The City of Vancouver released a report and presentation to council today which outlines the proposed process and timeline for a new City-wide Plan which hasn’t occured in almost a century.

The 1995 City Plan also launched a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood process to create community ‘visions’ and neighbourhood centres. However, the neighbourhood plan process took 14 years to progress, lost momentum, and was eventually redirected into a series of area and community plans, several of which have been completed (Marpole, West End, Downtown Eastside, Grandview-Woodland, Cambie Corridor, etc.)

Below is a brief overview of some of the relevant points presented to City Council as to the planning process:

Objectives

Aside from general planning for future growth, the City outlines the objectives of the City-wide Plan as follows:

• Advancing reconciliation between the City and the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh Nations and urban Indigenous communities
• Pursuing reconciliation with our historical past, including traditionally marginalized
  communities.
• Maintaining Vancouver as a diverse and inclusive community
• Increasing and protecting housing supply that is locally affordable
• Addressing the city’s transportation needs
• Growing local jobs in a sustainable and diverse economy
• Enhancing social well-being and local food security
• Improving public amenity provision and cultural vitality
• Rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help tackle the climate crisis
• Planning for complete neighbourhoods, exploring new housing types and densities
• Enhancing sociable and safe places for people and vibrant livable, well-designed
  neighbourhoods and shopping streets
• Making connections to the metropolitan region and Cascadia

Timing

The staff report indicates a general planning and engagement process that is anticipated to take about three years from Council approval of the planning program to adoption of the Citywide Plan. The target date is Q2 2022.

Here is a diagram outlining the various phases:

Impact on Current Zoning/Policies

A new City-wide Plan will potentially impact zoning policy in many areas of the City, including  those that already have existing community plans or rezoning policies. The report offers some suggestion as to how these may be dealt with:

Recently Completed Area and Community Plans: 

Over the past ten years, the City has approved several new community plans including: Cambie Corridor Plan (2018), Northeast False Creek Plan (2018), Joyce Collingwood Station Area Precinct (2017), False Creek Flats Plan (2017), Grandview-Woodland Community Plan (2016), Marpole Community, Plan (2014), Downtown Eastside Plan (2014) West End Community Plan (2013).

The report notes: “The intent of the City-wide Plan is not to revisit policy directions covered under these plans; however, through the process there will be opportunity to ensure these plans align with the identified values and directions of the new City-wide Plan. Updates and enhancements to various policies and plans may arise in order to improve directions towards the overall vision for the city, or respond to urgent issues and opportunities that arise during the planning process.”

City-wide Policies:

“There are also a number of city-wide land use policies that have been adopted over the years that will be considered through the City-wide Plan process. While applications under these policies/programs will continue to be considered during the planning process, their long-term applicability will be informed by the City-wide Plan. Examples include: Rental 100; Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP); and the Affordable Housing Choices Program (AHCP).”

Community Visions:

Community Visions including the Norquay Village Neighbourhood Centre Plan and Kingsway and Knight Neighbourhood Centre: Housing Area Plan, will be re-explored through the City-wide Plan process.

Rezoning Enquiries During the Planning Process:

It is being recommended that existing rezoning policies remain in effect during the  process, until such time as specific policies are brought forward. This would be anticipated to occur generally towards the end of the planning program, likely in conjunction with the adoption of new policy (e.g. a new City-wide Plan) addressing the areas for which older policy is being updated or repealed to align with new City-wide Plan directions.

Concurrent Planning Programs

The report indicates that time sensitive plans that are already in process including the Broadway Plan and Jericho Lands Policy Statement will continue on and will be coordinated and connected with the City-wide Plan as best as possible.

The City-wide Plan is estimated to require 30-35 staff and will cost $17.9 Million.

General Manager of Planning Gil Kelley has suggested that if approved by Council, community consultation will get underway in or around October 2019.

The full staff report entitled: A City-wide Plan for Vancouver: Report back on General Planning and Engagement Process can be viewed here: https://council.vancouver.ca/20190709/documents/rr1.pdf

The City of Vancouver is seeking approval for their annual inflationary adjustment to DCL (Development Cost Levy) rates and CAC targets.

The inflationary rate adjustment to DCLs and CAC targets are an annual process that allows the City to keep pace with annual changes in property values and construction costs.  

The proposed 2019 inflationary rate adjustment represents an increase of 5.2%, reflecting increases in the cost of land and non-residential construction costs. A core principle behind the annual inflationary rate adjustment system is that it should be able to adapt to market changes. As a result of a weakening residential market, it is recommended that this year’s inflationary rate adjustment be applied only to non-residential rate categories, maintaining existing rates for residential uses. The one exception is the phase-in of the Vancouver Utilities DCL rate for high-density residential development on the east side.

The annual inflation index since 2010 is outlined in the table below:

The 2019 rate adjustments are outlined in the following tables from the City Staff report:

The staff report outlines the following economic rationale for the inflationary rates for both residential and commercial:

Residential Market

• According to City of Vancouver data, the value of year-to-date building permits
  issued (as of March 2019) has declined by 24.1% from last year’s value;
• According to CMHC, year-to-date new housing starts in the City (as of May 2019)
  have increased by 3.8% compared to 2018;
• According to CMHC, year-to-date new housing absorptions in the City (as of May 2019) have declined 20% compared to 2018;
• UDI’s State of the Market report for Q1 2019 also showed that sales across new
  concrete condominiums, wood frame condominiums, and townhouses have
  declined to some of the lowest levels observed in Vancouver since Q1 2013 and that inventories of unsold units are trending upward;
• UDI’s State of the Market report for Q4 2018 indicated that new tax measures and stricter mortgage lending policies have contributed to uncertainty and pessimism in the Metro Vancouver market from real estate investors;
• According to data from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (April 2019),
  resale home prices have declined year-over-year for all housing types in all locations of the region. In Vancouver, year-over-year resale prices are down between 9% and 14% depending on the location and type of housing.
  .
  Non-Residential Market
  • Colliers, Cushman & Wakefield, and CBRE indicate strong demand for office space with vacancy rates reported as low as 2.0% in Downtown Vancouver along with high amounts of office floor area absorption and increased average asking rents. There is also a large amount of supply anticipated for completion in the early 2020s with large multinational tech firms opening new offices in Vancouver.
  • Colliers, Cushman & Wakefield, and CBRE also report increased demand for industrial floor space with vacancy rates reported as low as 1.9% in Vancouver. New supply is being constructed featuring a mix of ground floor production space and office on upper levels.

Target allocations of DCL revenues are estimated as follows:

• Replacement housing – 36%
• Transportation – 25%
• Parks – 18%
• Childcare – 13%
• Utilities (Upgrades for Affordable Housing) – 8%

A full copy of the 2019 Annual Inflationary Rate Adjustment to Development Contributions and Associated DCL Amendments can be viewed here: http://council.vancouver.ca/20170725/documents/p8.pdf

The City of Coquitlam Council will receive a report next week for information and feedback regarding residential density and land use transition approach for the City Centre Area Plan (CCAP) Update. The planning update got underway last year, and it is anticipated that a draft plan will be presented to Council in Summer 2019.

The original CCAP was developed in 2008, and updated with a Transit Oriented Development Strategy in 2012. This update was initiated to capitalize on the Evergreen Line, with an intent to prioritize high density development around the new station areas. The City Centre update projects 24,000 new residents by 2046.

The focus for proposed new residential density will be broadly defined in two separate areas:

Core Area 

The majority of land use changes to the existing 2008 CCAP are proposed around
the Coquitlam Centre and Lincoln Skytrain stations. Currently, the maximum permitted density for all residential and commercial uses under the City Centre Commercial land use designation (C-4 zone) is 6.5 FAR inclusive of density available for affordable housing, with a 0.5 FAR commercial floor space requirement. It is proposed that a maximum FAR of 6.5, inclusive of density available for affordable housing, and a 1.0 commercial FAR requirement be applied in the Commercial Downtown Core until a comprehensive review of the City’s density bonus program is completed. 

The City separately reviewed commercial densities in a discussion paper released last month in which an increase in minimum commercial densities in the City Centre was recommended.

For areas designated as City Centre Commercial outside of the Commercial Downtown Core, the existing 6.5 FAR maximum, inclusive of density available for affordable housing, and 0.5 FAR commercial floor would be maintained.

Shoulder Area

Outside of the Commercial Downtown Core and City Centre Commercial designation, a combination of high and medium density residential rounds out the residential density and land use transition.

High density residential allows up to a 5.5 FAR, inclusive of density available for
affordable housing, under the RM-6 zone without any height limit and the medium density land use allows up to a 2.64 FAR, inclusive of density available for affordable housing, under the RM-3 zone with a height limit up to 8-storeys.

To provide a transition to the adjacent lower density neighbourhoods, site
specific height limits are proposed for high density (20-25 storey) and medium
density (4-6 storey) residential areas. Although proposed residential land use changes are primarily within the CCAP Focus Area, staff recommends a land use change for the area east of Inlet Street and south of Tahsis Avenue from low density apartment residential and townhousing to medium density with a 4-6 storey height limit.

A medium density land use form with a 4-6 storey height limit in this area will serve as a transitional land use between the Commercial Downtown Core and peripheral areas in City Centre and blend into adjacent established, lower density neighbourhoods.

A draft plan will be developed with a final round of public consultation and council consideration later this year.

Further detail on the City Center Area Plan update can be viewed on the City of Coquitlam’s website, here: https://www.coquitlam.ca/planning-and-development/resources/special-plans-projects/city-centre-area-plan-update