Public Hearing — February 3, 2026

Summary

Vancouver City Council public hearing, Tuesday February 3, 2026, chaired by Mayor Ken Sim.

6507–6527 Maple Street rezoning: Application to build a five-storey rental building in Kerrisdale. Neighbours raised concerns about traffic, parking, school capacity, and neighbourhood fit. Council approved unanimously (Councillor Bly absent).
138 East 7th Avenue CD-1 text amendment: Application to add four storeys of office space atop an existing building to support the Sarah McLaughlin School of Music. One neighbour raised privacy and setback concerns; the school's director spoke in strong support. Council approved unanimously (Councillor Bly absent).
1402–1462 Burrard / 1401–1451 Hornby / 900 Pacific Street — Councillor Fry's inclusionary zoning amendment: Motion to require a percentage of below-market units in the Burrard/Hornby towers. Defeated.
1402–1462 Burrard / 1401–1451 Hornby / 900 Pacific Street — main rezoning: Application by the city's Vancouver Housing Development Office for two rental towers (40 and 54 storeys, 1,089 units) on city-owned land. Approved with Councillors Fry and Orr opposed (Councillor Bly absent). Item 4 (a companion rezoning) recessed to February 10, 2026.

Attendance

Present: Ken Sim, Sarah Kirby-Yung, Lisa Dominato, Pete Fry, Brian Montague, Mike Klassen, Peter Meiszner, Lenny Zhou, Lucy Maloney, Sean Orr

Partial attendance:

Rebecca Bligh : absent 5 p.m. onward

Motions

Rezoning 6507-6527 Maple Street from residential district to residential rental district (RR2B) to permit a five-story residential rental building

Carried

Moved by Mike Klassen Vote 10 – 0 ▶ Watch Details →

Proposed rezoning two Kerrisdale lots from residential to rental district (RR2B) to allow a five-storey, ~70-unit purpose-built rental building.
Supporters on council highlighted the need for more rental supply, housing options for seniors to downsize within their neighbourhood, and consistency with the city's Secured Rental Policy.
Neighbours spoke against the proposal, citing an already-overcrowded Maple Grove Elementary (reported 88 students over capacity), narrow single-lane conditions on Maple Street, inadequate on-site parking (19 stalls for ~70 units), and concerns about neighbourhood character and cumulative infrastructure strain.
Staff noted engineering conditions requiring street lighting upgrades, new sidewalks, and lane crossings; confirmed tower-separation rules do not apply at this scale; and stated the project would not materially worsen existing traffic problems.
Several councillors acknowledged residents' concerns as valid and committed to advocate for school capacity and community amenity investment through separate capital-planning processes.
Carried unanimously (Councillor Bly absent).

CD-1 Text Amendment 138 East 7th Avenue to permit a six-story mixed-use building with office and service use (including yellow memo amendments)

Carried

Moved by Lisa Dominato Vote 10 – 0 ▶ Watch Details →

Proposed amending the existing CD-1 zone at 138 East 7th Avenue to allow a four-storey addition atop a two-storey building, creating a six-storey mixed-use office building that retains the Sarah McLaughlin School of Music (free after-school music for at-risk youth) on one full floor.
The Wolverton Foundation, which privately funds the school's space, argued the expansion is needed to generate rental income from additional office tenants to keep the school financially sustainable for the next decade.
Two neighbouring strata owners opposed the application, raising concerns about separation distances (as close as 43–48 feet at one corner), privacy and overlook, noise from music practice rooms, and increased laneway congestion.
Staff clarified that tower-separation rules do not apply to six-storey buildings under the Broadway Plan; the tightest separation affects one unit facing a blank stair-core wall, reducing direct overlook; and engineering conditions will upgrade the rear lane.
Council expressed strong support for the adaptive-reuse approach and for preserving a valued community arts institution near the new Broadway SkyTrain station and an upcoming city park.
Carried unanimously (Councillor Bly absent).

Amendment to CD-1 Rezoning 1402-1462 Burrard Street, 1401-1451 Hornby Street and 900 Pacific Street — Councillor Fry's inclusionary zoning amendment

Defeated

Moved by Pete Fry Vote 2 – 8 ▶ Watch Details →

Councillor Fry moved to add an inclusionary zoning requirement to the Burrard/Hornby towers, directing that a share of units be offered at below-market rents, consistent with what the city expects of private developers on large sites.
Proponents argued city-owned land should set an example, that Vancouver's median household income is below the $90,000–$190,000 income bands contemplated for the market-rental units, and that locking in affordability now is preferable to relying on future councils to redirect revenue.
Opponents on council argued inclusionary requirements would reduce project viability in a difficult financing environment, that the project already lacks a confirmed funding vehicle (the government business enterprise was not approved by council), and that affordable housing would be better pursued through a future revenue-recycling model or separate VAHEF partnerships.
Staff noted that given the substantial existing strata-density permissions on the site, there is minimal land-value lift to support affordability requirements, and that 100% subsidized housing at this scale would consume the province's entire Vancouver allocation for years.
Defeated — Councillors Fry and Orr in favour; Mayor Sim and Councillors Kirby-Young, Dominato, Montague, Classen, Meisner, Joe, and Maloney opposed; Councillor Bly absent.

Summary and Recommendation Referral Report dated January 6, 2026 Draft By-law to amend Zoning and Development By-law Draft By-law to amend Sign By-law Staff Presentation Applicant Presentation Correspondence – Support: 2 (January 29, 2026, up to 5 pm)Correspondence – Oppose: 4 (January 29, 2026, up to 5 pm)Correspondence – Other: 2 (January 29, 2026, up to 5 pm)Correspondence – Support: 2 (February 2, 2026, up to 4 pm)Correspondence – Oppose: 3 (February 2, 2026, up to 4 pm)Correspondence – Oppose: 1 (February 3, 2026, up to 5 pm)Correspondence – Other: 2 (February 3, 2026, up to 5 pm)Correspondence – Oppose: 1 (February 3, 2026, after 5 pm)

CD-1 Rezoning 1402-1462 Burrard Street, 1401-1451 Hornby Street and 900 Pacific Street — main motion to permit a mixed-use development of a 40-story and 54-story rental development with 1,089 secured rental units

Carried

Moved by Sarah Kirby-Yung Vote 8 – 2 ▶ Watch Details →

Proposed rezoning city-owned land at Burrard/Hornby/Pacific from an older comprehensive development district to a new CD-1 to allow two rental towers (54 and 40 storeys, 1,089 units, ground-floor commercial) delivered through the Vancouver Housing Development Office under the Rental Housing on City-Owned Lands Public Benefits Pilot Policy.
Key public benefits cited: ~$28–29.8 million in DCLs and public art; 1,089 secured market-rental homes (35% two-bedroom-or-larger); long-term non-tax revenue estimated to generate approximately $1 billion over 35–40 years; significant public realm improvements including terraced steps connecting Burrard Bridge to the waterfront.
Concerns raised included the absence of an approved financing vehicle (the government business enterprise was voted down), uncertainty about construction timing given current market conditions, one neighbour's worry about laneway safety, and Councillors Orr and Fry's objections that publicly owned land should deliver housing affordable to median-income Vancouverites rather than market rents.
Supporters argued the rezoning is worth securing now to boost the land's value on the city's balance sheet, create flexibility for future financing arrangements, and avoid further cost escalation; they compared the model to UBC's endowment-land approach and noted it could fund community infrastructure without raising property taxes.
The project is 100% rental secured by a housing agreement for the longer of 60 years or the life of the building; no strata conversion permitted.
Carried — Councillors Fry and Orr opposed; Councillor Bly absent. Item 4 (a companion rezoning on the same site block) recessed to February 10, 2026 at 3 p.m.

Source

Watch on Sliq

View agenda

ROLL CALL

1. Rezoning: 6507-6527 Maple Street

2. CD-1 Text Amendment: 138 East 7th Avenue

3. CD-1 Rezoning: 1402-1462 Burrard Street, 1401-1451 Hornby Street and 900 Pacific Street

4. CD-1 Rezoning: 1405 Main Street and 1510 Quebec Street