Galiano Green is an affordable, home ownership project on Galiano Island, one of the Southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada. It is being developed under the stewardship of the Galiano Land Trust (GLT) which was set up by local residents to help address Galiano’s acute housing problem. Galiano Island has a severe housing shortage due to a proliferation of vacation homes that make it difficult for local working people to find affordable accommodation, especially in the summer season. 

In 2011, with the help of interest free loans from local residents, GLT purchased a 10-acre rural property that is centrally located on the south end of Galiano Island; close to local facilities, retail, parks, and beaches. The property was initially zoned Rural Residential which allowed only two homes to be built. By re-zoning the property to Community Housing, GLT will be able to create a bareland strata subdivision to develop 20 affordable homes. Fifteen of those dwellings will be owner-built, and five will be long-term rental homes, helping to meet the varied housing needs on Galiano island.

While zoning to a higher density is usually discouraged on Galiano (and on all of the Gulf Islands),  re-zoning for affordable housing is allowed (indeed encouraged) by the Galiano Island Official Community Plan, under strict conditions that ensure the homes stay permanently affordable. Islands Trust Bylaws

5 years after initially purchasing the property, following intense community conversations, Galiano Green finally received approval for its zoning bylaw amendment application which includes a Housing Agreement with the Islands Trust. Now comes the exciting process of developing the site infrastructure and building the first five homes.  For more information: www.galianogreen.org