FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Prince George, B.C. – The City of Prince George is making strides in its goal to improve the local housing supply, support infill development, and meet the province’s housing target order (HTO) under the Housing Supply Act.
Housing target exceeded
At Monday’s council meeting, a report announced that the City achieved 125% of its year two HTO goal, with 379 net new units completed between August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026. Net new units are defined as new units that have been issued final occupancy within the reporting period (399 units), minus housing units lost through demolition (20 units). That brings the total of net new units completed since August 1, 2024, to 663.
The HTO mandates the completion of at least 1,803 housing units in Prince George over five years ending on July 31, 2029. The HTO also provides guidance on unit size (number of bedrooms), tenure (rental or ownership), affordability (market or non-market), and supportive rental units. Year two building permit data shows the City’s completed units are largely aligned with these guidelines, particularly regarding tenure type and affordability.
Zoning bylaw update
At the same meeting, Council approved the final reading and adoption of several zoning bylaw amendments, which aim to make it easier to implement standardized plans and provincial small scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) legislation for property types that already allow residential development. These changes aim to shorten design and permitting timelines, improve certainty for builders and property owners, and reduce municipal workloads without compromising regulatory oversight or building quality.
The amendments focus on three general areas:
- Increasing allowable building heights (from 2.5 storeys to 3 storeys in residential zones).
- Adding regulations for secondary dwellings and separating them from accessory buildings and structures regulations (e.g., sheds, detached garages, etc.). The maximum size for secondary dwellings on property types that already allow secondary dwellings is now 100m2 of ground floor area.
- Reducing/removing parking requirements (from two spaces per dwelling to one space per dwelling for certain housing types and from one space to zero for secondary suites and secondary dwellings) and adding an exception for lots subject to SSMUH regulations so they may have a maximum of one off-street parking space located in a front or side yard.
At the August 17 meeting, council heard that AG, AF, AR1, AR2, and AR4 zones do not fall under SSMUH legislation but are included in this bylaw amendment to make it easier for property owners to use standardized plans for principal dwellings and/or secondary dwellings if they wish. These property types were already allowed single family dwellings, secondary dwellings, and secondary suites by the zoning bylaw before these changes were proposed. Housing regulations for these property types have not increased, the updated bylaw changes focus on increased building height, additional ground floor area for secondary dwellings, and parking reductions.
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Media contact:
Kendall Robertson, senior communications advisor
Mobile: 778-349-5393
Email: media@princegeorge.ca