The Village of Anmore is updating its Official Community Plan (OCP) to reflect our latest Housing Needs Assessment report (2024), to comply with new provincial housing legislation and Metro Vancouver’s new Regional Growth Strategy, and to better reflect how the existing plan is being applied in practice. This process will help plan for future housing needs while maintaining Anmore’s unique character.
The proposed changes are minor or necessary to reflect changes in policy and operating practices since our existing OCP was adopted in 2014. Planning for a new OCP is expected to begin in 2027 and will take approximately two years to complete.
Why We’re Updating the OCP
In late 2023, the Province of B.C. introduced new legislation that significantly changes how municipalities plan, consider and approve development in their communities. These changes are intended to increase housing supply and improve affordability across the province.
In 2024, Anmore updated our Housing Needs Report. Additionally, our Regional Context Statement needs to be updated to align with Metro Vancouver’s 2023 Regional Growth Strategy.
Community Engagement
Community engagement to provide information about proposed Official Community Plan (OCP) updates and collect input for the proposed changes took place from January 15, 2026 to February 15, 2026.
Anmore shared the proposed OCP updates with the community, provided information related to why the updates are needed, addressed questions and concerns about the updates, and accepted feedback from interested and affected parties. Input received during community engagement has been considered within the context of existing policies, bylaws and obligations to senior levels of government. This engagement summary report reflects all feedback received as part of community engagement activities.
View the OCP Amendment Engagement Summary Report.
Understanding the New Housing Legislation
Bill 44: 2023 Housing Statutes (Residential Development) is designed to increase the amount of ground-oriented housing, such as:
- Secondary suites in single-family homes
- Detached accessory dwelling units (garden suites, coach houses)
- Triplexes, townhomes, and house-plexes
Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) regulations under the Local Government Act apply to municipalities based on their population size and whether they are located within an Urban Containment Boundary established by a regional growth strategy.
As required by this legislation, Anmore updated its Zoning Bylaw in mid-2024 to:
- Permit secondary suites in all residential zones outside the Urban Containment Boundary.
- Within the Urban Containment Boundary, permit:
- Up to 3 units on parcels smaller than 280 m²
- Up to 4 units on parcels larger than 280 m²
- Exempt parcels larger than 4,050 m² within the Urban Containment Boundary from SSMUH density requirements.
Bill 44 also introduced changes to shift long range planning to a more proactive approach. As such, municipalities must now update their Housing Needs Reports on a regular basis using a standard provincial methodology to ensure a consistent understanding of local housing needs over 5- and 20-year timeframes.
Municipalities were also required to complete Interim Housing Needs Reports by January 1, 2025. Anmore Council received its Interim Housing Needs Report in 2024, completing this requirement.
Metro 2050, the current Regional Growth Strategy, was adopted by the Metro Vancouver Board on February 24, 2023.
Under the Local Government Act, all member jurisdictions must prepare a Regional Context Statement (RCS) within two years of the strategy’s adoption. The RCS explains how each municipality’s Official Community Plan (OCP) aligns with the regional growth strategy.
Anmore’s RCS will be updated in conjunction with the Bill 44 amendments as part of this OCP update process.
How We’re Proceeding
With the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) zoning amendments and Interim Housing Needs Report complete, Anmore is now entering the next stage of the Official Community Plan (OCP) update.
Council directed staff on October 7, 2025, to begin aligning the OCP with new provincial requirements. Staff presented draft amendments to Council on December 2, 2025 for review and approval to commence community engagement in early 2026. Staff also determined that no further changes in the Zoning Bylaw are required at this time.
Use the toggles below to see what’s next and how the process will unfold.
Remaining steps as part of Anmore’s Official Community Plan (OCP) update process are:
- Recirculate revised OCP with red line changes to those who received the Section 475 referral.
- Statutory process to receive Council approval, including public hearing on April 21, 2026.
- Metro Board Approval of the Regional Context Statement (target date: Spring 2026).
Under the new legislation:
- By December 31, 2025 – municipalities must also update their Zoning Bylaws to align with their OCP and Housing Needs Report. Status: complete.
- By December 31, 2025 – municipalities must complete their first OCP update based on the Interim Housing Needs Report. Status: OCP update in progress; delayed and on target for completion in summer 2026).
- Going forward, municipalities must plan for housing needs on a regular basis, ensuring their OCPs and zoning remain consistent with updated housing data and provincial requirements.
On October 7, 2025, Council received a staff report outlining a high-level proposed approach to bring Anmore’s OCP into alignment with new provincial requirements and directed staff to begin the process. On December 2, 2025, Council reviewed the draft OCP amendments and approved to proceed with public engagement.
On January 29, 2026, the Village hosted a drop-in open house at the Anmore Community Hub to provide information and receive feedback. I appreciate the residents who attended and took the time to share their perspectives. That input has informed final revisions to the proposed amendments.
At the March 17, 2026 Council meeting, Council approved advancing the bylaw incorporating these updates to a Public Hearing scheduled for April 21, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
Read the staff reports (see Resources section of this page).
