August 11th, 2026

On July 28, Vancouver City Council approved amendments to the Zoning and Development By-law to simplify and modernize regulations for new apartment buildings. The changes apply to new residential and mixed-use buildings with more than eight units and take effect on October 27, 2026. 

The key changes are: 

• Removing the maximum limits on floor area exclusions for balconies and residential amenity spaces. 
• Standardizing unit mix at a minimum of 35 per cent two-or-more-bedroom units, including a minimum of five per cent three-or-more-bedroom units, across all tenures and both the rezoning and development permit processes. Exceptions apply for constrained mid-block mixed-use sites, seniors housing, supportive housing, and the Downtown Eastside Plan area. 
• Permitting a broader range of inboard rooms for flexible use, provided all rooms required to meet unit mix requirements have a window on an exterior wall. 
• Simplifying residential storage through a standardized floor area exclusion of up to six per cent and a new minimum of 2.3 square metres (25 square feet) of storage per unit. 

More information can be found in the full staff report.