City of Burnaby council will meet next week to review a report regarding the City’s OCP that outlines a Draft Land Use Framework for the entire City.

The City had been working on an update to the OCP entitled ‘Burnaby 2050’, since 2022. This is the first time that a draft land use document has been presented to the public showing potential land use for every lot.

The City is also working on a new Zoning Bylaw that will introduce a new “height-based development framework” in which land use designations are based on height (measured in storeys) as opposed to density and Floor Space Ratio (FSR). Details of the new Zoning Bylaw have not yet been released.

Burnaby 2050 Draft Land Use Map: (click here to see detail in pdf)

The new Official Community Plan Land Use Framework, and the corresponding Zoning Bylaw Districts are proposed to have seven (7) non-residential designations and nine (9) residential designations, each with a corresponding colour:

The full map can be viewed here: https://pub-burnaby.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=76735

The updated draft land use plan accommodates the most recent TOA legislation (which was tabled by Burnaby council for 90 days) as well as upcoming Royal Oak and Edmonds Area Plans.

In addition to the land use designations, the City will be implementing a series of “Policy Overlays” to certain areas, blocks and lots. Examples of proposed Policy Overlays include: Rental Tenure, Streamside Development Permit Areas, Statutory Rights-of-Way, and Special Study Areas.

Community Benefit Density Bonus

The City has also outlined a new, modified density bonus program:

• The OCP land use designations describe intended heights of buildings; however, a parcel may be eligible for additional height, beyond what is considered “additional supported height”, in exchange for provision of an on-site amenity or cash-in-lieu of an on-site amenity (“Community Benefit Density Bonus”), so long as it does not exceed the permitted height of the next most permissive land use category (if there is one).
• Density bonusing opportunities are identified for the High-Rise Apartment 1, 2, and 3 designations, and may be considered in the Low-Rise 1, Low-Rise 2, Midrise 1, and Midrise 2 designations subject to City policy and bylaws.
• Similar to the “additional supported height” scenarios, for residentially designated properties, additional height may be supportable so long as it does not exceed the permitted height of the next most permissive land use category (if there is one).

The draft land use map will be brought forward for public engagement in September 2024, with a report back to Council in late 2024 and an expectation of a final version in early 2025.

The District of North Vancouver has released a report outlining their updated development charges as part of their compliance with Provincial legislation. The DNV’s last major update to DCC’s was in 2018, and a further update was underway in 2023 when Bill 46 required new development financing tools. DCC’s were last adjusted for inflation in the DNV in 2022.

The District is updating it’s rates to be based on a per dwelling unit basis, as opposed to the previous per sq metre.

Here are the proposed DCC and ACC rates:

The DNV notes in its report: “As required by the new provincial housing legislation, a more fulsome review of growth will be completed over the next year, and development charges will be updated again in the fall of 2025.”

The City of Vancouver has released a report outlining proposed by-laws to implement rezoning policy under the Provincial Legislation: Bill 47 for transit oriented areas.

The proposed rezoning policy includes the following:

• Land Use Framework: The rezoning policy generally follows the tiers identified in the
  TOA Policy Manual for heights and densities, with some minor adjustments:
  • For Tier 1 (200m, 20-storey inner ring), the density has been increased from a Floor
    Space Ratio (FSR) of 5.0 to 5.5 FSR
  • This also applies to certain RM-zoned properties in the Commercial-Broadway Station Precinct of the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan that are up to 400 m from the Station.
  • In all tiers, the policy will also support applications for low-rise market rental developments of 4- or 5-storeys, and 6-storeys with 20% below-market rental, which could be rezoned directly into existing rental residential (RR) district schedules rather than custom zones for each site.
  • Ground floor commercial required where it aligns with existing area plans, or on arterial sites within 400 meters of a station, otherwise at option of developer.
• Tenure & Affordability: Proposals seeking to maximize height and density in all Tiers (20-storey,
  12-storey and 8-storey rings), will be required to:
  • Secure 100% as rental, with a minimum 20% as below-market rental; or
  • Deliver 30% as “turn-key” social housing.
• Tenant Protection: The same enhanced tenant stability and protection policies approved for the Broadway Plan are included in the TOA Rezoning Policy.
• Heritage: Properties may be limited in historic areas or for properties with an HRA. 10% additional density available for sites that retain, conserve or designate heritage on site.
• Infrastructure: upgrades may be required and can be confirmed and/or implemented during the rezoning process.
• Process: A rezoning enquiry will be strongly encouraged prior to submission of a formal rezoning application.
• CACs: Residential rezonings opting to pursue TOA heights and densities enabled under the TOA rezoning policy would be expected to provide the required affordable housing (social or below-market rental) to achieve the identified height and/or floor space. For these rezonings, no additional cash CAC contribution or proforma review will be required as staff are recommending a CAC exemption for these inclusionary housing projects.

The full report, as well as individual TOA maps confirming parcels, can be viewed here: https://council.vancouver.ca/20240626/documents/cfsc1.pdf