This project seeks to replace the Large Holdings One Site Specific (LH1s) Zone that applies to approximately 25 properties at Raven Hill Road and Nine Mile Place on Anarchist Mountain with a Large Holdings One (LH1) Zone.

This change is intended to improve consistency, clarity, and fairness in the application of the LH1 Zone while maintaining appropriate controls for rural and agricultural land use.

This review is prompted by a rezoning application submitted to the Regional District in January 2026 requesting that the restriction prohibiting an “accessory dwelling” found within the LH1s zoning that applies to a property on Nine Mile Place be removed. 

At its meeting on February 5, 2026 the Regional Board considered a proposed bylaw amendment that would allow for this matter to be "considered by the Board holistically as opposed to an ad hoc, case-by-case basis as the privilege being requested by the applicant (e.g. “accessory dwelling”) would likely be beneficial to other parcels so affected" and resolved to initiate the bylaw for public consultation.

At its meeting of October 2, 2003, the Regional Board adopted Amendment Bylaw No. 2221 to the (then) Electoral Area “A” Zoning Bylaw No. 1749, 1997, which introduced a site specific Large Holdings Zone (“LHa”) and applied it to several areas, including an approximately 120 ha area of land that now comprises Raven Hill Road and Nine Mile Place on Anarchist Mountain.

This “LHa” Zone restricted residential density to one (1) principal dwelling and excluded “accessory dwellings”, limited the range of non-residential uses, and restricted the number of livestock on parcels less than 4.0 ha to five (5).

This zone was subsequently carried forward, with minor modifications, into subsequent zoning bylaws adopted by the Board for Electoral Area “A” and is currently comprised in an “LH1s” Zone found at Section 14.1.8(a)(i) of the Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 2800, 2022.

In November 30, 2023, the provincial Legislature adopted Bill 44 (Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act), which introduced several changes to the Local Government Act, with the intent of delivering “more small-scale, multi-unit housing for people, including townhomes, triplexes and laneway homes, and fix outdated zoning rules to help build more homes faster.”

The province subsequently released a Provincial Policy Manual & Site Standards (Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing) to assist local governments with the implementation of zoning bylaw amendments required to comply with the changes to the Act.

Through this guide, the Province encouraged local governments to apply a flexible approach when amending their zoning bylaw(s) as “it is typically not a single zoning rule that impacts the viability of a SSMUH project, but rather the cumulative and cross-cutting impacts of several regulations combined.”

In light of these recommendations from the Province, the LH1s Zone is seen to be to be no longer supported by current land use policy or planning rationale.