Zoning Bylaw Rewrite

We're rewriting our Zoning Bylaw (ZB) to make it clearer and easier to use, streamline regulations, support and encourage economic growth, align with current policy documents (including the new Official Community Plan [OCP]), and better reflect community needs to support growth and development.

You can stay informed by subscribing to the project.

What is a Zoning Bylaw?
A Zoning Bylaw is a document required by the Yukon Municipal Act (the Act) that sets out regulations for land uses and development within a municipality.

The purpose of the City’s Zoning Bylaw is to:

Implement the policy direction provided in the City’s new OCP and other Council-approved plans and policies.
Organize the municipality into zones (ex. residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) and set out permitted uses for each zone.
Set standards for the height, appearance, size, and location of buildings.
Determine parking, signage, and landscaping design standards.
Guide the permit and rezoning process.

Why is a new Zoning Bylaw needed?
The current Zoning Bylaw was adopted in 2012, and although it has been updated periodically throughout its life, a new bylaw is required to help implement the new OCP and reflect changing community values since the 2012 bylaw was adopted. The Zoning Bylaw is being rewritten to make it clearer and easier to use, streamline regulations, support and encourage economic growth, align with the new OCP, and better reflect community needs to support growth and development.

How does the Zoning Bylaw rewrite impact me?
Zoning regulations shape our neighbourhoods. They regulate building heights, setbacks and the types of development allowed on a property, in a specific neighbourhood or zone. If you are planning to develop or change your existing property or its use after the new Zoning Bylaw has been approved, the new regulations will apply. If you are not planning to develop or alter your existing property, what currently exists on your property will not need to be altered to meet new regulations, provided it was allowed in the first place (ex. Your current shed may not meet the new regulations, but that’s ok, it can stay as-is. However, if you decide to alter it or build a new one, you will need to ensure it meets the new regulations).

What is the relationship between the OCP and Zoning Bylaw?
The Whitehorse 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP) guides the City as it grows over the coming decades. The plan establishes our objectives for growth and development. The Act mandates that the Zoning Bylaw needs to be updated within two years of adoption of the new OCP. The Zoning Bylaw uses the OCP planning framework to guide development.

You can stay informed by subscribing to the project.

What is a Zoning Bylaw?
A Zoning Bylaw is a document required by the Yukon Municipal Act (the Act) that sets out regulations for land uses and development within a municipality.

The purpose of the City’s Zoning Bylaw is to:

Implement the policy direction provided in the City’s new OCP and other Council-approved plans and policies.
Organize the municipality into zones (ex. residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) and set out permitted uses for each zone.
Set standards for the height, appearance, size, and location of buildings.
Determine parking, signage, and landscaping design standards.
Guide the permit and rezoning process.

Design Workshops: Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing

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Local builders, developers, and property owners are invited to participate in a Small-Scale Multi-Unit Development Design Workshop hosted by the City of Whitehorse and Kobayashi + Zedda Architects.
Developer Workshop
Date: Monday, January 20
Time: 8 am to 12 pm
Location: Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre – Lu Zil Män / Multi-Purpose Room (1171 1st Avenue)
Register Here
General Public Workshop
Date: Tuesday, January 28
Time: 5 pm to 9 pm
Location: Baked Café (100 Main Street)
Register Here
In April 2024, Council adopted Bylaw 2024-16, a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw to enable a wider range of opportunities for residential development within the City’s neighbourhoods. This included permitting up to four units per lot on all urban residential lots.
The workshops are an opportunity for builders and property owners to learn more about these changes, and design considerations, and workshop a small-scale multi-unit housing design with local architects and City staff. Attendees will be able to workshop their own designs and plans, with the local architects and City staff available to assist and answer questions. Attendees will also have the option of working on a sample design. To have materials prepared for your design, please submit the materials you have here one week before the date you wish to attend.
Kobayashi + Zedda architects will be facilitating the workshops and will lead a presentation on considerations for the development of small-scale multi-unit housing in Whitehorse and facilitate the following workshop.
The General Public workshop is intended for individuals interested in developing dwelling units on their own property.
The Developer Workshop is intended for businesses and organizations who undertake development as a profession, including: builders, land developers, governments, non-profit organizations, and development professionals (e.g. architects, designers, etc.).
Light refreshments will be provided. Attendance is limited, please register in advance to secure your attendance.
To host these workshops, The City of Whitehorse received financing from CMHC, however, the views expressed are the personal views of the author and CMHC accepts no responsibility for them.
Webinar Recordings & Slide Deck: Guide for Developing Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing

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Thank you to those who were able to attend the webinar(s) for a Guide for Developing Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing. Please take a few minutes to complete our exit survey and let us know to what degree the webinar was useful for you. We would also appreciate feedback on the topics covered, and if you would like any future events and materials to cover additional topics or certain topics in more depth.
Exit Survey Link
If you were not able to attend or would like to review the webinar, the webinar recordings and slide deck are available at the links below and on the left of this page under Documents and Videos.
Webinar Slide Deck
Webinar General Public
Webinar Professional Developers
If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback directly, please email planning@whitehorse.ca
Guide for Developing Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing

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The City has published a Guide for Developing Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing. The guide is intended to communicate the new zoning changes for anyone interested in adding additional dwelling units to an urban residential lot.
This guide is also intended to highlight various site and building design considerations that must be addressed when developing up to four dwelling units on an urban residential lot.
This is a living document and will be updated as new regulations come into effect. Notably, a new Zoning Bylaw will come into effect in 2025. The names of zones may change and/or some zones may consolidate into one zone. Development regulations may also undergo further changes
Webinars: A Guide for Developing Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing

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CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

In April 2024, Council adopted Bylaw 2024-16, a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw to enable a wider range of opportunities for residential development within the City’s neighbourhoods.
To promote these changes and assist prospective developers with the implementation of these new regulations, the City staff will present a Guide for Developing Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing.
The guide will include a summary of the new zoning regulations, design considerations for implementation, such as development regulations, building code and engineering regulations, fees and charges, potential unit configurations and resources available to assist developers.
City staff will give a presentation summarizing the contents of the document and be available for questions and comments after the presentation
General Public Webinar
Monday, November 25: 12 to 1:30 pm
Registration Link

Professional Developers Webinar
Thursday, November 28: 12 to 1:30 pm
Registration Link

Anyone is welcome to attend either or both webinars. The Professional Developers webinar will be geared towards individuals and companies currently working in the development industry. As such, the attendee's knowledge of certain development regulations may be assumed by presenters.
The General Public webinar will be geared towards individuals who have never undertaken a major development project (for example, developing a dwelling unit).
Each webinar will be recorded, and recordings will be made available to the public as soon as possible.
STR Update: Engagement Summary Report Now Available

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Thank you to everyone who participated in engagement on Short-Term Rentals (STRs) we conducted in August and September. We are excited to release the Engagement Summary Report which summarizes the input we received from over 1900 survey responses and 10 stakeholder interviews. Feedback provided through this engagement along with best practices research and a technical review will inform the development of recommendations for a potential regulations to manage STRs in Whitehorse.
Short-Term Rental Survey (Closed)

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The survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who completed the survey – we received over 1900 responses!
We are now preparing a What We Heard report summarizing the input received through the survey. The results will be provided later in October.
Your feedback, along with interested party feedback and best practices data, will be used to inform the draft Zoning Bylaw, including any proposed new short-term rental regulations. The draft bylaw will then be presented in late 2024/early 2025, for public and interested party feedback, to help the City finalize the bylaw for Council review and approval.
Take our Short-Term Rental Survey (Closed)

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With the rise of Short-Term Rentals (STRs) in Whitehorse, concerns about potential impacts to long-term housing access grow. The City is reviewing opportunities and challenges presented by STRs in our community. The City is also reviewing legislation, best practices, and lessons learned from other communities to understand how best to manage STRs in Whitehorse. This could involve developing regulations around how and where STRs can operate in the community.
STRs are generally defined as rental units or rooms in a house rented out by owners for a short period, typically 30 days or less. STRs include rental units or spaces that are often listed online on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. They are managed by owners or by a local rental management company. STRs differ from traditional bed and breakfasts, because there are currently no requirements for the owner or operator to live on site. As well, entire homes with kitchen facilities (vs individual rooms only) can be rented out.
Earlier this year, the City’s Housing and Land Development Advisory Committee submitted a report to Council recommending several STRs management approaches. The report included developing specific use regulations, developing definitions for different types of STRs, where in the city they would be allowed, and requirements for business licenses. This survey is an opportunity to provide input on the recommendations and share additional ideas.

As any new regulatory approach will likely involve changes to the Zoning Bylaw, this review is being completed concurrently with the Zoning Bylaw Rewrite project.

Tell us what you think!

The City wants to better understand your experiences related to Short Term Rentals (STR) in Whitehorse. We’re inviting residents, STR operators, local employers and tourism operators to take our survey.

Access the survey HERE.

The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. If you have any questions or concerns, or require accommodation to complete this survey, please reach out to the project leads listed on this page or planning@whitehorse.ca.

The survey will be open until September 2, 2024.
Housing Amendments Adopted

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At their regular meeting on Monday, April 22, 2024, Council adopted Bylaw 2024-16, a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw to enable a wider range of opportunities for residential development. The new regulations are summarized as follows:
1. Allow up to four (4) units per lot in all urban ‘single detached’ residential zones;
2. Relax site coverage and setbacks in some zones where additional units are provided;
3. Relax living and garden suite regulations to allow them in more places:
  - Allow suites in RR zone
  - Allow suites in duplex, triplex, and townhouse housing
  - Allow two suites on any lot where suites are allowed
4. Enable more units in RCM – Comprehensive Residential Multiple Family and RCM3 – Cottage Cluster Homes zones; and
5. Relax some parking regulations:
  - Eliminate visitor parking and loading space requirements for multiple housing in commercial zones
  - Reduce parking requirements for living/garden suites
These amendments will be incorporated into a new consolidation of the Zoning Bylaw, to be released shortly. We will also be updating our application forms and handouts in the coming weeks.
You can read our guide to the new regulations here.
Public Hearing Report now available

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A copy of the Public Hearing Report is now available. Read it here.
Initial Round of Housing Amendments

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On February 26, 2024, City Council gave first reading to a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw that, if adopted, will enable more housing to be developed throughout Whitehorse. The proposed amendments include:
1. Allow up to four (4) units per lot in all urban ‘single detached’ residential zones;
2. Relax site coverage and setbacks in some zones where additional units are provided;
3. Relax living and garden suite regulations to allow them in more places:
  - Allow suites in RR zone
  - Allow suites in duplex, triplex, and townhouse housing
  - Allow two suites on any lot where suites are allowed
4. Enable more units in RCM – Comprehensive Residential Multiple Family and RCM3 – Cottage Cluster Homes zones; and
5. Relax some parking regulations:
  - Eliminate visitor parking and loading space requirements for multiple housing in commercial zones
  - Reduce parking requirements for living/garden suites
A public hearing was held on March 25, 2024. The public hearing is now closed, and no further input on this bylaw can be submitted to Council. City staff presented a Public Hearing Report to Council on April 15, 2024. Council will make a decision on the proposed amendments April 22, 2024.
For additional details on what these proposed amendments mean, please review our Guide to Proposed Changes.
Still have questions? Ask a question right here in our Zoning Questions Corner, so others can see as well.