Missing Middle Housing Initiative

Council has adopted the Zoning Regulation Bylaw, Amendment Bylaw (No. 1324) - No. 23-099. This bylaw accomplishes changes to the Missing Middle regulations to encourage the development of missing middle housing. The revised Missing Middle regulations are now in effect. Amendments are as follows:

• No longer requiring a secondary dwelling unit
• Allowing bedrooms in a secondary dwelling unit to contribute toward the main unit’s total bedroom count
• Deferring to upcoming building code changes for adaptable dwelling unit requirements
• Increasing the maximum height of houseplexes and corner townhouses
• Establishing a minimum height relative to grade for the ceiling of the lowest level
• Removing all bonus density requirements other than dedication of right-of-way Amending setback and site coverage regulations
• Eliminating overlap of other use regulations with heritage conserving infill use regulations
• Delegated authority to staff to approve parking variances

Council has adopted the proposed Missing Middle Regulations and associated policies (view the webcast recording).

New zoning regulations will allow up to six homes on most average residential lots if within the area designated Traditional Residential by the Official Community Plan, and the lot is in one of the four common low-density zones (R1-B, R1-A, R1-G, or R-2). Changes come into effect on Sunday, March 12, 2023 (45 days after adoption).

Find out if these changes apply to your property and learn more about missing middle housing here. In some cases, the Missing Middle regulations may not apply to a property, even though it has the above described zoning and Traditional Residential designation. To confirm what you can do with your property, please contact Development Services at 250.361.0382 or developmentservices@victoria.ca.

Public Hearing and Approval Process
As detailed in the January 26, 2023 report and Attachment A, Council made amendments to the Missing Middle zoning regulations. On December 8, 2022 Council confirmed that they will continue the process started before the election and give the Missing Middle Housing Initiative further consideration after receiving a report on the public hearing in accordance with section 470(2) of the Local Government Act (see January 26th report linked above).

Prior to making their decision on the Initiative, Council members familiarized themselves with all the information provided to Council through the public hearing process. At the January 26, 2023 Council to follow Committee of the Whole, Council made further amendments, adopted the bylaws, and approved the design guidelines and updated Tenant Assistance Policy.

Watch the webcast of the September 8 meeting and previous meetings that took place September 2, September 1 and August 4.

The agenda for the Special Meeting of Council on September 1 includes links to all correspondence for the public hearing, and the Documents section of this webpage provides additional background information about this initiative. For convenience, here are some key documents:

1. May 5, 2022 COTW Report: Missing Middle Housing Initiative
2. July 14, 2022 CTFCOTW Report: Missing Middle Housing Initiative
3. August 4, 2022 Council Report: Missing Middle Housing Initiative Bylaw Amendments and Policy Updates
4. Official Community Plan Amendment (Bylaw No. 22-044).pdf
5. Zoning Regulation Bylaw Amendment (Bylaw No. 22-045).pdf
6. Land Use Procedures Bylaw Amendment (Bylaw No. 22-057).pdf
7. Affordable Housing Standards Bylaw (Bylaw No. 22-056).pdf
8. Missing Middle Design Guidelines (2022).pdf
9. Tenant Assistance Policy (July 2022).pdf

The Missing Middle Housing Initiative proposes to allow houseplexes and corner townhouses in addition to single-family homes in Traditional Residential areas of the city.

It will also help to conserve homes with heritage merit by allowing other homes to be built on the same lot as the heritage registered building.

Victoria’s Official Community Plan already envisions Missing Middle housing forms throughout the city. However, because much of the city is still only zoned for single-family homes, building Missing Middle housing requires a rezoning, which can be a long and complex process.

This helps explain why Victoria sees many older homes replaced by new, more expensive single-family homes far more often than Missing Middle housing is created.

Missing Middle housing will:

• Create more homes and housing choice.
• Expedite construction. Missing Middle homes that meet established design guidelines can proceed to construction, without the need for a rezoning, in the same way single-family homes do today.
• Make it easier for people, especially young families and seniors, to stay in the city and live closer to where they work and shop, supporting the local economy and sustainability.
  
  

These are some of the reasons we are considering zoning changes and Official Community Plan amendments that would allow Missing Middle housing throughout Victoria’s Traditional Residential areas.

Opening the door to more Missing Middle housing is one important action in the City’s suite of Housing Strategy initiatives to tackle the current housing crisis.

Census data shows Victoria continues to lose young families as their housing needs evolve. And it’s not just young families who benefit. There are many others looking for housing options because single family homes are expensive – just over a million dollars on average in Victoria – or because they might want access to more outdoor space, sometimes lacking in apartments and condos.

Learn more in the FAQ section. Read about Victoria's Housing Strategy.

Quick Facts
Missing Middle housing currently accounts for just five per cent of new home construction, with apartments, condos and detached houses making up the other 95 per cent.

• Over the past 30 years, Victoria has experienced a net loss of school-aged children and adults aged 30-50 – the age when many adults are raising families.
• Most housing in Victoria (68 per cent) is apartment style (rental or condo).
• In Canada, 37 per cent of households have three or more people. In the City of Victoria, it is only 16 per cent.
• The number of seniors in our community is expected to double over the next 20 years. More housing options are needed to allow seniors to age in place within their community.

How We Got Here

The proposed Missing Middle Housing initiative is based on input from the public received through an extensive two year community engagement process. It also builds on earlier engagement by implementing the Official Community Plan and other City initiatives including:

• Victoria’s Housing Strategy
• Council’s Strategic Plan
• Neighbourhood Planning
  
  

Phase 1 Engagement
Early engagement took place between March 2020 and May 2021. Through community meetings, surveys and workshops the City asked about priorities, preferences, barriers and opportunities relating to Missing Middle housing. Thank you to all those who participated.

Some highlights of what we heard included a ranking of objectives for Missing Middle housing and a prioritized list of site characteristics such as access to outdoor space and indoor storage space. We also listened to feedback on preferred design, form and character.

Here is the complete engagement summary from the early engagement and the Missing Middle Housing Initiative Update Council Report from July 2021.

Phase 2 Engagement

Community members provided feedback on balancing trade-offs associate with emerging concepts for Missing Middle housing.

Highlights of what we heard included strong support for a balanced approach for housing, trees and parking on each lot, permitting three storeys with a requirement for accessibility and a delegated approval process when the housing is consistent with established design guidelines.

Community input, combined with additional technical analysis, guided the evolution and greater detailing of how zoning and land use policy could change to make it easier to build Missing Middle homes in Victoria.

The report and attachments are available in the Documents sidebar of this page (scroll down and see the right side). The report was originally published as part of the Agenda for the May 5, 2022 Committee of the Whole Meeting (item F.3).