Trustee Tobi Elliott
Gabriola Local Trust Committee
It’s time to reimagine how growth and housing density might be better distributed on Gabriola. As land costs rise, environmental limits tighten, climate change accelerates, and Indigenous reconciliation advances, there is an immediate need to rethink how we regulate land to better reflect current priorities. To support a community conversation about Gabriola’s current and future growth challenges, Islands Trust is hosting a workshop called Reimagining Growth Sept 14 at the Haven, as part of the review of the Official Community Plan (OCP).
Growth Projections
Gabriola experienced a 7.4% population growth increase from 2016-2021, but only an increase of 2.5% in housing supply. The 2025 Housing Needs Assessment recently completed for the Islands Trust (using the provincial methodology) set the housing needs projection at 1,196 dwellings over 20 years. The current review of Gabriola’s OCP offers us the opportunity to choose what type and forms of housing should be supported, and where should housing and growth be distributed?
Values Based Land Use Decisions
The workshop is grounded in four values identified by our community in the OCP visioning process so far: Environment, Housing, Healthy and Connected Community, and Reconciliation. The workshop will focus on three key areas where community values connect to land use decisions:
1) redistribution of existing density: the potential to reduce development impact in more sensitive areas, and/or increase development potential in areas of less impact;
2) values and data-driven decision making: suitable lands for additional density, types and forms of additional density—if any— that are needed (ie. secondary dwellings, rezonings, small unit dwelling clusters), and potential to focus existing subdivision potential on affordable/attainable housing or other criteria;
3) on site environmental protection criteria such as freshwater storage requirements, and size and siting of dwellings.
How and where is growth currently accommodated?
The current OCP relies on subdivision and buildout potential to address housing needs associated with population growth. Growth is presently allowed through subdivision, rezoning for multi-dwelling residential for special needs, seniors and affordable housing only, and secondary dwellings on parcels 2.0 ha+. Updated maps of the current buildout potential at the workshop will show the number of remaining vacant and sub-dividable lots. There are 16 remaining properties with subdivision potential, which could support from 45-90 new homes.
How might growth be better accommodated?
Housing policies for multi-family dwellings could be expanded to housing that is affordable to low to moderate income earners (attainable housing). Subdivision could be limited to only allow the creation of new lots in limited instances, such as for affordable or attainable housing, or limited to only certain areas. The current OCP has very few criteria to limit impact on sensitive ecosystems, archeological sites and areas of Indigenous cultural significance.
The land suitability analysis and freshwater mapping on Gabriola could establish criteria for where to put additional housing or development potential, and where not to. Data from the freshwater mapping and suitable land analysis mapping will allow us to incorporate groundwater considerations, sewage capacity, access to services and amenities as criteria that should be considered in land use decisions, to both direct intensive use of the land use away from locations where development is inappropriate, and toward areas where it makes sense to develop.
Another desire we heard from the community through the OCP review is to allow for smaller, discrete connected housing arrangements. CLUSTER housing model could represent: Community-Scaled Living Units Sited Together for Ecological and Economic Resilience.
We will discuss potential policies that could allow re-zoning for Small Unit Clustered housing, which could see groups of small homes, attached or detached, on a single lot without subdividing the land.
Small units could be mobile units, such as tiny homes on wheels or manufactured homes, with shared facilities such as laundry and common rooms, which reduces development footprint and improves space and infrastructure efficiency. Rezoning may require housing agreements and limits on individual or total combined floor area. We want to hear your views and ideas in this critical policy area of managing current and future growth potential on Gabriola. Look for information on the Islands Trust website, in the Sounder, and in discussion guides available at the office and in the public library. A survey to gather your input will be published on the Islands Trust website for the Gabriola OCP Review web site.
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