Owing in part to its evolution from a rustic wilderness getaway to an internationally renowned four-season resort, Whistler is characterized by an eclectic mix of residential developments. In many neighbourhoods, small chalets, cabins and condominiums built in the 1970s and 1980s remain alongside newer, larger and more modern dwellings.

As Whistler approaches its approved residential accommodation capacity and growth boundaries, market demand and construction activity remain strong, as greenfield residential development becomes more limited. Subsequently, Whistler’s original housing stock is undergoing significant renovation and redevelopment; newer, often larger, homes are now appearing in existing neighbourhoods. While redeveloping existing neighbourhoods is considered preferable to expanding growth boundaries, there are opportunities to encourage utilization of housing in existing neighbourhoods for Whistler residents and employees.

Whistler’s resort community context and housing affordability policies have shaped residential land use and responded to four distinct markets: resident, employee, recreation and investment. Historically, housing affordability, home ownership and quality rental accommodations have been the greatest housing challenges in Whistler, challenges that persist today. More recently, these challenges have intensified as Whistler has experienced record visitation, peak workforce numbers, growth in resident population, and strong demand from second homeowners for recreation and investment properties. These factors have driven up the price of market homes to new levels and contributed to a severe housing shortage for employees.

The Whistler Housing Authority (WHA), formed in 1997, was created by the municipality to oversee the development of employee housing in Whistler for Whistler employees (and by definition, retirees who were Whistler employees for defined durations). Through a steadfast commitment, the resort community now has over 2,100 units of employee housing (both rental and owner-occupied units) reserved for employees, with price, eligibility and occupancy restrictions. The municipality’s substantial land bank is available to be developed on an as-needed and as-appropriate basis to continue to support the objective of housing at least 75 per cent of Whistler’s employees in affordable and livable housing within the resort community.

In 2018, the Mayor’s Task Force on Resident Housing completed a comprehensive review of Whistler’s employee housing needs. The task force found that a significant number of Whistler’s employees were in need of more affordable or more suitable housing. For example, Statistics Canada data cited by the task force indicates that nearly 20 per cent of all rental households (or 380 households) in Whistler are spending over 50 per cent of their income on shelter costs, an income to rent ratio considered to be extremely challenging. The task force also found that employee housing needs span the full spectrum of type, tenure, household composition and incomes, with residents facing affordability barriers when seeking stable long-term rental options, affordable ownership, aging in place opportunities and homes to accommodate new or growing families. The task force’s final report made seven key recommendations which have informed the residential accommodation policies in this OCP.

With economic factors (such as exchange rates and current property values) favouring investment, resident and recreational markets, Whistler’s policies to meet housing needs for at least the next five years must focus primarily on employee housing.