TOWNSHIP OF ESQUIMALT STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: July 20, 2026 Report No. DEV-26-036
TO: Council
FROM: Bill Brown, Director of Development Services
SUBJECT: Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing Workshop Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council direct staff to begin preparations to establish a select Committee following the October 2026 municipal election, to work through the technical, legal and financial details behind targeted bylaw amendments; and that the newly struck Committee establish reporting deadlines where preliminary advice would be delivered no sooner than March 31, 2027, and final recommendations delivered no sooner than June 30, 2027. And further that Council use the Draft Terms of Reference in Appendix "G" of the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) Community Engagement Final Report July 2026 attached as Appendix "A" of staff report DEV-26-036 as a guide to establish the committee.
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Pursuant to Council direction at their April 27, 2026, meeting, staff engaged a consultant to undertake a series of community engagement activities to better understand the concerns and aspirations of community members related to Small-Scale Multi-Unit Development. The methodologies used and the results of the various engagement actives are detailed in the attached report that prepared by the consultant and attached as Appendix "A" to this report. The report makes three recommendations, namely:
1) Recommendation 1 directs Administration to use whatever discretion it already lawfully holds under the current Zoning Bylaw, Development Permit Area guidelines, delegated authority or provincial legislation, to weigh site-specific context immediately, rather than waiting for future amendments before responding to what residents have raised.
2) Recommendation 2 establishes a select Committee to work through the technical, legal and financial details behind targeted bylaw changes, reporting preliminary advice before March 31, 2...
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