Missing Middle Housing

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the emerging concepts for missing middle zoning, which were informed by early community input and technical analysis.

Council has now received a report summarizing how your 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 has been published as part of the Agenda for the May 5, 2022 Committee of the Whole Meeting (click on item F.3).

Next Steps: At the May 12th Committee of the Whole meeting, Council voted to advance the proposed Missing Middle Housing Initiative to a public hearing. The committee recommendation will be considered at the May 26th daytime Council meeting. If approved, a date will be set for the public hearing where residents will have the opportunity to weigh in before Council makes a final decision.

An Open House will be scheduled in advance of the public hearing for the public to learn more about what's being proposed for the Missing Middle Housing Initiative.

If you haven't already, please sign up for project updates (scroll down to the bottom right) to ensure you're notified when the dates for the Open House and public hearing are set.

About the Missing Middle Initiative:

Census data shows Victoria continues to lose young families as their housing needs evolve. And it’s not just young families who would benefit from missing middle housing. There are many other people looking for housing options in between single-family homes, which cost just over a million dollars on average in Victoria, and apartments or condos which often lack outdoor space.

In Victoria, we need more housing options that address the diverse needs of our community. That’s why one of our housing initiatives – the Missing Middle Housing Initiative – is focused on creating more townhouses and houseplexes (including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, etc.) – to help diversify housing choices in between an apartment or a single-family home.

Visit the FAQ section to learn more about this project.

To learn more about Victoria's Housing Strategy visit www.victoria.ca/housing


How we got here – Early Engagement (Phase 1)

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.

Some highlights of what we heard included a ranking of objectives for missing middle housing and a prioritized list of site characteristics like access to outdoor space and parking. We also listened to feedback on preferred design, form, and character.

If you participated at this stage, thank you for sharing feedback.

Here is the complete engagement summary from the early engagement.

Here is the Missing Middle Housing Initiative Update Report from July 2021.



Engagement Phase 2

In the fall of 2021, community feedback was gathered on the emerging concepts for missing middle zoning, which were informed by early community input and technical analysis. This will help us navigate some important choices and trade-offs to inform what the future of missing middle housing looks like in Victoria.

Phase 2 engagement moves between the Inform and Involve levels of the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the emerging concepts for missing middle zoning, which were informed by early community input and technical analysis.

Council has now received a report summarizing how your 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 has been published as part of the Agenda for the May 5, 2022 Committee of the Whole Meeting (click on item F.3).

Next Steps: At the May 12th Committee of the Whole meeting, Council voted to advance the proposed Missing Middle Housing Initiative to a public hearing. The committee recommendation will be considered at the May 26th daytime Council meeting. If approved, a date will be set for the public hearing where residents will have the opportunity to weigh in before Council makes a final decision.

An Open House will be scheduled in advance of the public hearing for the public to learn more about what's being proposed for the Missing Middle Housing Initiative.

If you haven't already, please sign up for project updates (scroll down to the bottom right) to ensure you're notified when the dates for the Open House and public hearing are set.

About the Missing Middle Initiative:

Census data shows Victoria continues to lose young families as their housing needs evolve. And it’s not just young families who would benefit from missing middle housing. There are many other people looking for housing options in between single-family homes, which cost just over a million dollars on average in Victoria, and apartments or condos which often lack outdoor space.

In Victoria, we need more housing options that address the diverse needs of our community. That’s why one of our housing initiatives – the Missing Middle Housing Initiative – is focused on creating more townhouses and houseplexes (including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, etc.) – to help diversify housing choices in between an apartment or a single-family home.

Visit the FAQ section to learn more about this project.

To learn more about Victoria's Housing Strategy visit www.victoria.ca/housing


How we got here – Early Engagement (Phase 1)

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.

Some highlights of what we heard included a ranking of objectives for missing middle housing and a prioritized list of site characteristics like access to outdoor space and parking. We also listened to feedback on preferred design, form, and character.

If you participated at this stage, thank you for sharing feedback.

Here is the complete engagement summary from the early engagement.

Here is the Missing Middle Housing Initiative Update Report from July 2021.



Engagement Phase 2

In the fall of 2021, community feedback was gathered on the emerging concepts for missing middle zoning, which were informed by early community input and technical analysis. This will help us navigate some important choices and trade-offs to inform what the future of missing middle housing looks like in Victoria.

Phase 2 engagement moves between the Inform and Involve levels of the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation.

  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Missing Middle Housing Survey Phase 2


    Thank you for your interest in the future of missing middle housing in Victoria.

    The Missing Middle Housing Initiative is aiming to make it easier to build alternatives to the single-family house. This includes duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and townhouses .

    These housing types help give households and individuals a choice to stay in Victoria as their needs change. We are all familiar with homes like these, but they’ve come to be known as “missing” middle housing as they are rarely built these days because, in much of the City, they currently require a rezoning process.

    We would like your feedback on emerging concepts for missing middle zoning, which have been developed based on community input and technical analysis.

    Your feedback will help us navigate some important choices and trade-offs, which will help to further refine what the future of missing middle housing looks like in Victoria. Input gathered through this survey will help inform recommendations to Council later this winter, including:

    • Potential zoning changes to make it easier to build missing middle housing throughout the city
    • Design guidelines to ensure missing middle housing fits in well
    • Official Community Plan amendments to align with any zoning changes
    • A Missing Middle Housing Policy to guide any rezoning or variance applications


    The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete.

    Take Survey
  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Missing Middle Housing Survey

    Thank you for your participation. 


    Take Survey
Page last updated: 13 May 2022, 01:27 PM