Project Summary

Across Canada, municipalities are tasked with addressing the housing crisis, yet the solutions often get trapped in the meticulous details of seemingly mundane matters. The development approvals processes have become overly daunting due to inefficiencies. Innovative policies and long-term goals are frequently lost in the complex details of current planning and development approvals. By standardizing these routine details, planners can spend less time on tedious tasks and more time on innovative, groundbreaking projects. Streamlining these processes is crucial to meeting the housing needs and grand visions for the future and collaboration is the key to making it happen.

To help address this challenge, the Adaptable Development Approvals Process Toolkit (ADAPT) provides municipalities with a resource of best practices to streamline their development approvals processes. ADAPT was developed through comprehensive multi-method research by a team of students, academics, and private- and public-sector planners. The toolkit includes philosophical principles, detailed application guides, and recommendations for internal and external review processes. Recommendations emphasize the importance of promoting collaboration across the various sectors involved in development approvals to enhance transparency and efficiency.

Adaptable Development Approvals Process Toolkit (ADAPT)

The Adaptable Development Approvals Process Toolkit (ADAPT) is a UBCM-funded project that aims to address the challenges experienced by smaller British Columbia municipalities that lead to delays in development approval processes and suggests recommendations for an efficient and effective approval process.

The absence of a streamlined development approvals process results in process delays, a lack of process clarity for all players involved, and a lack of trust in the system, leading to an overall expression of frustration in the community.

ADAPT is a collaborative effort between the Town of Qualicum Beach, Westplan Consulting Group, Vancouver Island University’s Master of Community Planning Program, and the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute.

Project Summary

About the Project

Best Practices Toolkit

For questions and inquiries, please contact adapt@viu.ca.

Best Practices Toolkit

The components within the best practices toolkit are designed to improve the efficiency and structure of the application and review processes. From initial inquiries to the final decision-making, the following sections equip local governments and applicants with frameworks needed to ensure a functional, streamlined, and effective application and review process.

In addition to the links provided below, each toolkit component can be found in the website’s menu. The links will bring you to a page containing a brief description of the resource in addition to a downloadable link to the resource. Toolkit components intended to be adapted will be in Microsoft Word format (.docx) to ease their adaptability for local government staff. These resources are open-source for all to use and adapt to their organization’s preferences and needs.

Perspectives and Philosophies

The Perspectives and Philosophies section explores the core principles that ensure an efficient, fair, and successful development approvals process. It is designed to be a resource that shares the perspectives of those involved in development approvals process.

The components within the Process Best Practices are designed to improve the efficiency and structure of the application and review processes. From initial inquiries to the final decision-making, the components in this section equip local governments and applicants with frameworks needed to ensure a functional, streamlined, and effective application and review process.

Within this section, we explore the imperative of bridging gaps, fostering collaboration, and ensuring inclusive practices for more equitable and harmonious coexistence between local governments and First Nations communities.

This section provides an engagement framework that highlights key attributes of successful public engagement, and provides an engagement menu for project-specific strategies and templates for implementation.

The Required Studies section outlines the scopes and terms of reference for professional studies associated with a typical project.

From initial inquiries to the final decision-making, the Guide to Development Applications equips local governments and applicants with frameworks needed to ensure a functional, streamlined, and effective application and review process. This section is designed to be adapted by local governments to reflect their processes and realities.

The Application Forms and Checklists section offers a consolidated development application form, subdivision application form, and information sheets, all designed to be adaptable to the local government's preferences and needs. The information sheets provide additional guidance to applicants, helping ensure they include sufficient and appropriate information in their application.

To complement the recommended practices provided throughout the toolkit, the Website Content component provides local governments with easy-to-adapt and customizable content for their websites.

Process Best Practices

First Nations Consultations

Community Engagement Best Practices

Required Studies

Guide to Development Applications

Application Forms and Checklists

Website Content

About the Project

Introduction to the Toolkit

The toolkit is comprised of the following eight components:

Perspectives and Philosophies
Process Best Practices
First Nation Consultations
Community Engagement Best Practices
Required Studies
Guide to Development Applications
Application Forms and Checklist
Website Content

Methodology and Timeline

Each component of the toolkit is the result of comprehensive research, including review of existing literature and interviews with public, private, and Indigenous partners involved in development applications, that has led to the creation of informational guides and recommended best practices for a streamlined development approvals process. The development of the toolkit was an iterative process with continuous review and feedback from the partners involved. Furthermore, the project team was dedicated to seeking feedback from the greater developer community through workshops and presentations.

Highlights:

Analysis of development approvals processes of 11 small BC municipalities (<10,000 pop.);
3 Master of Community Planning graduate theses;
90-minute semi-structured interviews with 12 municipal planners, 13 private developers, 3 technical consultants, and 2 First Nations referral staff;
448 responses to the Qualicum Beach Community survey for perspectives on community engagement;
And ongoing analysis, peer review, and feedback with public and private sector partners.

Project Funders and Partners

Created in collaboration by:

Town of Qualicum Beach, Westplan Consulting, Vancouver Island University’s Master of Community Planning Program and the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute

Funded by:

Union of British Columbia Municipalities and additional funding through Mitacs

Thank you to our partners…