A coloured rendered image of a row of multiplexes

Housing options in lower density areas

Adding housing choice in neighbourhoods across Vancouver

Shifting towards the right supply of housing to meet the needs of people who live and work in Vancouver is a key objective of the Housing Vancouver Strategy.

Part of delivering the right supply is to provide more housing that falls between single-family homes and higher density apartments, often referred to as “missing middle” housing.

Adding housing choice across the city in our lower-density neighbourhoods is part of the effort to create more complete neighbourhoods; a goal emerging from work on the Vancouver Plan.

What's happeningAdding missing middle housing and simplifying regulations in low-density neighbourhoods

We're exploring opportunities to add more missing middle housing, specifically multiplexes with up to six units per lot, in low-density neighbourhoods across the city. This work also involves looking at changes to simplify rules for existing housing options including houses, duplexes, and laneway houses.

Key objectives include:

Providing more housing choices in low-density neighbourhoods
Allowing more design flexibility for new buildings
Simplifying rules to create a more efficient permitting system

Learn more on
Shape Your City

Review previous Council memos and presentations:

No policy or zoning changes have been approved yet, and applications to build new multiplexes in low-density areas cannot be accepted at this time. The earliest a council decision on changes following a public hearing is expected is fall 2023.