Patrick Penner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tri-Cities Dispatch

Developers building in Port Moody will now be forced to meet BC Housing’s 2026 guidelines for minimum units sizes.

Council unanimously endorsed a major update to its Social Well-being Design Guidelines on Feb. 17, strengthening its family friendly units policy.

Most of the discussion, which led to several significant amendments, focused on whether the city should rely on voluntary recommendations or impose hard requirements.

Coun. Callan Morrison said that not imposing these standards would be a “huge miss.”

“I respect and I’m not blind to the fact that things are tough for development in the Lower Mainland and across Canada,” he said. “We need to ensure that the unit sizes being delivered are meeting the needs of our community, units that are not just survivable, but thrivable.”

The move builds on the city’s 2022 Housing Action Plan, which called for establishing minimum unit sizes to improve livability.

Under the new guidelines, incentives for developers are largely tied to flexibility regarding density, height or setbacks, sustainability reports, and support for rezoning.

But staff stopped short of recommending minimum unit sizes be required.

As part of the update, staff analyzed six recent Port Moody developments, comparing unit sizes against BC Housing minimums. The study found that, on average, recent local projects were already exceeding provincial benchmarks.

They warned that municipalities that impose mandatory minimums often receive units built only to the bare minimum, and nothing beyond it.

Shift from recommendation to requirement

While a majority of council agreed the city needed to be flexible, they said relying on voluntary guidance would be insufficient.

One recent application to council, Anthem Properties’ 26-storey project in Moody Centre, had unit sizes well below BC Housing minimum size guidelines.

Coun. Haven Lurbiecki noted that Port Moody is not building anywhere close to the unit distribution targets set out in the 2022 Housing Action Plan.

She pointed to the most recent report to the province regarding housing targets, showing that  while 8,547 units have been approved, 4,920 have been studio or one bedroom units.

“We know what happens when we have policies without requirements,” Lurbiecki said.

Morrison, who first brought forward a minimum unit sizes motion in 2023, introduced an amendment to require BC Housing’s minimum guidance.

“We cannot have a vision statement striving for the most livable city in the world and not at least hit the bare minimum on BC Housing when it comes to livability inside,” he said.

Coun. Amy Lubik backed the move, citing concern that worsening market conditions could drive smaller units. 

She further amended the motion to specify that projects must meet BC Housing’s 2026 minimum unit size standards, protecting against future reductions.

“I really appreciate where staff’s recommendation came from, but I am concerned that with the market going the way it is, that we will see more small units,” Lubik said.

Both motions passed unanimously. 

Coun. Diana Dilworth said she respected the “nuanced balance” of the updated guidelines, emphasised the need to remain flexible.

She warned that other municipalities which had been overly aggressive with their minimum requirements had harmed affordability.

Based on research from other municipalities, staff had suggested setting requirements could lead to developers to shrink away from offering unit sizes above that threshold. However, much of that evidence was anecdotal.

Coun. Samantha Agtarap noted each municipality would have different contexts, incentives and policies that may influence what was offered through development.

She argued that setting minimum bedroom percentages but not minimum sizes was inconsistent.

“By the logic that, we should not have a minimum number of bedrooms because we might get something smaller,” Agtarap said. “I think we’re over complicating it.” 

Rental vs. strata alignment

Council also addressed discrepancies between rental and strata unit mix requirements.

Under the city’s current Family-Friendly Units Policy, developers were allowed to provide five percent fewer two and three-bedroom units in low-rise rental projects. Staff noted the lower requirements were originally intended to protect affordability and pro formas.

Agtarap said that with home ownership becoming harder to attain for many residents, there should not be a difference.

Lubik agreed, and introduced another amendment to align rental composition requirements with strata percentages.

“We know that we need more two and three bedrooms,” she said. “Rental is becoming more of a long-term housing option.”

Bylaw needed?

Lurbiecki pushed to further entrench the unit size requirements, introducing a motion directing staff to report back on the feasibility of embedding the minimum size requirements in a bylaw – which would carry greater legal weight than a policy.

Staff cautioned that bylaws reduce flexibility and could create compliance challenges for projects already designed under previous standards.

Though some councillors were cautious about introducing more stringent requirements, the motion to explore bylaw options was unanimously approved. 

Dilworth said she had “trepidation” and asked staff for an analysis of other municipalities.

She echoed the concerns over flexibility, stating council needs to be able to consider trade offs for potential amenities. 

“The residential home building sector is really in a situation of flux and uncertainty,” Dilworth said. “We may be throwing up barriers to builders that want to bring something forward, but they can’t make pro formas work, cannot get financing or will then be building unaffordable units.”

Mayor Meghan Lahti further asked staff to examine which portions of the policy might lend themselves to bylaws and which should remain flexible.

In a final amendment, Lahti moved to exempt projects already in the approvals pipeline from the new requirements. It passed unanimously.

Beyond units sizes

Beyond minimum unit sizes, the new guidelines introduce a range of design expectations intended to make multi-family housing more livable for families and residents of all ages.

The focus is on how homes function. 

Guidelines promote adaptable layouts that support aging in place, improved in-suite and shared storage, lock-off suites for flexibility, better soundproofing, and balconies or patios that are large and usable enough to serve as extensions of living space.

At the building level, the guidelines emphasize family-oriented design through shared courtyards, rooftop amenity areas, and direct access from larger units to outdoor spaces.

They also call for accessible entrances, universal washrooms, weather protection, and design features that balance social connection with privacy.

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