|
WCEL
> Issues > Urban Growth and
Development > Smart Bylaws Guide > Part
1 > Urban Containment Boundaries >
Growth Caps
Smart Bylaws Guide – Urban Containment Boundaries – Growth Caps
In the early 1990's, the Resort Municipality of Whistler
established a ceiling on the number of approved bed units to be
developed (see definition of "bed unit"). The purpose was
to allow the municipality an opportunity to assess the impacts of
current development. The community had considerable remaining
approved capacity for all forms of development under current OCP and
zoning designations (around 20% in most of the municipality at that
time), and residents expressed concern about the rate of growth. The
average annual growth rate in Whistler between 1976 and 2001 was 12
percent, with a permanent population of 10,000 residents and
approved bed unit capacity of just over 50,000.
Issues such as lack of employee housing and loss of environmental
features encouraged Council to limit new development capacity until
the effects of existing approved growth are known. Even under a low
growth scenario, most of the existing development capacity will be
built out in the next five years. Because of existing zoning and
approved projects that are not yet built, Whistler has the
opportunity to analyze the effects of growth on the natural
environment, community, and resort without impacting on the rate of
development.
The total number of developed bed units at the end of 2001 was
47,657, including employee housing. During 2001, the number of
developed bed units increased by approximately 3 percent, which is
slightly lower than the 5 percent annual average growth rate
experienced over the last 10 years. Within the total number of
committed bed units, 50,706 (excluding dedicated employee housing)
82.3 percent of single family bed units, 94.8 percent of the
multi-family bed units and 90 percent of duplex bed units have been
developed. Of the 4,326 committed dedicated employee housing bed
units 76.5 percent have been constructed with 1017 committed but
un-built bed units remaining. If past growth trends are used as an
indicator of future growth (if a 3 percent growth rate is used based
on 2001 totals), it is possible to predict that build-out of
undeveloped bed units will occur at the end of 2005.
Whistler Resort Community Monitoring Report, 2001 (p.2) |
For More Information
Whistler Official Community Plan Policies
Melissa Laidlaw, Planning Analyst - (604) 935-8167,
mlaidlaw@whistler.ca
|
