Vancouver continues to move forward on delivering more housing options.

On November 15, Vancouver council adopted two motions and passed one set of recommendations.

1. Delivering a supply of missing middle housing: the motion, submitted by Mayor Ken Sim, directs staff to:

• expand the mandate of the new Vancouver Housing Development Office to include enabling middle-income housing on city-owned land;
• identify city-owned potential sites/land assets where missing middle housing could be built; and
• explore potential partnerships with First Nations, private sector/industry partners, other government agencies, non-profits and faith-based groups. Read Mayor Sim’s motion (opens 3-page pdf).

2. Enhancing Housing Density Near Under-Enrolled Vancouver Schools: the motion, submitted by Councillor Lenny Zhou, asks staff to:

• engage with the Vancouver School Board staff to explore opportunities to increase family-oriented density in proximity to Vancouver school sites that are at risk of closure due to under enrollment; and
• provide an initial report back to council with recommendations by the end of Q3-2024.  

Read Councillor Zhou’s motion. (Opens 3-page pdf) 

Council also voted to remove parking minimums for new buildings in the West End and Broadway Plan areas, as of January 1, 2024, based on staff recommendations.  

The removal of parking minimums signals an important generational change in the city where younger residents are living less car-dependent lives and using alternative modes of transportation. City staff will report back in 2024 with the next phase of this initiative to remove parking minimums.

For background, read staff recommendations (opens 33-page pdf) and the staff report (opens 178-page pdf).

If you have questions about the City of Vancouver’s efforts to make housing more affordable, contact Harriet Permut, director of government relations at hpermut@rebgv.org.