Pitt Meadows mayor calls province’s warning over housing targets ‘insulting’ and ‘out of touch’

“Insulting,” “threatening,” and “out of touch” were just some of the words Pitt Meadows’ mayor used to describe a letter from B.C.’s housing minister warning the city it is at risk of failing to meet provincial housing targets.

During a July 21 discussion, council rebuked Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Christine Boyle for a letter made in response to the city’s six-month housing progress report, which warned that “compliance measures” may need to be taken to increase unit completions.

“I found this letter very off-putting,” Mayor Nicole MacDonald said. “These people, this minister, and these staffers do not know our community, and that’s the problem.”

The problem, as the province sees it, is that Pitt Meadows has added just six net new housing units – about six percent of its first-year target of 109 units – and had only 18 units in its development pipeline.

Boyle’s July 14 letter acknowledges the city has adopted provincially mandated Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing legislation and completed its interim housing needs work, but says housing delivery remains “concerning,” adding the city is “at risk of not making satisfactory progress.”

While recognizing municipalities facilitate rather than build housing and that market conditions affect construction, Boyle said local governments are responsible for creating conditions that encourage development through efficient approvals and greater certainty for builders. She also pointed to opportunities to advance Town Centre revitalization through medium and high-density housing identified in the city’s official community plan.

The letter concludes by stating if progress is not made after the city’s first annual housing report is submitted in December, the province may consider stepping in.

Coun. Alison Evans called out what she perceived as the letter’s “threatening tone.”

Council has already complied with every provincial housing requirement, according to Evans, despite consistently warning the government that Pitt Meadows faces constraints unlike most municipalities.

She pointed to the city’s adoption of small-scale multi-unit housing rules, updated housing reports and policy changes intended to speed approvals and reduce costs for builders.

“Pitt Meadows did not delay complying with the province’s housing legislation … We did what was required and we did it on time,” Evans said. “We have proven that we are working to facilitate housing in the city.”

Evans said council also met with Boyle during last year’s Union of B.C. Municipalities convention and believed the minister understood the city’s challenges, including the Agricultural Land Reserve, floodplain restrictions and airport height limitations.

She also questioned how the city could be criticized when staff reported there were no housing applications being refused, adding that council can’t private landowners to redevelop their properties.

“What specific action does the minister believe that Pitt Meadows should be taking that we are not already taking?” Evans said. “The province is applying a provincial methodology and a provincial thinking to a small city, where those assumptions do not always translate to our local reality.”

Manager of Planning Colin O’Byrne said staff had raised many of the same concerns directly with ministry officials after receiving the housing target order last year.

He said the province used a standardized methodology based on provincial projections and regional averages that failed to reflect Pitt Meadows’ historical growth, extensive land constraints, height restrictions and current market conditions.

“We effectively saw high-growth communities overachieving in terms of their housing target numbers because they’re above regional averages, whereas communities like ours, where we face a lot more constraints, we’ve been generally below the regional average,” O’Byrne said. “So we’re effectively penalized through this methodology process.”

He added that staff had proposed working collaboratively with the province on a more realistic target for Pitt Meadows, but that offer was not accepted.

Coun. Tracy Elke said the province appears to be holding municipalities responsible for factors they cannot control.

“The reality is, the city is not in the business of building homes,” she said. “We create the conditions for developers to build a home here.”

O’Byrne explained the province has several compliance options if it concludes the city is not making sufficient progress. Those include issuing directives requiring municipalities to change policies or appointing an independent advisor to review local bylaws, policies and development practices before recommending further provincial action.

MacDonald argued the city’s planning processes are already being scrutinized through an internal review, supported by a recently awarded $120,000 provincial grant, making the province’s criticism especially frustrating.

She also rejected the letter’s suggestion that the city should focus on higher-density development in the town centre.

“We have a rezoned lot sitting empty for a number of years that’s ready to go,” she said. “That’s not the city stopping building in the town centre.”

The mayor also noted the city is also advancing long-term planning through the North Lougheed Area Plan, while continuing to face provincial restrictions on how much land can be developed.

“It’s the province that controls the ALR,” she said. “We can’t build up, we can’t go down, we’ve got three rivers – so we’re not magicians here.”

Coun. Mike Manion questioned whether the province’s housing policies are actually improving affordability, arguing older rancher homes have been replaced by larger, more expensive houses that do little to help seniors or first-time buyers.

Coun. Bob Meachen described the letter’s tone as a “slap in the face,” saying it overlooked the work staff have done to process applications quickly while ignoring the reality that approved projects often sit idle because developers choose not to build.

“It reminded me of a letter from the headmistress when I got sent home from school once,” Meachen said.

Following the discussion, staff recommended preparing a comprehensive response to accompany the city’s first annual housing target report this fall, incorporating updated housing statistics and council’s concerns.

Chief administrative officer Mark Roberts also suggested arranging a meeting between city representatives and Boyle to discuss Pitt Meadows’ challenges directly.

When staff proposed inviting the minister to tour the community, MacDonald responded: “I think that’s a great idea.”