Houseplexes are very similar to house conversions (turning one large house into multiple smaller homes), except they are newly built and designed for the purpose of containing multiple dwellings in one building (duplex, triplex, fourplex, fiveplex, and sixplex). They appear similar in size to a large, historic house and can maintain the pattern of green usable backyards with tree planting space.

Townhouses tend to deliver the highest proportion of two- and three-bedroom, family-oriented housing units compared to any other multi-family housing form. Although the homes generally sit side by side, they could include suites, or be stacked where one townhouse unit sits above another. Townhouse units typically have individual walk-up entries from the street, with access to private outdoor green space.

Heritage conserving infill would mean allowing other homes to be built on the same lot as a heritage registered building, with bonus density to incentivize heritage designation, either as an addition to the existing house or as stand-alone infill housing in the rear yard.

Not everyone wants to live in a condo building, nor can everyone afford a single-family home. 

Young families, couples and empty nesters want to continue to stay in Victoria but struggle to find housing that fits their needs and their incomes. 

Many want housing with a front door to the street, access to green space, and more bedrooms than most apartment buildings. 

We know there are people who want to live close to work so that they can walk, ride their bike or take the bus instead of relying on their car. This helps support the quality of life that people desire, where they are active and have more time to spend with their family.  

It also supports our climate by reducing emissions, protecting green space and urban forests across the region.

Victoria is growing. Housing in our community needs to meet the needs of everyone including young people who want to work here, families who want to stay, and grandparents who want to be close to grandkids. 

We know from Census data that Victoria continues to lose young families, likely as a result of the lack of housing options that fit their incomes and ability to grow as a family.  

Healthy communities include people of all ages and different stages of life. Building that community starts with creating housing options that meets the community’s needs. 

To ensure no net loss of secondary rental units, Missing Middle zoning is proposed to require at least one secondary dwelling unit (suite) to be included in a corner townhouse or houseplex development. In addition to their potential to contribute to the secondary rental market, suites can also provide flexibility for families who need to accommodate a family member, care giver, or meet other evolving needs of their household and can provide a “mortgage helper.”

This move aligns with objectives in the City’s Housing Strategy Phase Two and input heard during early engagement by creating opportunities to increase the supply of housing in the secondary rental market, and particularly creating rental units with access to usable outdoor space. Garden suites will also still be permitted in association with adaptive re-use of a heritage building, or when associated with a single-family dwelling without a suite.

Yes. If Missing Middle forms are permitted within zoning, that will mean no public hearing would be required if someone is applying to build those permitted housing forms in a way that complies with the parameters of the bylaw. That is also why we have been gathering public feedback as a part of this initiative, and there will be a public hearing before Council gives final consideration to zoning changes that could permit Missing Middle housing.

Land values are already being impacted by many factors outside the City’s control but we are also approaching zoning changes with the aim to minimize any land value impact. Our phase one financial analysis for this project indicated that, as there is marginal viability for most Missing Middle housing types, meaning there wouldn't be a financial rationale for commercial developers to acquire land for anything more than current market values. Phase two financial analysis focused on identifying a potential contribution to the Housing Reserve Fund, local amenities fund and or delivery of below- market homeownership units that the zoning could require to achieve the densities associated with the Missing Middle housing forms tested. This will help ensure that if, and wherever there is any land value impact, the majority of that additional value will accrue to public benefit. This mechanism is, however, balanced to try and avoid altogether eliminating the financial basis for creating this housing.

We have also discussed this with BC Assessment. It’s ultimately up to BC Assessment to confirm assessment values, however our discussions with them suggests that the impact on land value from City-initiated zoning changes could be minimal. The OCP’s land use designations are one of the factors in determining land assessments and the City is proposing to update its zoning regulations largely to reflect the OCP that has been in place since 2012. While rezoning a specific lot can increase the land value relative to neighbouring properties – a more widespread zoning change eliminates the scarcity of land, minimizing the added value. 

Zoning changes for Missing Middle housing could be applied throughout the city to minimize perceived scarcity of opportunity that might otherwise lead to bidding up of select properties with new zoning. Of course, regardless of zoning changes, building new housing on a property can increase the value of the property relative to what was there before, as we have been seeing as new single-detached houses replacing older detached homes. This is more common right now than the replacement of old homes to create more Missing Middle housing on the same amount of land. For instance, from 2012 through 2019, while building permits were approved for over 600 units either as single-family dwellings or suites therein, fewer than 350 Missing Middle housing units were approved.

Through this initiative, the City is considering expanding permissions for Traditional Residential designated properties with the basic detached dwelling and duplex zones (External link) (R1-B, R1-G, R1-A, and R-2). You can use Vic Map to determine which zoning applies to your property through the following steps (or follow this visual guide):

Confirm zoning using Vic Map.

1. Launch Vic Map by following this link:  https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/online-services/maps.html
   
   
2. Once Vic Map loads, click through the disclaimer, and then click the “I want to…” button
   
   
3. Click “Turn map data on/off”
   
   
4. Expand the “Planning and Development” layer group
   
   
5. Turn on the “Zoning” layer
   
   
6. Zoom in (double clicking or using the mouse’s scroll wheel) on the property or block you’re interested in, and you’ll be able to see the zone names and dashed lines around the areas they apply to.

Confirm lot size using Vic Map.

1. Click on a parcel to select it
   
   
2. In the dialogue window that pops up, click “View Additional Details”
   
   
3. “ParcelArea” is one of the information fields in the “Additional Details” pane. This shows the parcel’s area in square metres.