The proposal was attacked by opponents as a reckless and irreversible step
But city councillors have now voted in favour of cutting off the iconic vistas for some residents. The plan is to liberalize planning guidelines to make it easier for homebuilders to erect extra, higher towers — at the cost of cutting off views.
The proposal to eliminate and narrow a series of so-called “view cones” that restricted development is part of an effort by Mayor Ken Sim to deal with the downside of the city’s desirability — it doesn’t have nearly enough houses, and home prices and rents have surged.
The prize is as much as 215 million square feet of extra space for development, according to a report by the city’s general manager of planning and urban design. City planners estimate the changes could lead to as many as 75,000 additional housing units over 30 years, and as many as 300,000 over the next century.
Some protected views, with their origins in the 1980s, are being scrapped altogether, and several others narrowed or otherwise altered. Some leave summits unobstructed but give developers freedom to obscure surrounding slopes.
While Vancouver’s small downtown core is already one of Canada’s densest districts, it’s surrounded by miles of low, sprawling single family homes. The view cone change is one of many efforts to increase the city’s density.
Provincial and city lawmakers are pushing a range of other measures to accelerate housebuilding in the region, from state-backed loans to expanding the use of mass timber in taller buildings. It’s “hard to keep up” with demand for infrastructure and services, according to British Columbia Premier David Eby.