Vancouver city councilors have approved a new city-wide plan designed to guide the next three decades of development.
But while the ambitious Vancouver plan voted on Friday lays out a vision for land use in different parts of the city, it doesn’t actually make any formal changes.
Fulfillment of the plan’s goals will depend on the next mayor and council elected at the October 15 municipal election through a formal bylaw for a successor development plan.
Read more: Vancouver unveils long-term plan to increase density, improve affordability by 2050
The plan was passed with the support of eight councilors and Mayor Kennedy Stewart, as well as nonpartisan Coun. Melissa De Genova and TEAM Coun. Colleen Hardwick objected.
2:17 Vancouver Council Considers Citywide Development Changes Vancouver Council Considers Citywide Development Changes – July 6, 2022
“Today, with the adoption of the Vancouver Plan, we are charting a new path forward for our city’s future, guided by a promise to make every neighborhood more accessible, equitable and vibrant for all,” Stewart said in a media release.
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The Plan for Vancouver lays out a strategy to accommodate development for the city’s expected 260,000 new residents over the next 30 years, while seeking to provide affordable housing for new and existing residents.
It paves the way for the city to allow mixed-use and purpose-built rentals in nearly all Vancouver neighborhoods, along with multiplexes and townhouses, to target the so-called “missing middle” of the housing market.
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The plan also envisions the spread of economic activity from its current centers by introducing mixed residential and commercial land use in the city’s lower-density neighborhoods.
Read more: Consultation begins on Vancouver’s ambitious citywide plan
The plan passed Friday also includes an amendment that opposes extending the tenant protections included in the recently approved Broadway plan citywide.
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Under those protections, described by Stewart as “the strongest in Canada,” tenants evicted due to redevelopment would be allowed to return to their apartment at the same or lower rent.
2:05 Vancouver mayor wants to expand tenant protection rules citywide Vancouver mayor wants to expand tenant protection rules citywide – July 6, 2022
Those protections have faced bipartisan criticism, with some warning they could scare off needed redevelopment, while tenant advocates have expressed concern they won’t be enforced.
Read more: Vancouver council approves controversial 30-year plan for Broadway
Approval of the plan concludes a process that began in 2019 and included extensive public consultation and review.
The city says staff will now work out the details of how tenant protections and developer contributions will be factored into the plan’s expected future implementation.
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Staff also acknowledged that the plan could be scrapped if opposed by a majority of the next mayor and council elected in the fall.
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