NANAIMO — Several B.C. communities are in contention for a government legislated program to spur more new home construction in high-demand areas, including the Oceanside region.
Parksville and Qualicum Beach are among 12 municipalities province-wide “that may receive housing targets”, noted a Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs news release on Thursday, May 29.
The communities under consideration for the Housing Supply Act (HSA) represent communities with “high demand, low vacancy rates and limited housing availability,” the Ministry noted.
Under the legislation, non-compliance could result in binding orders to accelerate housing projects.
So far, more than 16,000 new homes across the first 30 priority communities have materialized since the HSA was adopted in 2023.
Ten communities are included in the fourth grouping selected by the B.C. government, which will have housing targets assigned shortly, reflecting 75 per cent of each municipality’s estimated need, according to the Ministry.
Last year, the City of Nanaimo was added to the province’s housing target list, which established a five-year goal of creating 4,703 new living units in the Harbour City.
A progress report stated 539 new housing units had been established in the final six months of last year, representing 69 per cent of the 783-unit target for Nanaimo.
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