Vancouver mayor pushes for Burnaby-style development around several SkyTrain stations in the city
Push for more density part of a series of policies Ken Sim plans to bring to council in coming weeks
The mayor of Vancouver says he set a foundation on Wednesday to address the housing crisis in the city, while reducing barriers to building and streamlining regulations.
Ken Sim released a seven-point motion going before council that would direct city staff to prioritize new housing construction, allow for increased density around transit hubs, speed up a plan for 26 villages in the city and increase enforcement of short-term rental regulations.
"There's an affordability crisis going on in the city of Vancouver," he said. "And we have a supply-and-demand imbalance in the city of Vancouver, and how we address that over the longer term is we build more housing."
The mayor said residents should expect to see more "bold motions" coming from council in the upcoming weeks to cut delays for building more homes.
He said his team is completing a deep dive into redundant bylaws and guidelines with the goal of cutting the red tape holding up the delivery of homes.
While there's no estimate of how many homes could be built with the changes, Sim said accelerating the implementation of the villages from the Vancouver Plan will bring more homes, ranging from single-family townhomes to multiplexes and three- to six-storey apartment buildings.
"This will allow residents who want to downsize to stay in their neighbourhoods, while also ensuring that young families can build a future in the city of Vancouver," he added.
'Using Burnaby as a role model': Sim
The city will also look into housing density near transit hubs, which the mayor said is lacking in some areas — specifically mentioning a neighbourhing municipality as an example.
"We're actually using Burnaby as a role model," said Sim.
"They're doing a lot of great things, and have been able to successfully marry densification and homes around their SkyTrain stations."
Sim's press release specified Renfrew, Rupert, 29th Avenue and Nanaimo stations as places where the city would look at "exploring opportunities to increase housing density," and suggested recent attempts by Vancouver to densify around new Canada Line stations weren't satisfactory.
"At the end of the day, we need more housing," he said.
"When you look at King Edward [station], to have seven, eight storeys on the northwest corner … It seems quite ridiculous. That's a lost opportunity."
The motion will go before council next week and is expected to pass as Sim's ABC Vancouver party has the majority on council.
Pushing for more short-term rental protections
Also within the proposal is a plan to increase enforcement of short-term rentals. Coun. Lenny Zhou said he's had conversations with provincial government officials and believes legislation will be coming soon to further enforce the short-term rental restrictions.
Zhou said the city is also committed to cracking down on illegal short-term rental units.
"I'm really optimistic that all levels of government are taking this issue very seriously. As I mentioned before, every single unit matters," said Zhou.
The announcement came on the same day the city released a digital process that helps applicants navigate the construction of laneway homes, and helps homeowners fast-track the permit process if their projects are under $95,000.
Coun. Adriane Carr, a Vancouver Green Party member, said the city was already on track to increase housing, but there isn't consideration of housing affordability in Sim's plan.
"So I'm very worried about the fact that our plan has been to date to prioritize the housing that is most desperately needed, which is for people who are lower-incomes. And I'm not hearing that, not seeing that in the information that I have received today," she said.
On the question of affordability, Sim said the city doesn't control macroeconomic issues or interest rate hikes.
"You have to talk to the Bank of Canada about that. But what we can control is creating an environment where more homes can be built."
With files from Justin McElroy