Last December the provincial government released a new legislation which is SSMUH known as “Small-Scale, Multi-unit housing”. It is expected for every city under the BC province will have to update their bylaws by the end of June 30,2024. These efforts made by the government will help give more affordable housing. In this article, we'll explain what SSMUH is, how cities are reacting to it, and when we can expect to see these changes. Let's get started!
on going housing crisis
We all know that there is a growing housing crisis not just here in Vancouver but also our neighboring cities to the point that even living in a small unit can cost a lot, house values are skyrocketing.
Courtesy of ‘Global News’ youtube channel
We can say that there is multiple cause for these problems but pretty one of it is the difficulty in building houses due to the limitations of the zoning bylaw.
Courtesy of 'About Here' YouTube channel.
What is SSMUH?
SSMUH, short for 'Small-Scale, Multi-unit Housing,' is a new policy that allows for various building and dwelling unit configurations under Single-Family and Duplex zoning. These efforts can help provide more affordable and attainable housing options for middle-income families.
cities response
As an architectural firm deeply committed to our industry, it's important for us to stay informed about zoning changes in our city. We have been diligently monitoring zoning updates made by cities and have sent emails to inquire further about their plans regarding the provincial policy changes and how they intend to accommodate these alterations.
Given everyone's busy schedules at the moment, cities are currently in the process of amending their zoning bylaws. What we do know for certain is that these changes will be implemented on or before June 30, 2024.
With these changes in mind, I'm excited to see how local governments plan to implement these drastic changes. That's a wrap! Thank you for checking out our blog, and stay tuned for the next update on the SSMUH implementation.