At a council meeting on June 23, the District of North Vancouver Council will consider several changes to single-family zoning that would reshape how single-family homes are designed, sized and built. Staff say the current bylaw dates to 1965 and needs to be “modern, streamlined and easy to use.”
“The proposed zoning bylaw amendments are intended to ease regulatory constraints for new houses, suites and coach houses to address the goal of offering more diverse housing options that better suit the community’s needs,” the report states. If councillors endorse the direction, the detailed wording will be brought back for a final decision.
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Discourage fully in-ground basements: All single-family zones contain a floor space exemption rule that grants “free floor space” to deep basements and cellars. This creates an incentive for new homes to feature deep basements and cellars, which can lead to issues such as increased flooding risk, groundwater disruption, carbon-intensive concrete, limited daylight, and difficult accessibility. “A core strategy of the proposed single-family zoning update is to no longer incentivize basements and cellars,” the report says. Staff are proposing regulations that would discourage fully in-ground basements while permitting partial basements, which are necessary to build homes on sloped lots.
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Raise height to allow a partial third storey. Builders could lift the living space above grade instead of digging down. The new single-family zone proposes to permit a partial third storey for the principal building to ‘lift’ basements out of the ground. However, coach houses are still suggested to be limited to two storeys. Council could also permit a full third storey on all homes as an alternative.
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Shift some floor area into the front yard. To shift living space above ground, staff propose easing front-yard rules: trim the minimum setback so houses can sit a little closer to the street, and permit a two-storey section in part of the front yard—the area now reserved for side-entry garages.
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Expand the coach-house cap to 1,400 sq. ft. The draft bylaw would allow coach houses to expand from 90 m² (969 sq. ft.) to 130 m² (approximately 1,400 sq. ft.), sufficient for a three-bedroom unit. The change would allow for larger, family-friendly units, multi-generational living, or more substantial rental suites. Owners could also shift square footage between the two buildings, as long as they remain within the total allowance.
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Collapse more than 20 single-family zones into a handful. Most lots now sit in one of five standard zones or 14 neighbourhood-specific zones that differ only slightly. Merging them “will lead to simpler, more consistent and predictable regulations,” staff write, and should speed up permit reviews.
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Adjust technical rules on liveability and efficiency. The draft bylaw keeps the current parking minimums (two stalls for a house, three for a house with a suite or coach house). It introduces allowances for elevators, encourages thicker energy-efficient exterior walls, updates landscaping standards, and explores tree-retention tools. Parking reductions could still be sought through variances.
Planners emphasize that the overall amount of space a homeowner can build is not being cut. “Staff recommend that a key principle unpinning the proposed changes is to generally maintain the existing development rights of single-family lots,” the report notes. A typical new home already measures 5,000 to 6,000 square feet once exempt basements and garages are counted.
The report notes that these changes will happen gradually. About 120 single-family houses or coach-house projects receive permits each year, which is less than one percent of the district’s 16,000 detached homes. “These changes are expected to support incremental change over time, and not dramatically alter established neighbourhoods,” the staff write.
Should the council give the nod, staff will prepare the final zoning text, refine coach-house siting rules and launch a public information campaign before the amendments return in the fall.
The elimination of basements and cellars with no windows is a good move in my view.
The increased criteria for the building envelope giving new homes the green light for added d height
and the flexibility of building increased density on front yard set backs has its own set of problems.
Neighbourhood athletics
Take a drive down Aurora St in Cap Highlands and look at the new build. It certainly does not compliment the 1 level house adjacent to it. There are other examples as well, please take a drive in your area and visualize the new zoning proposals and there effects on you.
Lights – increased site density allows for more houses and street lighting.
Take your drive in the evening man well and view the large homes now with excessive lighting around
their homes and gardens It has been well documented that wild life, people living close to these
homes have increased stress levels that undermine their health and well being. Er currently have no
bylaws restricting this invasion of neighbouring homes that restricts the installation of these lights on properties.
High water levels throughout the district have been a major problem for years in house building.
In the past ranchers were built that did not interfere with the drainage issues and gardens supplied much of the soil retention. In my opinion these changes require more thought and community in put.