Vancouver City Council to consider single-stair residential buildings

Vancouver City Council to consider single-staircase residential buildings

Mr.Yotsaran/Shutterstock

Should the City of Vancouver adopt policies that enable the construction of small multi-family residential buildings up to six storeys with a single egress staircase?

Last week, Vancouver City Council approved a member motion by ABC city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung directing City staff to draft policies for consideration to enable such structures.

This would effectively align the City of Vancouver’s separate Vancouver Building Code with the Government of British Columbia’s BC Building Code, which applies to all other municipal jurisdictions in the province.

This follows the provincial government’s move in August 2024 that amended the BC Building Code to enable residential buildings up to six storeys with a single egress staircase.

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The motion directs City staff to report back on the potential municipal policy changes before the end of 2024.

Through such structural forms, the intention is to enable more homes on small lots, without requiring developers and non-profit housing organizations to form larger and more expensive land assemblies. Without the changes, based on the previous provincial policies, such low/mid-rise multi-family residential buildings over three storeys would need to have at least two egress staircases, which often requires a larger land footprint and drives up costs from the increased common floor area.

The amendments could not only improve the financial viability of housing projects, but also potentially improve livability from the creation of small floor plates that provide more windows for natural light and fresh air. It could also enable more flexibility for multi-bedroom apartments, more density within transit-oriented development areas, and potentially improved energy efficiency in buildings.

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The 2023-built Capitol Hill Community Houses is an example of a six-storey multi-family residential building with a single egress staircase. (Habitat For Humanity)

The provincial government also adopted the consultant’s recommended safety and design measures, such as enhanced sprinklers, smoke-management systems, and wider stairwells.

Following a consultant’s recommendations, the provincial government also enhanced the safety measures and design features for such buildings, including enhanced sprinklers, smoke-management systems, and wider stairwells.

Kirby-Yung’s motion also directs City staff to seek input from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services on the required safety considerations for such buildings.

To date, BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Association has expressed concerns over the safety of taller low/mid-rise buildings with a single egress staircase, asserting the BC Building Code’s enhanced fire safety requirements for such buildings do not go far enough.

“It is concerning that the Province of BC has reduced established critical life-saving features by circumventing the national code development consensus process. The national code development process ensures equal, non-biased dialogue between all stakeholders to ﬁnd consensus,” said BCPFFA president Todd Schierling in August 2024, after the BC Building Code was amended.

Fire Chiefs Association of BC president Dan Derby added, “Circumventing the code development process jeopardizes the public, building occupants, and ﬁrst responders. Much like smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, proper exiting is known to have saved thousands of lives and remains the fundamental building block to life safety.”

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