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Transit Oriented Development Areas
Overview
In late 2023, the Provincial government passed legislation that required municipalities to designate Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Areas near transit hubs, to encourage additional housing to be created in well-connected places.
TOD Areas are defined as land within 800 meters of a SkyTrain station. There are five areas in New Westminster:
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22nd Street Station (new area vision complete)
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New Westminster Station
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Columbia Station
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Sapperton Station
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Braid Station
The City has planned for and enabled development for many years around its SkyTrain stations, and most of these areas in New Westminster are well on their way to meeting the Province’s form and density goals already.
Transit Oriented Development Land Use Designations
As part of updates to the Official Community Plan to implement new Provincial housing legislation, land use designations have been updated around four of the five SkyTrain stations in New Westminster. More information on the new Mid Rise and Limited Mid Rise land use designations within TOD Areas can be found here.
Land use designations around 22nd Street SkyTrain will be updated through implementation of reGENERATE vision for that area.
Development Opportunities
For detailed information on making a development application in one of New Westminster’s TOD areas see:
A designation does not mean that (re)development is allowed outright or that the site is ‘pre-zoned’ for construction. For many properties, a rezoning application will still be required. The new legislation does not change the existing rezoning process such as application fees or staff review. It also does not remove the City’s ability to establish some conditions of approval for applications, such as protection for existing tenants and infrastructure and servicing upgrades.
Building Height and Density
In TOD areas, the Province has required the City to consider applications with the forms (building height) and densities (calculated with a floor space ratio) shown in the table below. Though, as noted above, local governments retain the ability to turn down applications for reasons other than height or density.
Minimum allowable height and density
TOD Area Tier |
Distance from SkyTrain Station (Metres) |
Allowable Building Height (Storeys) |
Allowable Density (Floor-Space Ratio) |
|
1 |
200 or less |
Up to 20 |
Up to 5.0 |
|
2 |
200 – 400 |
Up to 12 |
Up to 4.0 |
|
3 |
400 – 800 |
Up to 8 |
Up to 3.0 |
This minimum density framework has been incorporated into updated land use designations. It is important to understand that this level of development is still required to go through the rezoning process.
Parking
In TOD areas, the City can no longer require a developer or owner to supply a minimum number of vehicle parking spaces in a residential building. These areas are anticipated to be well-connected with transit and active transportation options like walking and cycling paths which are expected to reduce the need for personal vehicles. Some parking will still be required. For example: accessibility stalls and for bicycles. In other types of uses or buildings, like commercial (e.g. a retail store) and institutional (e.g. a school), parking requirements have not impacted.
22nd Street Station Area
In 2024, Council endorsed the 22nd Street Station Area Bold Vision. Throughout 2026, the City will focus on transitioning the Vision from a concept to reality through detailed technical analysis resulting in policy and regulatory changes.
On August 25, 2025, Council endorsed a work plan that outlines the core implementation work that will create the necessary urban planning and regulatory framework to guide growth and investment in the area to ensure the goals in the Vision are achieved.
Until this work is complete, development applications in the Vision area would be considered premature.
Click here to learn more about the 22nd Street Station Area Bold Vision
Design Guidelines
The City is preparing new design guidelines for applications for mid-rise buildings within the Transit Oriented Development Areas. This work is underway and anticipated to conclude in early 2027. Until these guidelines are complete, applications are expected to use the existing guidance as directed by the Development Permit Areas.