![\"vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/vancouver-c-2a-zoning-map.jpg\"\/ "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nStaff with the City of Vancouver are proposing major zoning changes aimed at speeding up the construction of secured purpose-built rental housing and small hotels within mid-rise building heights up to six to eight storeys.<\/p>\n
In a new City staff report, City Council is being asked to consider creating a new simplified zoning category \u2014 called the C-2A district \u2014 that would allow faster approvals for such building uses and forms for thousands of properties across Vancouver.<\/p>\n
This week, City Council is expected to approve City staff\u2019s recommendation to hold a public hearing later this spring on the policy approach, before a final decision is made.<\/p>\n
This policy would rezone about 2,348 properties, which make up the majority of existing C-2 commercial areas, into the new C-2A designation. Generally, these lots are within existing retail strips along major\/arterial roads.<\/p>\n
The change would eliminate the need for individual rezoning applications for many projects, with property owners and developers going straight to the more advanced step of a simpler development permit application process. City staff state this could reduce both the time and cost required to get new projects approved.<\/p>\n
City staff note that while housing prices and rents have softened slightly over the past year, high construction and financing costs continue to make it difficult for developers to move projects forward. City planners state that speeding up approvals and simplifying rules is necessary to keep new housing projects viable and ensure supply continues.<\/p>\n
Under the proposed City-initiated rezoning, most new rental buildings in these areas could be built up to six storeys tall, with heights increasing to eight storeys near major public transit hubs. These developments would also be required to include commercial space at street level, such as retail, restaurants, and services.<\/p>\n
The changes would also make it easier to build small hotels outside of the downtown Vancouver peninsula. Currently, many hotel projects require rezoning, which can be costly and time consuming. The new zoning would allow these projects to proceed more directly through the development permit process, which City staff state could help increase hotel supply and support tourism.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
New C-2A zoning. (City of Vancouver)<\/p>\n
City staff note that their proposal is part of a broader effort to maintain housing construction during a period when many projects are at risk of being delayed or cancelled due to financial pressures. Without these kinds of changes, they warn that new housing supply could slow significantly in the coming years.<\/p>\n
This could also provide much-needed hotel room supply to address Vancouver\u2019s growing overnight accommodations shortage.<\/p>\n
If approved in the public hearing later this spring, the changes could come into effect later in 2026.<\/p>\n
Moreover, later this spring, City staff is also expected to present to City Council their finalized planning work for the creation 25 designated Village areas across Vancouver.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Staff with the City of Vancouver are proposing major zoning changes aimed at speeding up the construction of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":603359,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[49,48,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-603358","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vancouver","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-vancouver"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}