It remains to be seen if the city will do any better in the provincial government’s eyes when it comes to meeting a housing target for Delta.
The next reporting period on Delta’s progress wraps up at the end of this month, a report that must be submitted to the Ministry of Housing.
The reporting period for the upcoming report covers Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024.
In addition to reporting on the net new completed units, Delta must also report on information about actions taken and progress towards meeting the housing target order. If a housing target has not been met, the city must also report any planned actions towards meeting the target within a two-year period following the report.
Delta’s five-year housing target, handed by the province last fall, is 3,607 units, which is the total minimum number of net new completed housing units required to comply with the Provincial Housing Target Order.
According to the province, that number reflects 75 per cent of total provincial housing needs estimate for the City of Delta.
The first reporting period covered Oct 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
That first period didn’t go well for the city after the province released a six-month progress report indicating several communities, including Delta, haven’t been doing as well as expected.
Following the province’s release of report on the first 10 municipalities to receive housing targets, Delta Mayor George Harvie told the Optimist that relying on developers to complete approved projects quickly, and then only counting the occupancy permits as a net new unit, doesn’t accurately convey the story on what the city has done to encourage more development.
He pointed out the ongoing streamlining for a faster approval process, which has resulted in fewer reports having to come to council, as well as the major update to the Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning amendments to allow small-scale housing units on single-family lots.
The city is doing its best and has had many more units approved, but the development industry faces challenges including delays due to high interest rates, the carbon tax, construction costs and other problems, said Harvie.
Kahlon responded that while there are challenges, other communities with housing targets that have been reported to making good progress, including the cities of Victoria and Port Moody, were meeting their goals using the same measure.
Noting high-rises and single-family homes aren’t enough when it comes to housing options, he also believes that while Delta approved the zoning amendment for small-scale housing on lots, they are far too restrictive compared to the province’s suggested guidelines.
In a previous letter to the mayor, Kahlon said while he appreciates Delta’s concerns about completions as the primary metric for measuring progress towards achieving targets, the province is committed to measuring the targets against move-in ready housing completions. However, building permits will also be considered as part of the evaluation of municipal efforts to meet targets.
In addition to assessing progress towards meeting a housing target, the province may also analyze market conditions and other external factors concerning housing development, he added.
After the current reporting period is concluded, the following reporting period will cover Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025.
The expected net number of newly completed housing units in Delta will be measured annually and cumulatively with the first year at 514 units.
Delta in its second year is expected to reach 1,098 units of the overall target, with the third year at 1,785 units, the fourth at 2,609 units and, finally, the fifth year reaching the 3,607-unit target.
