City of Powell River councillors were apprised of updates to provincial legislation governing short-term and vacation rentals.
At the March 19 committee of the whole meeting, director of planning services Jason Gow provided a report to present and obtain direction on proposed city zoning bylaw and business licence bylaw amendments to meet the principal residence requirement of the province’s Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, also known as Bill 35.
Gow said under the BC government’s homes for people action plan, the province is committed to delivering more affordable housing.
“Bill 35 aims to establish provincial rules and enforcement of short-term rentals, return short-term rentals to the long-term rental market, and increase fines and provide local government stronger enforcement tools,” said Gow. “The principal residence requirements will come into effect on May 1. Additional changes are anticipated through 2024.”
Gow said the amendment bylaws presented to the committee helps bring the city into compliance with the principal residence requirement by removing references to vacation rental land uses and vacation rental businesses in the city’s zoning bylaw and business licence bylaw.
“As a reminder, a vacation rental is a short-term rental offering of an investment property, meaning it is not somebody’s principal residence,” said Gow. “City bylaws capped the number of vacation rental business licences each year at 10.
“The draft amendment bylaw also proposes to align the city’s definition of a short-term rental with how the province now defines them, which is as a rental listing that offers stays of 90 consecutive days or less. Currently, the city defines a short-term rental as a rental that offers stays of less than 29 days.”
Gow said under the principal residence requirement, short-term rentals will be limited to a principal residence and either a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property. He said the city’s business licence bylaw currently limits the number of short-term rental licences to one dwelling unit per lot.
Councillor Trina Isakson asked about the financial impact to the city regarding short-term rentals. Gow said that as of 2024, there are 37 business licences associated with short-term rentals at $180 each. He said the $1,000 per vacation rental business licence fee that was formerly charged was helpful to the business licencing process and that is something the city will not be able to recoup any further with the banning of vacation rentals by the province.
Councillors then considered a five-part recommendation from staff. The first was that the members of the committee of the whole agree that the proposed city zoning amendment bylaw is consistent with the city’s official community plan. The second was that a public hearing for the amendment bylaw will not be held.
The committee was to direct staff to issue notice of council’s intent to consider first reading of the zoning amendment bylaw at a future meeting of council, and that members of the committee have considered reasonable notice requirements of the business licence amendment bylaw.
Finally, the committee was to direct staff to issue notice of council’s intent to consider first reading of the business licence amendment bylaw at a future meeting of council. The recommendations passed unanimously.
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