A new report coming to Kamloops council this week is painting a much rosier housing picture than City officials were expecting just a few months ago.
At the start of the year, the City was projecting it was going to miss the provincially-mandated housing targets for the first year by about 20 percent, with initial analysis projecting 534 units were likely to be built from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024.
The provincial minimum Kamloops has to achieve under the BC Housing Supply Act for the first year is 679 units.
Director of Development, Engineering and Sustainability for the City of Kamloops, Marvin Kwiatkowski, now says they’ve been able to revise that earlier projection.
“What we’re seeing, and if you’ve been observing the reports going to council, there’s been a pretty good, strong uptick in rezonings and development permits,” noted Kwiatkowski. “Seeing just kind of what’s in the queue and what’s been coming to council, and the interest in the community, I’m feeling a little more optimistic here that we may have a good chance of meetings our targets in the next few years.”
Kwiatkowski is attributing this to the overall demand for new housing in Kamloops, as well as new zoning changes.
“We’re going to see a lot more smaller projects,” suggested Kwiatkowski. “People are looking at their properties, they’re looking to purchase a property and potentially put four units on.”
Changes to zoning regulations demanded by the BC government include allowing up to four units to be built on a single-family lot, as well as increased density around transit hubs.
Under provincial decree, Kamloops has to create 4,236 new housing units by September 30, 2028.
That is 1,412 units short of what the BC government projects Kamloops needs to keep up with housing demand as the population continues to grow over the coming 5 years.