At the September 24th New Westminster City Council meeting, councillors debated an interim Density Bonus Policy set to run until mid-2025.  The policy, aimed at guiding real estate development, sparked disagreement when Councillor Daniel Fontaine suggested including market-level rentals in the bonuses. The council is planning to revise the policy in 2025 to reflect population growth and new provincial legislation.

Deni Loubert – Local Journalism Initiative

The policy comes at a time when British Columbia is seeing a surge in population growth and facing pressure to increase housing supply. A report by the province projects the population to grow by 1.1 million people by 2041, which has prompted legislative changes around density. In 2023, the provincial government introduced amendments to the Housing Supply Act, encouraging cities to create more high-density developments. These changes are expected to influence New Westminster’s long-term planning.

During the meeting, Fontaine pushed for a more flexible approach to the density bonus program, arguing that allowing market-level rentals would provide more options for developers. However, his proposal met resistance from several councillors, who prioritized affordable housing options.

Councillor Jaime MacAvey raised concerns about the transparency of developers’ claims when seeking density bonuses. "I've only ever seen developers show me a performa once to make their case. I'm concerned when claims are not supported by documentation about profitability or about conditions of doing business. And so I think there has to be something in the system where that actually gets justified," MacAvey stated.

The debate highlighted ongoing tensions between encouraging development and ensuring affordability in the rapidly growing city.