build a carriage home where I already have a suite’, or ‘I have a duplex and I want to put a suite in each side of the duplex.’ Another person wants to build a duplex in the backyard of their existing home. Another person wants to build a suite in a front yard area where they currently have a suite as well.These are all things that were not possible six months ago.”

Boehm has completed hundreds of projects around Nanaimo over the years, including a number of duplexes along Norwell Dr., a dozen or so carriage homes, and “tons” of single-family homes and renovations.

He said the new regulations remove a lot of red tape, speeding up the process at multiple levels.

“To convert any property to an R1 zone to an R5 zone, that’s a year. And then to go through a development permit to take that R5 zone and put it into a position where you can build multi, three units, four units, in some cases up to six, that’s another year. These are huge savings and huge advantages on timelines from before all of this.”

One of Boehm’s projects is a homeowner with an existing suite above their garage, that wants to make use of their land (in green) by adding another housing unit of some kind, something which wouldn’t be possible prior to Bill 44. (Submitted)

While it’s still early in the rollout of the new provincial housing strategy, Boehm said he currently has around five projects in different stages since the new regulations.

While none of those have made it to the permit stage yet, what he is seeing so far has been “positive and encouraging.”

Boehm said while he expects not everyone will be thrilled about the increased housing density, he said it’s refreshing to see municipalities get on board, with the province reporting 90 per cent of communities have adopted their plan by July 25.

“We all need to become part of the solution, not part of the problem. I think that we all are conditioned to expect roadblocks and bureaucratic nightmares, and this is just a real refreshing sign.”

The City of Parksville adopted the new legislation in July, and while only one application for a duplex building with a secondary suite (4 residential units) has been submitted so far, they say they’ve received between 50-100 calls throughout the summer inquiry about the new regulations.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNOW