Residents may think that Tsawwassen has been saved from the threat of towers, but that is inaccurate. The fact is the current Official Community Plan (OCP) continues to allow for towers up to 24-storeys in the Tsawwassen town core without any defined density metrics to limit the number of residential units that can be built. That is alarming.
We are less than a year away from our next local election for Mayor and city councillors on October 16, 2026. Consequently, Dream South Delta will be strongly advocating for the following changes that we believe are essential to preserve quality of life in all of Delta as it relates to trust in our local government and the character of our community. Our focus will be on those changes that can be accomplished within the authority of our locally elected officials:
- Implement a Council Code of Conduct Bylaw with an articulated enforcement process, and an independent Integrity Commissioner. Most communities in BC have at least a Council Code of Conduct and some form of independent oversight, but Delta has neither. Without these, elected officials work under self-enforced guidelines and little to no oversight, which is troubling.
- Update the OCP to limit building height in the Tsawwassen and North Delta Urban Centres to six-storeys without any ability to provide a “substantial community contribution” in exchange for building higher than six-storeys. Ladner already has this limit.
- Update the OCP to establish density metrics to include a maximum of 200 residential units per hectare in each of the Tsawwassen, Ladner and North Delta Urban Centres. Delta had this in place for high density development prior to rushing the OCP through in 2024. We need to bring these sensible and sustainable limits back.
- Update the OCP to protect the small-town character of Delta’s Urban Centres, while still allowing for responsible densification.
We invite you to join us over the next several months, as we work to champion each of these issues and protect our beloved Delta!
