WCEL > Issues > Urban Growth and Development > Smart Bylaws Guide > Part 1 > Urban Containment Boundaries > Growth Caps > Zoning & Service or Infrastructure Limits

Smart Bylaws Guide – Urban Containment Boundaries – Zoning & Service or Infrastructure Limits

Zoning and servicing or infrastructure limits delineate where urban-type development will occur. In addition to zoning and geographical limitations, development of property that is not serviced is constrained by septic and water requirements, usually requiring larger lot sizes and rural-type development. 

Regional

Several regional districts have incorporated UCBs as part of their regional growth strategies. Key to these strategies are using existing urban land more fully and designating development areas for future growth. Member municipalities are expected to adopt infrastructure servicing limits as part of the regional context statements in their OCPs. 

Greater Vancouver Regional District

The Greater Vancouver Regional District's (GVRD) Livable Region Strategic Plan incorporates a Green Zone of non-urban lands that act as an UCB for the region. Member municipalities nominated the Green Zone lands, and maintain them as non-urban lands in their OCP's, zoning and servicing limits. In 2002, the GVRD Board denied a municipal application for a sewer extension into the Green Zone in Delta. 

Capital Regional District

The Capital Regional District Regional Growth Strategy establishes a regional urban containment and servicing policy area with the goal of locating a minimum of 90 percent of the region's cumulative new dwelling units within the UCB to 2026. 

Municipal

Many municipalities will not extend servicing and maintain large lot zoning to protect working landscapes and direct development to already-serviced areas. The District of Highlands will not approve any extensions to existing water or sewage infrastructure. All new developments must be able to address water and sewage requirements on site. As most properties rely on wells and septic systems, this effectively limits substantial growth to the southern end of the municipality that is closest to urbanized areas.

The District of North Vancouver has placed elevation contour limits on all extensions of water infrastructure. The District will not extend servicing beyond 320 to 350 metres. The District also rezoned significant tracts of land slated for residential development to the Parks, Recreation and Open Space zones. Committed to not developing any new municipal land, more than 65% of the District (over 10,000 hectares) is now land that is forested and in a natural state.

The City of Kelowna has identified, and will not support applications in, several areas deemed not suitable for development before 2013. It rezoned these lands as 4 hectare (10 acre) rural, and encourages more intensive development in urban areas through many OCP policies and zoning.

See also Nanaimo's infrastructure limits and zoning.