By way of Bill 17, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, the
provincial government adopted several amendments to the Local Government Act on May 29, 2014.
These amendments were intended, amongst others, to allow modern
land use policies by phasing out any remaining land use
contracts[1] and to protect developers by "insulating"
in-stream rezoning and development permit applications from
increases in development cost charges[2].
Phasing Out Land Use Contracts
Many parcels of lands in British Columbia are subject to land
use contracts. Land use contracts were a common planning tool
used by local governments between 1972 and 1977. These were
contractual agreements between the land owner and a local
government that established the specific use and development
restrictions on parcels of land. The land use contracts were
filed in the Land Title Office. The provisions of the land
use contract superseded the relevant zoning bylaw as well as other
land use bylaws.
