Deep Dive: Wise Development
Point Form Summary
- Vernon needs more Vernon will continue to grow. Our responsibility is to guide that growth wisely.
- Developers build most of the homes and commercial spaces our community needs. They provide an important service and deserve clear rules, timely decisions and the opportunity to earn a fair return.
- New development should pay its fair share of the infrastructure and services it requires, including long-term maintenance and replacement costs.
- Sprawl is expensive and inefficient. Growth should make good use of existing roads, water and sewer systems, transit and community services.
- Vernon’s Official Community Plan should guide decisions. Exceptions should require a clear and meaningful public benefit.
- When a zoning change significantly increases a property’s value, it is reasonable for some of that added value to support needs such as affordable housing, parks or community facilities.
- We need more housing, but also more choices: rentals, townhomes, family-sized homes, attainable ownership, supportive housing and options for seniors.
- Protecting Vernon’s character does not mean resisting all change. Good development can strengthen neighbourhoods, support downtown businesses and create welcoming, connected places.
- Each proposal should be judged by whether it leaves Vernon stronger, more financially responsible and better able to meet the needs of its residents.homes, but we also need the right mix: rentals, attainable ownership, family-sized and accessible homes, co-operative and non-market housing, and homes where people can age in place.
Growth Is Coming. Let’s Make It Work for Vernon.
Vernon is growing. We see it in new neighbourhoods, apartment buildings, road construction and growing pressure on housing and services.
We cannot stop that growth—and I don’t think we should want to. New residents bring energy, skills, businesses and ideas. New housing options can give our children a better chance to build their lives here. Well-planned development can strengthen neighbourhoods, support local businesses and help create a more lively and welcoming downtown.
The question is not whether Vernon will grow. The question is how.
Development is necessary
Most of the homes and commercial buildings in Vernon have been built by private developers. They find the land, arrange financing, work through the approval process and take on significant risk. Without them, most of the housing our community needs would not be built.
Developers provide an important service, and it is reasonable for them to make a fair profit.
Developers are responsible for making their projects work. Council is responsible for considering how those projects affect the whole city—not only today, but decades from now.
These interests do not have to conflict. A development can be financially successful and serve the community. Clear plans, fair rules and timely decisions benefit everyone.
Development should pay its fair share
New development brings tax revenue, but it also creates costs. Roads, water and sewer lines, sidewalks, parks and emergency services must be provided and , over time, maintained and replaced. And new people add demand to existing services like recreation or policing.
Existing taxpayers should not be left paying for growth that creates a long-term financial burden.
That does not necessarily mean every development should pay every cost connected to it. Some infrastructure benefits new and existing residents. Those costs must be assessed and shared fairly.
We also need to look beyond what a project costs today. A developer may pay for a new road when a subdivision is built, but the City will be responsible for maintaining and eventually replacing it. A project that looks like a good deal at first can become expensive over its lifetime.
This is one reason sprawl should be avoided. Building close to existing roads, pipes, transit and services generally costs less than extending them farther and farther outward. It also protects natural and rural areas and makes walking, cycling and public transit more practical.
Growth should follow our plans
Vernon recently adopted a new Official Community Plan to guide growth through 2045. It is based on extensive public input and technical work. It calls for more housing choices, focused growth, environmental protection, better transportation options and cooperation with builders and developers.
Our plan should not prevent every new idea. Circumstances change, and sometimes a proposal may reveal an opportunity we had not considered.
But the OCP should not be ignored whenever someone wants to build something that does not fit. If a project requires a major change, Council should ask why the plan should be set aside, who will benefit, what the short and long-term costs will be and what the community will gain.
Owning land does not give someone the automatic right to build anything they want on it. At the same time, the City cannot impose whatever conditions it chooses. Council must follow provincial law, use fair processes and explain its decisions clearly.
When a public decision creates value
A zoning change can greatly increase the value of a property by allowing more homes, taller buildings or a more valuable use.
When the City grants those additional building rights, it is reasonable to ask whether some of the new value should help meet community needs. Depending on the circumstances, that could mean affordable housing, parks, community facilities or a contribution to a dedicated fund.
B.C. law gives municipalities tools to do this, but the expectations must be clear and supported by careful financial analysis. The goal is not to punish developers or take an unfair share of their profits. It is to create a fair exchange without making it impossible to build worthwhile projects.
The rules should be set out as clearly as possible before land is purchased and projects are designed. That gives developers more certainty and gives residents confidence that similar proposals will be treated fairly. A lack of predictability serves no one.
We need different kinds of homes
The Province has directed Vernon to complete 1,849 net new homes over five years. But the number of units is only part of the story.
We need apartments for people living alone, purpose-built rentals, townhomes for families, affordable and attainable paths to ownership, supportive and non-market housing, and homes that allow seniors to remain in their neighbourhoods.
Secondary suites, carriage houses, duplexes and other smaller-scale options can add housing while allowing established neighbourhoods to change gradually.
More supply matters. So do the type, location and cost of the homes being built. Adding homes that do not meet the needs or budgets of local people will not solve the problem.
Protecting character does not mean standing still
Protecting Vernon’s character does not mean freezing the city in time. Communities have always changed.
Character is shaped by how buildings fit into a street, whether trees and natural features are respected, whether public spaces feel welcoming, and whether people can easily walk to shops, parks and services.
Good development can strengthen that character. Poorly planned development will weaken it.
A healthier downtown, for example, needs more people living nearby, more customers supporting local businesses, welcoming streets and activity throughout the day. Thoughtful development can add energy and help people feel safer and more connected.
Finding the right balance
We should not assume that every development is good simply because it creates housing or investment. Neither should we automatically resist change.
Council should ask some basic questions:
- Does the proposal follow Vernon’s plans?
- Does it provide housing or services we need?
- Does it make good use of the infrastructure we already have?
- What will it cost taxpayers over its full lifetime?
- Does it contribute fairly to the services and amenities it requires?
- Does it protect important natural areas and consider wildfire, water and climate risks?
- Will it help create a place where people can live well?
- If it does not follow our plans, what clear public benefit justifies making an exception?
The best development is not simply the development that gets built. It is development that leaves Vernon stronger: more financially responsible, more welcoming, better connected and better able to meet the needs of the people who live here.
Growth is coming. Our responsibility is to shape it wisely.