May 28, 2026

On May 26, Council approved the repeal of the Subdivision Control and Development Servicing Bylaw and replaced it with the proposed Works and Services Bylaw, effective on July 1, 2026. Under Bill 16, municipalities have expanded powers relating to site servicing to achieve required services. 

The changes are as follows:

• The City can secure road dedications of up to 20 metres at building permit/subdivision stage;
• A new three-tier service area system:
  • General Standards (lower-density areas);
  • Urban Village Service Area (medium-density, enhanced streetscape);
  • Town Centre Service Area (highest standards, near SkyTrain);
• Rain gardens and bioswales can now be formally required, not just negotiated. Town Centres will require rain gardens by default; elsewhere, boulevard infiltration zones and absorptive soil profiles under sidewalks become standard;
• Trees as part of frontage improvements become a bylaw requirement citywide;
• Arterial and collector streets get roughly 1 metre of additional width compared to the Transportation Plan standards, to accommodate street trees and green infrastructure alongside cycling facilities;
• New fees:
  • Engineering Initial Application fee ($5K–$10K depending on density) collected at the development application stage;
  • New $8,000 Latecomer Agreement administration fee.
• Cash paid in lieu of works and services will now go into a dedicated statutory reserve fund, with a formal delivery program to ensure those works actually get built eventually.

More information can be found in the full report by City staff.

May 15, 2026

On May 12, Council directed staff to review the City’s street width standards as part of the transition to the new Works and Services Requirements Bylaw, which will replace the existing Subdivision and Development Control Bylaw. Concerns were raised regarding narrow roads presenting parking and garbage collection challenges.

More information can be found in the full report by City staff.