Supporting housing that is suitable for families and children is one of the key housing policies in Victoria 2050, the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and a priority of the Victoria Housing Strategy. The following initiatives were created to help Victoria families overcome the difficulties of finding housing that meets their needs.
Family Housing Requirements
Zoning Bylaw 2018 (part 3, section 30. b-d) establishes minimum requirements for family-friendly units in all new residential buildings in the City. These zoning requirements aim to increase the availability of family homes and align with Victoria's family housing priorities to help meet the City's housing targets.
Family-Friendly Unit Requirements:
- Buildings of three storeys or less:
- At least 30 per cent of the dwelling units must have three or more bedrooms.
- Buildings greater than three storeys:
- At least 10 per cent of the dwelling units must have three bedrooms or more, and
- An additional 20 per cent of the dwelling units must have two bedrooms or more.
- All bedrooms must have at least one operable window to the outside that provides occupant-controlled access to daylight and air.
Applications with below-market homeownership units or a cash-in-lieu alternative may be entitled to reduce the minimum number of two-bedroom dwelling units to 15 per cent. See Schedule C – Density Benefits, Section B.
Assisted living facilities and affordable housing developments are exempted from these zoning requirements.
Rezoning and Development Policy
Family Housing (Section 7.2) sets higher two- and three-bedroom unit targets for large rezoning applications. Council evaluates relevant rezoning applications on a case-by-case basis.
Advisory Design Guidelines for Family-Friendly Homes and Spaces
The Advisory Design Guidelines for Family-Friendly Homes and Spaces offers best practices for family-friendly planning and design of residential buildings and spaces. A set of five overarching principles inform the guidelines:
- Living, growing, family-forming and aging in place: Provide a variety of homes in new residential development to enable growth and change in households over time. Design homes for flexible daily use as well as through various life stages.
- Places for intergenerational social interaction: Design common spaces to accommodate people of all ages, physical abilities, sexualities, gender identities, household or family structures and backgrounds.
- Inclusive design: Design common spaces to accommodate people of all ages, physical abilities, sexualities, gender identities, household or family structures and backgrounds.
- Different common spaces for a broad range of activities and play: Design family-friendly common spaces including areas for recreation and play to provide opportunities for different play styles and levels of social interaction. Approach the planning and design of common spaces with the assumption that that they can become places of play for children, adults and in some cases, pets.
- Design for livability: Provide a variety of homes designed for flexible daily use and for change over time. Ensure access to light and air throughout the day and year. Build with safe, durable and easy-to-clean building materials and components. Provide safe and easy-to-maintain planting. Enable storage for daily and seasonal needs.