The City of Mission is bracing for the impact of new provincial housing legislation passed in November.
Three bills passed that are expected to change the way local governments plan for new housing, along with another bill regulating short-term rentals.
In a letter to Mission Mayor Paul Horn on Dec. 8, Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon informed the city that Mission City Station was selected as a transit-oriented development area under the new regulations.
At the Dec. 18 council meeting, Horn noted the potential of the letter. The mayor said recent interest in Mission from the Ministry of Transportation has been encouraging, with projects such as the South Mission Transportation Study and other improvements.
“The question for me will be how do we ask our partners at the provincial level — and even I think at the federal level, where there is now going to be a permanent transit investment fund — how do we get the resources we need to make that transit hub fit with Mission and fit with our waterfront revitalization plan and fully realize what’s been chatted about a long time here around a transit hub that incorporates buses, park-and-ride transit, heavy rail and potentially other things?” Horn said.
Provincial expectations for municipalities regarding transit-oriented development areas include designating the areas by bylaw, making zoning decisions and updating parking bylaws.
Coun. Angel Elias wasn’t happy with the letter.
“I’m starting to get a little bit tired of the province kind of downloading initiatives for municipalities that will cost millions of dollars to support. I also have no desire to turn Mission into Langley or Coquitlam where there’s nothing but high rises and townhouses,” Elias said.
Elias says the priority should be to fix Mission’s transit before looking at areas for density growth.
“I feel that we need to hopefully be able to have a meeting with the Minister of Housing. I feel Mission should not have been listed as one of the cities for transit-oriented development considering the West Coast Express is a limited commuter train and our current infrastructure will not support this growth,” Elias said.
Meanwhile, Coun. Mark Davies was excited about the letter. He said this provides council with the perfect opportunity to start advocating for services such as West Coast Express improvements.
“We finally have the City of Mission on the page with all the big players — right there with Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, Maple Ridge — the whole nine yards. We have finally been recognized as a growing city on the north of the Fraser,” Davies said.
The new regulations will outline the minimum allowable density for transit-oriented development areas, including Mission City Station.
The province released regulations and policy manuals related to the housing bills to aid local governments in meeting requirements by June 30, 2024.
The letter says Mission will be notified of the amount of provincial funding it will receive to support planning.
“I appreciate how much work is in front of your local government to meet the requirements. The Ministry is committed to supporting your team in this work,” Kahlon wrote.
A detailed report from City of Mission staff on the impact of the legislation is on the way.
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