Ron Matin
The City of North Vancouver is taking on an ambitious project to revamp its zoning bylaw, which was adopted in 1995 and is largely a carryover from the 1967 version. The Planning and Development Department notes that the bylaw needs to be updated, up to date, and easier to navigate, and, it is overdue for modernization.
The City’s project is classified as “Zoning for a Healthy City,”. Its goal is to create a more nimble and responsive bylaw that supports Housing Diversity & Livability, improves Building Forms & Streets Interface, and creates a new framework for continued innovation in the future.
Why zoning matters
Zoning bylaws are crucial for regulating land development and achieving different policy goals. They define how land may be used, what types of buildings are allowed, and the location of them.
Additionally, they set requirements for parking, landscaping, and other design considerations. Zoning bylaws can have a significant impact on the livability and sustainability of a city, influencing factors such as walkability, transit use, and community cohesion.
North Vancouver’s current zoning bylaw is based on the principle of separating uses from the 1950s and 60s, which is no longer suited to today’s needs. The City has created mechanisms like Comprehensive Development Zones to enable the mixing of uses, but they do not solve the fundamental issue of the bylaw’s outdatedness.
The new bylaw will be modelled on a form-based approach is considered a best practice for regulating land development and achieving policy goals. It will be more design-focused, with particular attention to how buildings frame the public realm. Specifically, the main goals of The Bylaw, are the following:
- Contextualizing Parking Requirements
- Improving The Building-Street-Interface
- Streamlining Development Approvals
- Creating Complete and Sustainable Communities
- Housing Developments & Liability
- Future opportunities.
The three phases
The Zoning for a Healthy City project will go down within three different phases. This will take place over two years, this is from now until around 3 years.
- Until November 2023, the project team will gather and analyze information regarding existing City policies and best practices.
- From November 2023 to September 2024, the team will work on drafting a new zoning bylaw, including financial, location, and user testing.
- Before the bylaw is finalized and approved between September 2024 and November 2024, the team will evaluate it for a full year to see whether any issues need to be addressed.
The project team
The City of North Vancouver has enlisted the help of Toronto-based consulting firm Urban Strategies Inc. to work on the project. Urban Strategies has extensive experience working with municipalities to modernize zoning and is well-suited to help North Vancouver create a more responsive and livable city. This is effectively an important section for the real estate market of NV, as the environment affects the market. This affects buyers of homes or home sellers.
Funding and evaluation
The City has given the project team a budget of $375K from its 2022-2031 Capital Plan, and the Province of British Columbia’s Development Approvals Process Review (DAPR) project has also provided grant funding. The grant maximum is $500K, however, the funding from different provinces is currently undetermined. After the new zoning bylaw is implemented, the City will evaluate it for a full year to see issues that need to be addressed.
All in all, North Vancouver’s Zoning for a Healthy City project is an exciting opportunity to see play out. After the new zoning bylaw is implemented, the City will evaluate it for a full year to see whether any issues need to be addressed. We look forward to seeing North Vancouver become a healthier and more livable city through this important project.