Open House - Zoning Amendment to Facilitate Affordable Housing

The District of Squamish is hosting an in-person open house as part of the proposed zoning bylaw amendment to facilitate affordable housing in Squamish.

Staff have drafted the District Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023, which will repeal and replace the current District Zoning Bylaw No. 2200, 2011.

Who is it for?
Open house events are a chance for any interested community members to review the proposed changes to the zoning bylaw related to the Section 4.49 amendments and have any questions answered by District staff.

What's proposed?

The general regulations related to affordable housing would:

• Allow affordable housing in any zone where residential is a principal use.
• Allow the height of a principal building where all of the units are secured as affordable housing to increase to 23 metres (six stories).
• Exempt affordable housing buildings from lot coverage.
• Apply a parking requirement of one space per dwelling unit for affordable housing units.
• An amendment to Section 4.25 Gross Floor Area is also proposed to exempt gross floor area use for affordable housing.
• (Separately, an amendment to Section 4.10 Height of Buildings and Structures is included to apply a maximum building height of 26.5 metres or 8 storeys, which ever is less, in any zone that may permit a taller building height, as this is currently the tallest building height that the District’s Fire Department can safely fight a fire in).

How can I prepare?
Prior to the Open Houses feel free to:

• Review the July 18, 2023, Report to Council
• Review the Draft Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 for the first and second reading.
• Watch the July 18, 2023, Regular Council Meeting of the Council.
• Review our Proposed Zoning Amendment to Facilitate Affordable Housing project page for more information. 

 What will be discussed?
The open house will include:

• A general overview of the proposed amendments.
• A casual discussion with opportunities for questions and comments from participants.

Date: Wednesday, September 20
Time: 5 to 8 pm
Location: 38014 Fourth Avenue
Format: Drop-in open house