City of Nanaimo seeking feedback on pre-zoning land for social housing

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed February 23, 2026 10:00 AM

Summary

The City of Nanaimo is seeking input from the community on a proposal to pre-zone land within Urban Centre and Corridor Future Land Use Designations to incentivize the development of social housing. Social Housing costs less than regular market housing. This is housing for people from all walks of life in the community, like healthcare workers, teachers and delivery drivers. These are all examples of individuals and families who may not be able afford the current market rates in Nanaimo.

The purpose of the initiative is to remove a regulatory barrier to the development of social housing by eliminating the need for a rezoning. Social housing developments rely on securing external government funding to be viable and the time and cost to proceed through a rezoning can impact the viability of the development. Pre-zoning land is one approach to address this barrier. An overlay zone is proposed, which would allow, as-of-right, an increase in density and/or height where social housing is provided and a set of conditions are met. The overlay is proposed to be applied to 2,022 parcels, as shown on this interactive map.

A survey will be open from Feb. 23 to March 15, 2026, to collect feedback on the proposed initiative. The survey, a FAQ page and find additional information can be accessed on the Pre-Zoning for Social Housing page on Get Invovled Nanaimo. here:

Link to Strategic Plan: Public engagement for this project supports Council’s priority to engage with our community and stakeholders to ensure we are responsive to their needs and concerns.

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