Single-family zoning is gone..!

British Columbia just got rid of single-family zoning! Is that permission to start small intentional communities?

Zoning is the biggest problem I see in starting something like a cooperative permaculture farm. Farmable land is typically not zoned for multiple families to live on. Land is too expensive for one family to afford, and sustainable living is a lot of work.

But if 4 families could go in on land and share the development of a permaculture project, all of a sudden the dream is much more achievable.

California got rid of its single-family zoning a few years ago. Has anyone heard of communal land purchases taking advantage of the change?

Is anyone else excited by what this could mean for intentional living?

Jeff Steele wrote:British Columbia just got rid of single-family zoning!

What does this mean if you want to build a single family home? Is that just not possible in BC now?

What I am seeing locally is the acceptance of ADU's (accessory dwelling unit) being allowed to address housing shortages. The structure has to be no more than 800 sq ft not including a garage. System Development Charges are reduced by 50% which can be substantial. My local municipality does not allow Air BnB rentals so the ADU's are for habitation.

Single-family zoning limits properties from having more than one home. BC just did away with that limitation for "all municipalities with more than 5,000 residents". One can still build a single-family home. But with this change, one can now build 4 to 6 homes on one piece of property.

Local governments like Vancouver have been allowing ADUs for some years now. This law is at the provincial level and allows for much more change.

If you're considering issues like sewage and water limitations, road congestion, parking, and local autonomy, you're probably thinking about it more than the knuckleheads who passed this law. But here's the part I'm focusing on…

Most of the 10+ acre properties for sale in BC allow only one home with one family living in it. You could ask the government to rezone and probably get away with people living in mobile homes, but it's not guaranteed or worth risking your life savings.

So pooling your resources with others to afford land you can all live on is not so straightforward.

An ecovillage on Vancouver Island took a decade of lobbying politicians to get permission to live together. Another had members in the planning department and it still took years.

All of a sudden, all the dots on the BC real estate map are zoned for 4 families..!? A guarantee that several families can live on a single piece of property could be a game changer for those who want to live self-sufficiently.