More co-op housing eyed for City-owned land, including False Creek South

False Creek South (False Creek Neighbourhood Association)

Co-operative housing supply could potentially be built on existing land owned by the City of Vancouver that already sees such housing tenure uses.

In a public meeting today, Vancouver City Council approved ABC city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung’s member motion to direct City staff to explore opportunities to build more co-ops on such properties across the city.

The goal is to increase the overall number of co-op homes found in Vancouver. Currently, there are over 3,700 co-op units of mixed-income housing on City-owned land, representing roughly half of all 7,000 co-ops found in Vancouver. This housing tenure accounts for about 23% of the municipal government’s non-market housing assets by land area and 27% of all non-market housing units on City-owned land.

Kirby-Yung suggests the time is now right to consider building more co-ops on City-owned land, as many co-op land leases are set to expire over the coming decades. She says dozens of co-op sites on City-owned land are currently within very low-density structures, which presents the possibility of adding more co-op housing through densification.

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Co-op housing is often referred to as the “middle” alternative option between rental housing and home ownership. Residents do not fall under the Residential Tenancy Act, as they are instead both a member and owner of the non-profit entity that owns and operates the housing in the complex.

“There is a growing demand for co-op housing in Vancouver. This commitment could be a game-changer for expanding affordable housing, reflecting Council’s dedication to making Vancouver an attainable and vibrant city for generations to come,” said Kirby-Yung in a statement.

Mayor Ken Sim added, “Our goal is to transform our City’s communities into vibrant, inclusive hubs of opportunity where every single person in Vancouver has a place to call home. By charting a new path to deliver additional co-op housing, we’re advancing our commitment to doubling the number of existing co-op units across the city.”

The approved motion also specifically directs City staff to report back with an updated and enhanced landowner development plan for the 80-acre area of False Creek South, where many of the City-owned land with co-ops are located. There will be considerations for increasing housing supply, including co-ops and other housing tenures, while also retaining options for existing residents to return to new replacement homes in the area.

Additionally, this new False Creek South landowner development plan will contemplate mixed uses, new services, expanded public parks and green spaces, more community amenities, active transportation options, expanded public transit accessibility, and climate adaptation and mitigation measures to address rising sea levels and shoreline stability.

It should be noted that this development plan will be conducted from the City of Vancouver’s landowner perspective. These properties are some of the most valuable assets within the City’s Property Endowment Fund.

The City of Vancouver owns 80% of the False Creek South neighbourhood. (City of Vancouver)

A typical stretch of Vancouver’s seawall along False Creek. (Uytae Lee)

False Creek South is the area on the south side of False Creek that is framed by the Burrard Street Bridge to the west and the Cambie Street Bridge to the east. All of these properties on former industrial lands were built in the 1970s and 1980s, with all lease terms expiring in the 2030s and 2040s.

After the creation of an updated development plan is approved by City Council, City staff will proceed with the necessary typical False Creek South community planning processes and implementation phases as quickly as possible.

The approved motion essentially provides City staff with the impetus to restart the planning process for False Creek South — after the previous makeup of City Council in 2021 rejected City staff’s original new landowner development plan proposal in response to immense public backlash, particularly from the impacted longtime residents. Following City Council’s 2021 rejection, City staff offered to renew 669 strata leasehold homes in False Creek South by another 20 years, with the lease expirations pushed to between 2056 and 2066.

Additionally, the motion directs City staff to explore pilot project possibilities with Co-op Housing Federation of BC and other non-profit organizations towards creating a new model of co-op housing that retains City ownership of City-owned lands.

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