Vancouver City Council to consider allowing 8 homes on single-family lots

Vancouver City Council to consider allowing up to eight homes on each single-family lot

Artistic rendering of a concept for a single-family lot in Vancouver with multiplex of six units. (MA+HG Architects)

Single-family residential neighbourhoods cover much of Vancouver’s land area, and such lots in these areas could see more homes on the same plot of land — going beyond the current limitations.

Vancouver City Council is set to consider City of Vancouver staff’s recommendations on Thursday to approve the multiplex framework of “Adding Missing Middle Housing and Simplifying Regulations.” This follows public consultation conducted earlier this year.

Such changes would align with the recently approved Vancouver Plan’s strategy for gentle densification in single-family neighbourhoods, and help the municipal government reach its set new housing supply targets established by the provincial government’s Housing Supply Act.

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Three multiplex development options would be permitted: strata development with fixed-rate density bonus contribution, strata development with one below-market home ownership unit, or secured purpose-built market rental housing.

Up to eight homes would be permitted on each single-family lot as a measure to provide families with more housing options, particularly middle-income households.

Most single-family lots would see a maximum of three to six units for strata ownership residential uses, including up to four units on a standard lot, up to five units on mid-size lots, and up to six units on larger lots.

For secured market rental housing, up to eight units on a single-family lot will be permitted.

It is estimated by City staff that the market ownership price of a home within a new multiplex project will be priced at 50% of the cost of a new single-family detached house, and about 75% of the cost of a new duplex.

“Adding multiplex as a choice in RS low density neighbourhoods will help meet the needs of households seeking ownership options in these areas,” reads City staff’s rationale.

“Multiplex will permit more homes on each lot, which allows the cost of the land to be shared by multiple owners. While the cost of new multiplex units will still be out of reach of many households, these new options will cost less than the ownership housing options available in these neighbourhoods today.”

Larger strata projects must pay more fees or provide a below-market home price

The maximum floor area ratio (FAR) — a measure of density based on the size of the building’s interior floor area compared to the size of the land — would be limited to 1.0 FAR, meaning the building floor area on the lot under this policy must not exceed the lot’s land area size.

The requirement for a fixed-rate density bonus contribution or the provision of one below-market home ownership unit will kick in if the project’s strata density exceeds 0.7 FAR.

It is anticipated most of these multiplexes will be pursued as strata ownership units. In the scenario of a 100% strata ownership development, property owners and builders would be required to pay a fixed-rate density bonus contribution towards funding public benefits. Depending on the lot size, density, and number of units, the fixed rates could range between $3 per sq ft to as high as $140 per sq ft.

Alternatively, developments that are primarily strata ownership can provide one below-market ownership unit instead of paying the density bonus contribution. City staff believe this alternative option to a financial payment is financially viable for a six-unit development, with the one below-market ownership unit required to contain at least two bedrooms and a minimum floor area of 969 sq ft. To be considered a below-market ownership unit, it must be sold at a below-market price of at least 50% below the unit’s market value.

In order to be eligible to purchase such a below-market home, households must have an income that does not exceed BC Housing’s middle-income limits of $126,050 annually for units with less than two bedrooms and $182,870 annually with units with two or more bedrooms.

For projects that provide 100% secured purpose-built market rental housing, City staff have included this as an option, but it is not expected to see strong uptake due to its limited financial viability for construction.

Physical design and location standards

This density increase to 1.0 FAR to enable more units on a lot is up from the existing single-family zoning options of a house and laneway with three units and a 0.86 FAR, duplex and suites with four units and a 0.7 FAR, and multiplex and infill with six units and a 0.85 FAR.

There has been some criticism from builders and housing activists whether City staff’s regulations for up to six strata homes or even up to eight rental homes can be achieved on a lot with a maximum density of 1.0 FAR. The municipal government’s primary rationale to date for the limited density increase is to ensure the existing low-capacity sewers in these low-density areas do not reach overcapacity, as they would otherwise require very expensive network-wide upgrades.

The maximum height of the buildings is 37.7 ft with three storeys. The basement depth will also be reduced from about five ft to four ft to allow 90% of new buildings to use gravity-fed sewer connections.

Parking is not required, but can be provided at the rear of the lot facing the laneway. More demand for curbside street parking is expected to result from this densification policy, but City staff state this could be managed by expanding residential permit parking zones and increasing fees.

But not all single-family lots will qualify for the new gentle densification policies. In order to build multiplexes, the lot must be located within an RS zoning district, have a rear laneway, and have a frontage of at least 32.8 ft. Furthermore, such lots cannot be within a designated floodplain, nor can the property be a legally designated heritage site.

Reducing the size of single-family detached houses

The size of the new main single-family detached house on a single-family lot will be decreased to 0.6 FSR — down from the existing limitation of 0.7 FSR. Some of this reduced house size density will be transferred to allowing an increase in the size of a laneway house from 0.16 FAR to 0.25 FAR.

As well, there will no longer be a requirement for basements to achieve the maximum floor area.

This is intended to discourage the replacement of existing houses with new larger houses, and encourage the construction of more housing for more families on a lot.

But this may have the unintended effect of limiting the housing options for multigenerational families who wish to live within the same house.

Furthermore, the proposed policy changes include consolidating the existing nine RS zoning districts into a single RS zoning district to improve and simplify the permitting process.

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