Electoral Area B: Cortes – Zoning Bylaw Review
Notice of Board Consideration of Bylaw:
At its October 22nd 2025 Board meeting, the SRD Board will consider final reading and adoption of the proposed Cortes Island Zoning Bylaw, No. 598.
Thank you to the 140+ community members who attended the public hearing on September 8th 2025! Your feedback has been incorporated and will be presented to the Board.
View the Proposed Cortes Island Zoning Bylaw (No. 598) here:
For reference:
KEY PROPOSED CHANGES
In general terms, the zones have been updated to:
A) Remove those zones that were duplicate or too similar in nature or that attempted to regulate outside of the SRD’s jurisdiction including:
- New zone descriptive statements for all zones
- New AG-1 zone to clarify regulations within ALR lands
- Removed the inexistent TC-1A zone (ghost zone)
- Removed the duplicate TC-3 and CS-2 zones
- Removed the AC-2 and WC-1 zones which attempted to regulate outside SRD jurisdiction
- Revised TC-1 and TC-2 zones and new cap on Tourist Accommodation units in TC-2 (previously unlimited, introducing a limit was supported by the community)
- New AQ zones in alignment with local government jurisdictional authority
- Change zone of Whaletown Commons, Whale’s Rest Park, Hanks Beach Forest Conservation Park, and Siskin Forest Park to P-1.
- Change zone of Smelt Bay Park to AG-1 (as it is within the ALR) but will retain Park Use.
- Changed AQ-1 and AQ-2 to match current aquaculture license tenures.
B) Add density to the zones as supported through community consultation:
- One additional dwelling unit in R-1, RR-1, and RU-1 zones, except for RU-1 lots over 16 hectares to maintain current density on larger rural lots.
- This would result in a total increase of 427 more possible dwelling units, where 80% of those potential units would occur on lots that are already developed, in the form of either a secondary suite or an accessory dwelling unit. Of this, 43% of those new potential units are in the R-1 zone and 37% of those in the RU-1 zoned lots with an area between 1 and 8 hectares.
- Rainbow Ridge now permitted 35 units (requested by CHS)
- More flexibility on larger lots (e.g. in R-1 no prescribed building types for dwelling units on lots larger than 3 hectares).
- Introduction of duplexes where an existing house with a suite is permitted (same building type but now allows owners more flexibility)
- Increased ADU size to 110 square meters (supported by the community)
- Change some RU-1 zoned properties to RR-1 in alignment with the OCP land use designations map (Bylaw No. 139, 2012)
C) Provide additional clarity within the zones regarding permitted densities, lot area, coverage and setbacks, etc.
FAQs
For answers to common questions on the Zoning Bylaw review, please see the Frequently Asked Questions HERE >
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is pleased to announce the re-launch of the process to develop an updated Zoning Bylaw for Area B, Cortes Island!
In 2018, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) initiated a process to review and update the Zoning Bylaw for Electoral Area B, which includes lands and waters in and around Cortes Island. After a series of delays, the Zoning Bylaw is now ready for a refresh. The Cortes Island Zoning bylaw has not been updated since 2002. Given the age of the document, a full review of the bylaw is needed to ensure it is compliant with changes in legislation and reflects the vision, goals, objectives and policies of the Cortes Island Official Community Plan which was developed with the community between 2010 and 2012.
The Cortes Island OCP was reviewed with the community in 2010 and 2011 and an updated plan was adopted in early 2012.
The OCP identifies the community’s long-term vision and goals, objectives and specific policies for land use on Cortes Island. It guides the Strathcona Regional District board when reviewing development applications and making land use decisions that affect the island.
The updated OCP guides updates to the zoning bylaw since the zoning bylaw needs to reflect the OCP. A few of the guiding principles of the OCP are:
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- Support development that is mindful of the capacity of the land and that does not disturb Cortes’ rural character;
- Maintain a supply of land for commercial development in suitable locations;
- Maintain a balance between regulation of land use and the desire for a lifestyle that allows for a high degree of self-expression with respect to use of property;
- Safeguard the island’s water supply;
- Develop a transportation system that meets the needs of island residents and visitors and fits the island’s rural character;
- Preserve the natural environment;
- Safeguard the marine environment;
- Support self-sufficiency and food security.
A zoning bylaw assigns zones to land and water within a local government jurisdiction, such as Cortes Island, and specifies what kind of development and activities are permitted within each zone.
For example, zoning may regulate the following on a property:
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- Land use (e.g. residential, agricultural, commercial or industrial)
- The number of homes and secondary suites permitted on a property (“density”)
- Maximum size and height of buildings and structures
- Setbacks from lot lines
- Minimum lot size
- Maximum lot coverage
- Home based businesses
- And more.
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Zoning aims to ensure adjacent land uses are compatible by directing different types of land uses into different areas. Thanks to zoning, communities have commercial centres where services, retail and businesses are located, a variety of residential areas to meet different household needs, as well as agricultural, resource and industrial areas.
While zoning can separate uses, it can also encourage mixed uses. For example, zoning might allow for both residential and commercial development within village centres.
Cortes Island has a wide variety of upland land use zones. The types of upland zones on Cortes are:
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- Residential
- Rural
- Community Land Stewardship
- Forest Land Stewardship
- Community Services
- Agricultural Land Stewardship
- Forestry
- Resource Commercial
- Service Commercial
- Tourist Recreational Commercial
- Park
- Industrial
- Public Assembly
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The zoning bylaw also has several zones that apply to areas of water:
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- Access (allowing for public or private moorage and/or navigational aids)
- Aquaculture
- Marine Commercial
- Recreational Moorage
- Water Conservancy
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Within many of the above categories, there are two or more zones with small variations such as the number of dwellings permitted.
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- This project is not starting from scratch. Input provided in the previous phase of the project is being used to assist with setting the stage and informing the initial consultation for this phase. The time and input community members have provided are valuable and the project team hopes this will continue in this next phase.
- Cortes is a unique and special community with deep roots. Community input from the previous phase was essential to capturing the current and projected land use needs. This is fundamental to informing the final draft, which is expected to be completed in 2024.
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Since the completion of the first draft in 2018, some new legislative changes have happened, meaning that the Zoning Bylaw draft will need to have a few sections either updated or included. These topics include:
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- Short-Term Rentals
- Cannabis production and retail uses
- Housing and density
- Agriculture/Aquaculture
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The SRD hosted various engagement opportunities to gather feedback and ideas from residents on key topics to be addressed in the Zoning Bylaw:
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- Short-Term Rentals Survey, July 2023
- Public Open House, December 11, 2023, on:
- Density
- Housing
- Short Term Rentals
- Aquaculture/ Water Use Zones
- Cannabis Land Uses
- Two Community Conversation meetings (1 in person and 1 virtual), March 2024 and September 12, 2024
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Short-Term Rentals Survey – July 2023
The SRD would like to extend a huge thank you to the people of Cortes Island for their Short-Term Rentals survey submissions.
Questions?
Please see SRD’s Questions Posed & Answered by the Ministry of Housing
Open House – December 2023
View Zoning Bylaw Open House – Poster Boards
Community Conversations – March and September 2024
View the materials from this event HERE > which highlight the proposed changes to the zoning bylaw.
View the presentation slides HERE >
Contact
For additional questions or further info, please contact the SRD Planning Department at 250-830-6718 | planning@srd.ca