Chilliwack City Council Pauses Townhouse Rezoning to Address Neighbourhood Density Concerns

CHILLIWACK, BC — Chilliwack City Council voted 4–2 Wednesday to pause a proposed multi-family rezoning bylaw, referring the application for a 10-townhouse development on Collins Drive back to municipal planning staff for detailed traffic and neighbourhood character reviews.

Infill Densification and Provincial Housing Mandates

The rezoning proposal sought to transition a single-detached residential lot at 45925 Collins Drive into a multi-unit townhouse zone under the city's Official Community Plan infill designations and provincial small-scale multi-unit housing frameworks (Bill 44). While city planners recommended approval subject to storm-drainage covenants, neighbouring property owners submitted extensive petitions raising concerns regarding on-street parking congestion, narrow lane ingress, and tree canopy loss.

Councillors supporting the referral noted that while provincial legislation encourages multi-unit densification, municipal councils retain authority to ensure transition setbacks and site-specific infrastructure capacity are adequately addressed.

Developer and Community Dialogue

Dissenting councillors argued that referring compliant infill applications creates unnecessary delays for housing construction and increases development financing carrying costs amid an acute Fraser Valley housing shortage.

Planning staff were instructed to facilitate a structured technical workshop between the developer and adjacent residents to explore building massing alterations, internal parking configurations, and enhanced perimeter landscaping.

Timeline for Staff Resubmission

Municipal planning staff are scheduled to present revised site design options and traffic mitigation plans to council during the October 6, 2026, regular council meeting.