Community Acceptance Toolkit Guide – Local Government

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Community  
Acceptance of  
Non-Market Housing 
TOOLKIT
Guide 1  
Building Partnerships  
with Local Government  
The local government development approval process can be complex and time-consuming. 
Often the approval processes vary throughout the province, so non-profit housing providers 
are encouraged to source relevant information for the particular community they are working 
in. For rezoning applications, local politicians (mayors and councils/boards) are the ultimate 
decision makers while local government staff offer advice on planning approvals. 
This guide summarizes: 
 ›Importance of understanding the role of local governments in the community acceptance of 
non-market housing. 
 ›How local governments set and communicate local housing objectives. 
 ›Strategies to gain local government support for non-market housing proposals.
 ›How non-market housing supporters can demonstrate community acceptance to local 
governments.
Apple Valley, Kelowna
Purpose 
The purpose of this guide is 
to assist non-profit housing 
providers in building better 
partnerships with local gov-
ernments to improve project 
outcomes and promote more 
inclusive neighbourhoods.   
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Guide 1 forms part of the 
Community Acceptance of 
Non-Market Housing Toolkit, 
a series of five guides.  
For more information on  
the Toolkit, go to the  
Research Centre Library  
at www.bchousing.org.

2
COMMUNITY ACCEPTANCE OF NON-MARKET HOUSING TOOLKIT
Guide 1: Building Partnerships with Local Governement
Importance of Understanding the Role 
of Local Governments in the Community 
Acceptance of Non-Market Housing
Local governments (municipalities and regional districts) play a critical role 
in the delivery of housing. Without their support and approvals as needed, a 
proposed non-market housing project might not move forward or could be 
slowed down.
Local governments have two different roles when it comes to non-market 
housing development:
1)   Land use planning regulator: As governed by the Local Government 
Act (or the Vancouver Charter), local governments are regulators of land 
use planning. In this role, they are a neutral actor enforcing the land 
use planning regulations. (The Local Government Act can be found here: 
http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/lc/statreg/r15001_14). 
2)   Partner in non-market housing development: In some cases, local 
govern ments may choose to be a partner in a non-market housing 
development. Local governments may be involved in the oversight of 
non-market housing through housing agreements. They may donate, 
sell, or lease land to non-profit housing providers or provide capital 
grants. Larger local governments often have a dedicated housing  
planner or even a corporation responsible for these functions.
Non-profit housing providers need to show local government that the  
community is accepting of their proposed non-market housing, as local 
governments have an obligation to their constituents. De

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