Sidney council believes provincial housing targets will be met by 2029

During this week’s council meeting, staff presented an update on the Town of Sidney’s progress regarding the Province’s five-year housing target order. 

Sidney was a part of the second group of municipalities targeted by the BC government due to a lack of housing supply. 

The Province singled Sidney out in July 2024, and assigned the Town a five-year goal of building 468 net new housing units by June 30th, 2029. 

In the first year of this housing target order, the Town built 90 net new homes. 

By the end of the second year, which ended on June 30th, 2026, the Town needed to have built 181 cumulative net new homes, but only managed to build 99. 

Despite the lack of progress in the second year, and being 82 homes shy of their target, Sidney Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith remains confident the Town will be able to meet their long-term goal of 468 homes. 

Over the past two years, Sidney council has approved a number of housing units that are expected to be built in the coming years. 

Some of the major developments that have been approved include:

• 2180 Beacon Avenue West – 140 housing units
• 9522 Lochside Drive – 97 housing units
• 2060 White Birch Road – 60 housing units
• 2114 & 2098 Beacon Avenue West and 2107 Jahn Place – 180 housing units
• 9895/9899 Seventh Street – 21 housing units

These projects alone total 498 new homes for the Town. 

“I am confident Sidney will achieve and exceed the Province’s five-year housing target,” said Mayor McNeil-Smith. 

“Over the past two years, Council has approved more than 500 housing units that are expected to be built in the coming years.”

The mayor added that development permit applications for another 118 units are currently under review and that the pace at which new homes are built is ultimately determined by developers and market conditions.

By June 30th, 2027, the Town of Sidney has a cumulative goal of 274 net new homes completed. 

Esquimalt, Central Saanich and Nanaimo were also given five-year housing targets alongside Sidney in group two of the housing target orders.