October 14, 2025

As mentioned in previous updates, on October 7, Council approved the report in principle on the City-Initiated Zoning Changes. As clarified by City staff, the project is a step in the larger transformation of the City’s planning framework to consolidate numerous residential zones into five standardized R zones. This project would introduce new standardized R3, R4, and R5 district schedules and rezone certain areas within Broadway and Cambie Corridor Plan to these district schedules. Future work would also be directed at repealing and replacing the 40+ existing RM zones with the new standardized district schedules. 

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

September 2, 2025

On August 19, UDI and the City of Vancouver held a workshop to discuss the proposed City-Initiated Zoning Changes report. Discussion included the City’s overview of the changes and viability challenges.  

More information can be found in the presentation slides from City staff. 

July 29, 2025

On July 22nd, Council approved a report in principle, Standardized Apartment Districts and City-Initiated Zoning Changes to Implement Broadway Plan and Cambie Corridor Plan. The report outlines various changes, introducing new residential district schedules, design guidelines, and the economic testing to support the changes.

The new R3, R4, and R5 zoning districts retain maximum floor space ratios (FSRs) but allow more flexible building heights. Affordable housing requirements are now consolidated into a new Schedule J, introduced under Bill 16. Schedule J standardizes inclusionary zoning, density bonusing, and legal requirements for affordable housing across all new district schedules.

R3 Districts are organized as follows:

R4 Districts are organized as follows: 

R5 Districts are organized as follows: 

New Design and Development Guidelines (DDG) were developed alongside the R3, R4, and R5 zoning schedules to guide site design, massing, and open space. The DDG consolidates existing guidance from other area plans (e.g. Granville, Rupert & Renfrew) and moves toward city-wide design standards anticipated in 2026.

The proposed district schedules and relevant sections of the DDG were developed and refined in response to findings from consultant testing. In assessing urban design performance, City staff considered the built-form allowances of each Plan and retained four architectural firms to conduct additional design testing for a range of built form, construction methods including mass timber, and residential tenure considerations. The City also retained Coriolis Consulting Corp. to conduct financial analysis of a range of potential redevelopment scenarios across the two Plan areas, including testing of the affordable housing requirements for financial feasibility. Details of this analysis are summarized in Appendix L.

The City is proposing to rezone parts of the Broadway and Cambie Plan areas to new standardized apartment zones (R3, R4, R5) to streamline the development process and reduce the need for site-specific rezonings. This change is expected to significantly shorten approval timelines and free up Council and staff resources.

For the 40 in-stream rezoning applications that include Tenant Relocation Plans (TRPs), the City is introducing a time-limited approach. Applicants who withdraw their rezoning and reapply under the new zoning within one year can retain their original TRP without triggering a new process. Tenant eligibility will remain unchanged, and no new building information will be required if project details stay the same. Applications submitted after the one-year window will follow a modified standard TRP process. This approach is intended to speed up projects while minimizing disruption for tenants.

UDI will engage with the City in a dedicated session to discuss the report; more information can be found in the full report prepared by City staff.