Vancouver City Council may review how view cones impact housing

Vancouver City Council to consider review on how view cones impact housing

Existing protected mountain view cones. (City of Vancouver)

In an effort to address impediments to housing and economic growth, Vancouver City Council is set to consider creating a review of how the protected mountain view cones impact the potential supply of housing and job space.

ABC city councillor Peter Meiszner has put together a member motion directing City of Vancouver staff on initiating a review of the City’s View Cone Protection Guidelines to “determine the amount of additional housing, job space, and public benefits that could potentially be built on sites currently impacted by view cone restrictions.”

This would particularly target view cones deemed to be obsolete and/or no longer functionally relevant.

Additionally, City staff will compile a list of all enforced framed and panoramic views and/or view cones, with City staff reporting back by late 2023 on vantage points that can be eliminated to unlock additional housing and job space as an immediate interim step.

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The motion is expected to see approval by the ABC-led City Council, with City staff asked to report back on early findings and the scope of work before the end of this year. Then in the second quarter of 2024, City staff will return with a full report.

The ABC Vancouver party first indicated its intention of reviewing the City’s view cones policy during Mayor Ken Sim’s remarks at his inaugural Greater Vancouver Board of Trade address in January 2023.

The creation of the view cone policy was first created in 1989, with a handful of North Shore mountain views protected from various public spaces deemed important by the municipal government. Over time, the number of protected view cones grew to a total of 26, with the most impact view cone being View Cone 3 emanating from the viewpoint atop Queen Elizabeth Park, which spans most of Vancouver’s central areas — across the Central Broadway area and the downtown Vancouver peninsula.

View Cone 3.0 from Queen Elizabeth Park blankets much of Central Broadway and the downtown peninsula. (City of Vancouver)

The view cone policy also completely overrides the City’s community plans and many other policies that allow for taller buildings at a particular location. View cones have been a pinnacle consideration for City staff when reviewing building proposal applications.

These view cones have significantly limited the potential height and shape of buildings, which impacts the amount of residential and commercial density, and the financial viability of the various building uses.

In an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized, Meiszner emphasized that while the review will analyze all view cones, it would especially target view cones that no longer have the intended protected mountain view impact.

“There are some view cones around Vancouver that are no longer visible. So for example, there are few cones where there are trees that have grown in front of them, or their sale masks that are obscuring the view cones, or there are even some driving view cones. So there are actually three view cones on the Granville Street Bridge, for example, that are only visible from a moving vehicle. So those are the those are the ones that I think are lower priority,” he said.

This includes view cones that currently protect the mountain view for a few seconds while driving over a bridge in False Creek.

“Essentially, you know, the whole concept behind this is that we are in a housing crisis, and we have to think about, does it make sense to protect some of these lighter views over delivering housing? Because, you know, people can’t live in a view, right?” he continued.

A View Cone limits the potential for taller buildings at Army & Navy for more homes & job space.

Which View Cone? The playground at Creekside Park, next to Science World, where trees and play structures block the protected view. #vanpoli #vanre 2/2https://t.co/5mFhywSxDW pic.twitter.com/Z2U2GLNjb2

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) September 22, 2023

830-850 Thurlow Street 1045 Haro Street Vancouver Intracorp

The proposed tower at 830-850 Thurlow Street and 1045 Haro Street, as seen from View Cone D emanating from Leg-in-Boot Square on the South False Creek seawall. The view cone is blocked by both sailboat masts next to the marina and the tower. (Patkau Architects/Intracorp)

Meiszner added that the view cones are also being reviewed to specifically ensure the City can capitalize on the major investments made by senior governments on the SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension, which anchors the City’s Broadway Plan’s transit-oriented development strategy. The Broadway Plan is particularly impacted by View Cone 3 from Queen Elizabeth Park.

He cited examples of projects in downtown Vancouver being forced to pivot from secured purpose-built rental housing to strata condominiums due to the poor financial viability of not being able to build taller for more rental housing density. Even major projects with 100% social housing uses have been adversely impacted, resulting in significantly fewer highly affordable homes.

“We want to make sure that we’re actually going to reach our goals, which is delivering more housing while balancing the natural beauty of Vancouver,” said Meiszner.

Earlier this year, City Council approved the elimination of non-mountain protected view cones that face to the south from False Creek and the downtown Vancouver peninsula to protect landmark views of the 1936-built heritage Vancouver City Hall building at the corner of Cambie Street and West 12th Avenue. This policy stems from a 1976 guideline.

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