New Zoning By-Laws in Vancouver Could Triple Missing Middle Density

Vancouver City Council voted 7-4 on Thursday to approve sweeping zoning reforms that will allow multiplex housing—including fourplexes and sixplexes—on virtually every residential lot in the city. The by-law changes, which take effect July 1, represent the most significant overhaul of Vancouver's residential zoning since the creation of the RS-1 single-family zone in 1956.

Under the new rules, homeowners will be able to build up to six units on a standard 33-foot lot without a rezoning application. Secondary suites, laneway houses, and coach houses will also be permitted in addition to the primary multiplex, effectively allowing up to eight dwelling units on a single residential lot.

Mayor Ken Sim called the reforms "a generational correction" to policies that have "locked families out of the neighbourhoods where they grew up." Opponents argued the changes were too sweeping and would fundamentally alter the character of established residential areas.

Housing economists estimate the reforms could add 40,000-60,000 new housing units over the next decade, primarily in the form of purpose-built rental and owner-occupied multiplexes.