It could become much easier to build new co-operative housing, social housing, and supportive housing projects across Vancouver, if new regulations that abolish project-specific rezoning applications are implemented.
Staff with the City of Vancouver are proposing to remove the rezoning application process for such affordable housing projects across the city, including areas in West Point Grey, Dunbar-Southlands, Arbutus Ridge, Shaughnessy, Oakridge, Riley Park, Sunset, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Victoria-Fraserview, Grandview-Woodland, Hastings-Sunrise, Renfrew-Collingwood, and Killarney.
Much of these areas are currently single-family residential neighbourhoods.
Not only would the new policy remove the rezoning process, but it would also guarantee higher density levels through added building height.
Within the “Neighbourhood Centre” (purple) areas, such affordable housing projects would be able to reach heights of 15 to 18 storeys. Within the “Village” areas (orange), these projects would reach up to six storeys.
Proposed rezoning removal for co-op, social, and supportive housing projects: up to 15 to 18 storeys in “Neighbourhood Centres” (purple) and six storeys in “Village” areas (orange). (City of Vancouver)
Without a rezoning, proposed co-operative housing, social housing, and supportive housing projects would be able to skip a big step and go straight into the development permit application process, followed by the building permit application process. By not going through the rezoning application process, it is anticipated that such projects can reduce their review and permitting timeline with the municipal government by up to two years, and reduce the costs and risks for proponents to access funding from the provincial and federal governments.
According to City staff, this will speed up the creation of co-operative housing, social housing, and supportive housing, and ultimately help achieve greater numbers of such types of affordable housing.
In June 2024, Vancouver City Council approved new 10-year Housing Vancouver targets through 2033, with a goal of approving 83,000 new homes across a wide spectrum of housing tenure types over this period, including 10,000 affordable housing units — 8,500 units classified as non-profit, co-operative, and/or social housing, and another 1,500 units classified as supportive housing.
The co-operative housing model, based on membership, improves affordability by reducing housing costs to cover only what is necessary for building operations and maintenance. In contrast, social housing is designed for lower-income individuals who are generally capable of independent living, offering reduced rents based on what a household can afford — typically 30% of their income or the shelter rate of income assistance.
Supportive housing provides affordable housing for people who may have complex needs and/or are at risk of homelessness — often considered a step between homelessness/homeless shelters and social housing. This tenure also comes with support services such as medical care, meals, training programs, and safer opioid services and spaces.
However, supportive housing projects, especially at some of the recently established sites in Metro Vancouver, are known to be lightning rods for controversy. Critics of supportive housing, as well as residents and businesses near such sites, have often charged that there are inadequate levels of supportive services within these buildings and that non-profit housing operators, governments, and local health authorities do not have adequate measures to properly address issues of crime, public disorder, and public safety that arise in areas close to these facilities.
Artistic rendering of the Kitsilano supportive housing tower at 2086-2098 West 7th Avenue and 2091 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Human Studio Architecture & Urban Design/BC Housing)
Artistic rendering of the Grandview-Woodland social housing tower at 800 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. (Human Studio Architecture & Urban Design/City of Vancouver)
By enabling co-operative housing, social housing, and supportive housing tenures across low-density neighbourhoods of the City, and in higher density forms through added building height, this will support “equitable housing objectives… in all neighbourhoods that are near transit, green spaces, schools, amenities and services,” state City staff in their rationale.
Currently, according to the City, there are 29,876 affordable housing units in Vancouver, including 127 co-operative housing sites with 6,294 units, 327 social housing sites with 17,623 units, and 107 supportive housing sites with 5,959 units.
A high proportion of these existing sites are densely concentrated within the Downtown Eastside. This is followed by sizeable smaller pockets of such sites elsewhere on the downtown Vancouver peninsula and the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, with neighbourhoods in the Vancouver Eastside hosting more of these sites than neighbourhoods in the Vancouver Westside.
Map of existing co-op, social, and supportive housing sites in Vancouver. (City of Vancouver)
Over the coming months, City staff will continue drafting the policies, with final recommendations prepared for City Council’s review and approval in Spring 2025.
City staff note that their proposal to remove the rezoning requirement for such projects across much of Vancouver is in direct response to City Council’s December 2022 approval of a motion by OneCity councillor Christine Boyle to expedite deeply affordable housing proposals by eliminating the rezoning step.
A similar motion by Boyle in 2021, but focusing on neighbourhoods in Kitsilano, Fairview, Mount Pleasant, Grandview-Woodland, and Marpole, was rejected by the previous makeup of City Council.