While touting its successes, Victoria is tweaking its deconstruction bylaw that helps keep reuseable wood out of the local landfill.
Since implementation in September 2022, 20 demolition permits have been completed under the city’s demolition waste and deconstruction bylaw – salvaging and recycling over 62 tonnes of wood and 160 tonnes of other building materials.
Council, sitting as committee Feb. 20, agreed to shift its reporting option and tweak site signage requirements, to make it simpler to salvage material.
Specifically, the amendment establishes a length-based target for wood salvage, rather than the current mass-based target, allowing applicants to avoid the potential burden of moving multiple loads of material to a commercial scale to validate that the target has been achieved. The mass-based target remains an option for applicants who prefer to use this method of compliance verification.
Previously only applying to new multi-family builds, the next phase expands salvage targets to any single-family house or duplex being demolished regardless of the type of development. Staff anticipate it will double the applicable permits.
In advance of the second phase of the bylaw coming into effect, staff recommend minor amendments that would support a more efficient reporting process for permit applicants. These recommendations include the addition of an equivalent length-based target, removing unnecessary reporting requirements for small quantities of material, and simplification of site signage requirements.
Under the bylaw, applicants must pay a $19,500 fee for a demolition permit, which is fully refunded if an applicant meets an established salvage target based on the size of the building being demolished.
The fee was waived during the first year with two of 11 applicants successfully meeting the target, according to a city staff report. Since the refundable fee was applied starting September 2023, seven of nine applicants have met or exceeded their salvage target.
Currently, four or five specialized salvage companies plus building movers work in the region, the city’s circular economy specialist Rhiannon Moore told council.
“What we’ve seen through various permits that have been successful, (is) each case is like a snowflake, it’s very unique,” Moore said.
Material recycling and reuse are also diverse. Some are reused on-site or informally purchased, and some materials go to Habitat for Humanity or another company that makes planter boxes for community gardens.
“The market is there and it’s growing but it’s still we would say in its infancy,” Moore told council.
Signage requirements promote the message that deconstruction is underway and let neighbours know the bylaw exists. The signage simplification would remove a 90-day posting condition, which doesn’t ensure the signage is up during actual work and can confuse residents, city staff said. The new requirement avoids signage on an empty lot where deconstruction is already complete, potentially causing confusion.
The amendments come after a staff review of compliance documentation, recommendations from advisory consultants and input from an industry focus group. The changes are expected to be implemented before the next phase of the bylaw comes into effect in May.
