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Council approves zoning bylaw amendment focusing on seniors housing needs

The City of Fort St. John will amend a zoning bylaw to allow more housing to assist mainly the senior population.

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City Hall in Fort St. John. A large
The City of Fort St. John will amend a zoning bylaw. (Energeticcity.ca)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John will amend a zoning bylaw to allow more housing to assist mainly the senior population.

Council approved the amendment to the bylaw after a public hearing on Monday.

The amendment will allow assisted living, senior independent living, seniors care facilities, senior housing, seniors lifestyle building, supportive living and respite housing in institutional zones. 

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Previously, institutional zones only included housing in community care and assisted living facilities, such as Peace Villa.

According to a report, there are currently 40 properties zoned Institutional, and approximately 20 of those could support additional housing developments.

The zoning amendment will reportedly partially allow the city to implement recommendations from its Housing Strategy developed in 2020 to assist in meeting housing gaps for residents, specifically seniors, people with disabilities and Indigenous peoples.

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The housing strategy included the following needs for housing units to address the long wait lists:

  • People with disabilities: 380 units by 2025, 1678 units by 2040
  • Senior housing: 542 units by 2025, 1699 units by 2040
  • Indigenous peoples: 110 units by 2025, 410 units by 2040

The public hearing agenda can be viewed below:

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Authors

Shailynn has been writing since she was 7 years old but started her journey as a journalist about a year ago. Shailynn was born and raised in Fort St. John, and she plays video games during the week and D&D on the weekends. More by Shailynn Foster

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