Building shadowing policies for downtown Vancouver peninsula could see updates | Daily Hive

Building shadowing of a new 25-storey social housing tower planned for 1111 Broughton St. in downtown Vancouver on September 21 at 10 a.m. (Arcadis/The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

The City of Vancouver is advancing the second phase of its City-Wide Design and Development Guidelines (CDDG), proposing a suite of changes aimed at simplifying the development process while balancing livability goals like sunlight in public spaces.

A City staff report heading to Vancouver City Council next week for consideration and potential approval outlines several key actions, including updated building shadowing and solar (sunlight) access rules for the downtown Vancouver peninsula, the repeal of 27 obsolete urban design guidelines, and policy clarifications around designated transit-oriented development sites.

These changes follow the significant July 2024 reforms, when City Council approved sweeping changes that relaxed the protected mountain view cone guidelines — enabling added density through extra building height to drastically improve opportunities for new housing, job space, urban vitality, and economic development. At the time, it was noted that City staff would return at a later date with recommendations on building shadowing considerations for the downtown Vancouver peninsula.

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As a result, now just over one year later, one of the biggest forthcoming additional changes is the introduction of the “Solar Access Guidelines for the Downtown Peninsula.” These rules set out protections for public parks, public plazas, public school sites, and key commercial streets — like Davie Street and Robson Street — in downtown Vancouver, ensuring they receive sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the fall equinox.

While this is “in keeping with established City practice,” it also provides consistency and clarity for what applicants can expect, according to the City.

In the past, building shadowing considerations for nearby public spaces — sometimes located several blocks from a development site — have led to reduced building heights or changes to the overall design form. These considerations have been especially consequential in downtown Vancouver, where the anticipated height of new buildings and the high concentration of public spaces amplify their impact.

Last year, the building shadowing guidelines were also changed for areas outside the downtown Vancouver peninsula, simplifying the policies to the spring and fall equinoxes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — following the same standardized approach first taken with the Broadway Plan. This single policy from July 2024 applies to 85 per cent of Vancouver’s land area, as opposed to the previous approach that highly varies based on location.

City Council at the time also requested City staff to consider the possibility of shortening the solar access for areas outside of the downtown Vancouver peninsula from six hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) to four hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). While a shorter period of four hours would slightly increase development potential, City staff’s analysis released this month indicated it would cut annual sunlight in parks from 25 per cent to 17 per cent. As a result of this impact, City staff are now recommending no changes to the recently implemented 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. window.

Essentially, the updated building shadowing policies for the downtown Vancouver peninsula and other areas of the city consolidate previous guidelines. Previously, six separate policies applied to downtown Vancouver and nine to other parts of the city. However, in some areas, this is an expansion of the hourly duration of building shadowing considerations.

But unlike the stricter policies applied to other parts of the city, the new downtown Vancouver guidelines allow for some case-by-case exemptions, based on a specific project, where needed, to support new affordable rental housing, below-market housing, and/or significant public benefits.

Victory Square will receive special protection, with shadowing prohibited on the cenotaph circle during Remembrance Day morning.

To streamline and modernize development reviews, the City is repealing 27 legacy urban design guidelines — many tied to projects that have already been built or areas where newer policies have taken over. These include older CD-1 guidelines and neighbourhood-specific documents in places like Downtown South, Commercial-Broadway, East False Creek, and the West End.

Key elements from relevant older guidelines may be incorporated into the new CDDG, which is expected to be finalized in 2026.

The City is also updating its recently enacted Transit-Oriented Areas Rezoning Policy to better align with new and existing area plans such as the Broadway Plan and the newly approved Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan. In those areas, the policy will no longer apply. Additional clarification is also being provided on how buildings should relate to adjacent properties to avoid blocking future redevelopment.

The new solar access guidelines for downtown Vancouver will apply to new development applications starting in Fall 2025. City staff will monitor the implementation and report back if adjustments are needed.

These reforms aim to reduce red tape, increase predictability for applicants, and continue to support high-quality urban design as Vancouver grows, according to City staff.

For many years, the previous combination of both strict view cone protections and very rigid shadowing rules were seen as a barrier to new housing, job spaces, more creative uses and designs, and the incorporation public amenities, and it impacted the financial viability of projects.

There have been some calls to ease building shadowing restrictions. However, the updated and consolidated solar access guidelines — together with the relaxed view cone policies and more flexible floor plate sizes — are now seen by City staff as providing a more balanced framework that supports growth while preserving essential aspects of livability.

Based on City staff’s previous assessment, last year’s view cone changes alone have enabled up to 215 million sq. ft. of additional building floor area for housing and job space.

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