Two provincial housing laws passed on the same day in 2023 now shape what can be built in Port Moody. They are easy to confuse, and they do very different things. One allows a multiplex on almost any residential lot in the city. The other requires apartment-scale density in a tight ring around rapid transit. Which one governs a given property comes down largely to one measurement: how far it sits from the Moody Centre SkyTrain station.
Bill 44: the city-wide baseline
Bill 44, the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, requires municipalities over 5,000 people to permit small-scale multi-unit housing, or SSMUH, on land that used to allow only a house or a duplex. It applies regardless of transit. On most Port Moody lots it allows three or four homes, and up to six within 400 metres of frequent transit. Port Moody adopted it through Amendment Bylaw No. 3460 in June 2024.
Bill 47: the transit ring
Bill 47, the Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act, passed the same day. It does not apply across the whole city. It sets a high-density overlay around designated rapid-transit stations, with minimum building heights and floor area ratios inside it. Moody Centre SkyTrain station is one of those designated hubs, so lots within roughly 800 metres fall under it.
| Distance from station | Minimum height | Minimum floor area ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 200 m | 20 storeys | 5.0 |
| 200 to 400 m | 12 storeys | 4.0 |
| 400 to 800 m | 8 storeys | 3.0 |
Inside a transit-oriented area, those figures are minimums, not ceilings. A city can allow more, but it cannot require less than the provincial floor.
When both apply
Some lots near Moody Centre fall under both laws at once. Where they overlap, the higher Bill 47 minimums govern in practice. In plain terms, if a lot is close enough to the station to sit inside the transit-oriented area, its potential is set by the transit tiers rather than the SSMUH baseline.
The wrinkle worth knowing: the OCP has not caught up
There is a real tension in Port Moody worth understanding. The City's 2014 Official Community Plan caps heights in the Moody Centre area at roughly three to six storeys. The provincial overlay sets minimums of eight to twenty. The community plan now sits below the provincial floor, and the higher provincial number wins, though municipal design review and local process can still shape the timeline. A small number of heritage-listed properties add another layer: some sit inside the transit radius but carry protections the overlay did not anticipate.
The distance from a front door to the SkyTrain platform, more than anything else, decides which rulebook you are reading.
How to check your lot
Measure the property's distance to Moody Centre station. Beyond about 800 metres, Bill 44 and a multiplex are almost certainly the frame. Inside it, the transit tiers apply and the conversation shifts toward apartment forms. Because the boundary and any heritage status decide so much, this is worth confirming lot by lot rather than assuming. Read the full SSMUH rules, check the FAQ, and a feasibility study will read one specific lot against both frameworks.
Common questions
How does a homeowner know which law applies to their lot?
Distance from Moody Centre SkyTrain station is the key measurement. Lots within roughly 800 metres of the station fall inside the Bill 47 transit-oriented area; lots beyond it are governed by the city-wide SSMUH rules from Bill 44.
What does Bill 47 require near Moody Centre?
Inside the transit-oriented area, the province sets minimum allowable heights and densities by distance band: up to 20 storeys within 200 metres, 12 storeys from 200 to 400 metres, and 8 storeys from 400 to 800 metres. These are floors a municipality must permit, not ceilings.
If both laws touch a lot, which one governs?
Where a lot falls inside both the SSMUH framework and a transit-oriented area, the higher provincial floor governs in practice. For most of Port Moody, away from the station, SSMUH and small-scale forms remain the relevant frame.
Does Bill 47 force towers onto existing streets?
No. Like SSMUH, it creates permissions rather than obligations. Nothing is built unless a landowner chooses to redevelop; the law sets what a city must allow, not what any owner must do.
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