The City of Victoria claims it has exceeded housing targets set by the province last year after creating 753 homes in six months.
In a statement Monday, the city says it passed the yearly quota of 659 homes per year and is 15 per cent of the way towards meeting the province’s five-year target.
“Our city is pulling its weight in addressing the housing crisis while City staff continue to propose innovative, forward-thinking policies and new ideas,” said Mayor Marianne Alto.
The city says targets set by the province closely aligned with what had already been identified in its ‘Victoria Housing Strategy’.
The B.C. government announced housing targets for 10 communities in September 2023, which included the City of Victoria. They later added 20 more municipalities to the list in April.
The province says the list identifies communities they say have “the greatest need” for new housing developments and sets a target based on the projected number of homes that will be needed over five years. Per the Housing Supply Act, the ministry says they work closely with local governments to achieve the set goals.
“We’re not going to announce the target and just leave them to their own devices. We’re going to work with them every step of the way,” said Premier David Eby following the initial target announcement.
The province also announced in September it would be providing municipalities with the “resources to speed up approval processes”, including $10 million to continue the Development Approvals Process Review. Alto says the assistance has been beneficial in reaching their five-year target of 4,902 homes.
“Meeting the mark well before the deadline set by the province demonstrates that urgently needed housing can be fast-tracked when local governments lean in to the effort,” said Mayor Alto.