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Family Friendly Housing Policy

Since Policy adoption, the City has noticed the size of units, amenity spaces, and storages areas are often minimized to fit in more units. This affects how functional and livable the units are for families with children. To address this, the City is updating the Policy to better align design details with today’s family’s needs and current economic conditions. Visit Be Heard New West to learn more, comment or ask questions.

In 2015, the City started work on a Family-Friendly Housing Policy. As part of the background work, the City conducted a housing supply analysis which found that the city ranked 21st out of 22 Metro Vancouver municipalities with regard to ground-oriented housing and 20th out of 22 Metro Vancouver municipalities with regard to three-bedroom units. The City also conducted a feasibility study which concluded that there is no negative impact on return on cost with an increased proportion of two- and three-bedroom units in new multi-family project.

Based on the consultation and research, the City mandated that multi-family ownership projects include a minimum of 30% two- and three-bedroom units, and that at least 10% of the total project units be three-bedrooms or more and that multi-family rental projects include a minimum of 25% two- and three-bedroom units, and that at least 5% of the total project units be three-bedrooms or more. The policy and bylaw came into effect on January 1, 2016, with the City becoming the first municipality in British Columbia to require minimum percentage of three-bedroom units in new multi-family projects.

Family Friendly Housing Policy