Community Amenity Contribution Policy Review

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The District of Squamish is reviewing and updating the Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) policy. The policy was last reviewed in 2018. As market conditions change, it is important to review the policy. These changes will guide how the District collects CACs from new developments going forward.


A survey was open from June 8-30, 2022 to collect feedback on these proposed changes. The results from the survey are available here and were presented to Council on October 11, 2022. Click here to view the recording of the meeting.

A summary of what we heard is available here.


What Are CACs:

CACs are cash or in-kind contributions that developers provide to help address community needs that result from population growth.

The District negotiates CACs as part of new development applications (rezoning applications and OCP Bylaw amendments only). CACs help pay for some of the costs associated with population growth that don't have funding through other legislated fees. Some examples of what CACs can fund include recreational facilities and publicly owned affordable housing. Generally, CACs are calculated based on the size of residential development being proposed, with larger developments providing a larger contribution. CACs do not fund infrastructure improvements for a development. Instead, they are meant to help address community needs that result from population growth over and above infrastructure demands.

CACs are different from Development Cost Charges (DCCs). DCCs are charged to new developments to cover the costs of upgrades offsite from the development, such as waste water treatment facilities or new water mains.

Current CAC Policy:

The current CAC policy was created in 2015 and has gone through one major review since then. The current policy directs CACs for new developments as follows:

  • Smaller Rezonings (less than 50 dwelling units): Pay cash in lieu of $15/ft². These funds are directed towards critical facilities, child care facilities, and affordable housing.
  • Larger Rezonings (greater than 50 dwelling units): Make either a financial contribution of $21/ft² of new residential space or ensure that 10% of all units in the new development are affordable rental housing, plus a cash contribution of $6/ft².
  • The current policy also has provisions for cash in lieu contributions of $1.00 per square foot for active transportation amenities and $0.50 per square foot for park amenities (or equivalent construction of park and transportation amenities).
  • In the current policy, market rental housing is also subject to lower CAC targets of $5/ft².


The District of Squamish is reviewing and updating the Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) policy. The policy was last reviewed in 2018. As market conditions change, it is important to review the policy. These changes will guide how the District collects CACs from new developments going forward.


A survey was open from June 8-30, 2022 to collect feedback on these proposed changes. The results from the survey are available here and were presented to Council on October 11, 2022. Click here to view the recording of the meeting.

A summary of what we heard is available here.


What Are CACs:

CACs are cash or in-kind contributions that developers provide to help address community needs that result from population growth.

The District negotiates CACs as part of new development applications (rezoning applications and OCP Bylaw amendments only). CACs help pay for some of the costs associated with population growth that don't have funding through other legislated fees. Some examples of what CACs can fund include recreational facilities and publicly owned affordable housing. Generally, CACs are calculated based on the size of residential development being proposed, with larger developments providing a larger contribution. CACs do not fund infrastructure improvements for a development. Instead, they are meant to help address community needs that result from population growth over and above infrastructure demands.

CACs are different from Development Cost Charges (DCCs). DCCs are charged to new developments to cover the costs of upgrades offsite from the development, such as waste water treatment facilities or new water mains.

Current CAC Policy:

The current CAC policy was created in 2015 and has gone through one major review since then. The current policy directs CACs for new developments as follows:

  • Smaller Rezonings (less than 50 dwelling units): Pay cash in lieu of $15/ft². These funds are directed towards critical facilities, child care facilities, and affordable housing.
  • Larger Rezonings (greater than 50 dwelling units): Make either a financial contribution of $21/ft² of new residential space or ensure that 10% of all units in the new development are affordable rental housing, plus a cash contribution of $6/ft².
  • The current policy also has provisions for cash in lieu contributions of $1.00 per square foot for active transportation amenities and $0.50 per square foot for park amenities (or equivalent construction of park and transportation amenities).
  • In the current policy, market rental housing is also subject to lower CAC targets of $5/ft².
  • Proposed Changes in the 2022 Policy Review

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    1. Discontinue rate reductions (which drop the per ft² rate from $21 to $6) for developments that provide affordable housing units onsite.

    Affordable housing units that are built by private developments are generally privately owned and as a result are a source of income for the owner, while the construction is financed by banks. Developers should still aim to provide a certain percentage of units (10% to 15%) as affordable housing and and a similar amount as market rental. This approach would align the District’s approach with rates in Surrey and District of North Vancouver.

    2. Review the Affordable Housing onsite contribution target and determine whether it could be increased to 15% or 20%, and set an average minimum unit size.

    The current policy for affordable rental units is 10%. In practice, new developments are targeting 15%. Given that financing is generally available for developer-owned affordable units, 20% may be a feasible target to address a critical housing affordability situation in Squamish. 20% affordable rental housing is a common practice in Vancouver.

    An average minimum unit size for affordable units would help with consistency in affordable unit sizes.

    3. Reduce the threshold for when onsite affordable housing is recommended.

    The current threshold for when a development should include onsite affordable housing units is 50 units or more. This threshold could be potentially reduced to 20 units or more; however, in those cases a target of 10% may be more appropriate (rather than 15% or 20%), cash-in-lieu target rates would still apply.

    4. Create a target for some affordable housing units to be dedicated to the Housing Society.

    In larger developments, a smaller percentage of units could potentially be built and given to the Squamish Housing Society to own and operate.

    5. Squamish Community Housing Society should be given first right of refusal to manage developer’s affordable housing units.

    The recently established housing society will be able to manage affordable housing units. This should be reflected in the CAC policy with allowance for the Society to determine if they are able to manage the operation of the developer-owned affordable units for a fee.

    6. Account for land dedications with a flexible approach.

    Developments on large parcels may be able to provide land contributions as part of the CAC approach to fuel the District’s future affordable housing supply. The developer’s ability to supply land contributions depends on a number of factors such as the overall size of the development and the cost of land when it was acquired by the developer. Including this as an option for larger developments to be explored on a case-by-case basis through a site specific analysis may be possible.

    7. Set expectations of when the cash-in-lieu CACs are collected.

    Ideally, CACs should be collected at the adoption of the rezoning application as this is the moment when value is being created on the land through the rezoning process. However, in some cases the contribution may be substantial and developer may not have project financing secured at that point (usually at Development Permit stage). The issue of delaying the CACs to a later stage is changing market conditions. Sometimes the period between rezoning and DP issuance can be three or more years, which could result in a loss in value for the District of the CAC when it is received years after the rezoning. To ensure that the District can keep up with investments in community amenities, an interest rate could be set in the CAC policy for those developments that are not able to make the cash contribution at the time of adoption.

    8. Allow for adjustment of the set rate CAC targets so they can be adjusted every year if market conditions change dramatically.

    One of the issues with a set rate is the District’s capacity to review the policy on an annual basis. When market conditions change dramatically from year to year, the policy should allow some flexibility for staff to negotiate the applicable rate.

    9. Develop a criteria for large projects to be subject to a land lift analysis rather than a set rate.

    For larger projects, the use of a site-specific analysis could yield a better approach that is resilient to changing market conditions. In this case, the District would need to set a target for capturing a portion of land lift value (for example 50%) and then the District would either need to hire a land economist or retain an assessor to establish how the rezoning will impact the land value.

    10. Onsite child care facilities, when incorporated in mixed use developments, should come with affordable lease rates and be reserved for non-profit operators to ensure that child care rates are affordable.

    To formalize current practice, the CAC policy could aim that developments integrate on-site child care spaces. If a development exceeds the provision of space for children expected to require child care in a particular development, the additional space could be recognized as having community value.

    One of the issues affecting affordability of child care in Squamish is the lease rates for such facilities, particularly in newly-built spaces (lease rates of older buildings tend to be lower). A maximum affordable lease rate could be established to ensure that child care providers can afford the space. In such cases, and as per current practice, priority should be given to non-profit child care providers to maximize affordability of child care.

    Some of the affordable housing units could be allocated to child care workers. Where a development project proposes to physically provide affordable housing units and a child care facility as part of the amenity package, a portion of those affordable housing units would be allocated to early childhood educators.

Page last updated: 16 Jun 2023, 11:40 AM