Vancouver mulls easing view cone policies to increase density

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Vancouver council is set to vote next week on whether to scrap some of the city’s decades-old protected views while reducing others to build much-needed housing, job and hotel space.

A staff report to go before council on July 10 says by relaxing view cone policies, the city can still protect the most iconic views while creating up to 215 million square feet of space to address the housing crisis.

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Vancouver’s protected public views, often referred to as view cones, allow for spectacular sights of the North Shore Mountains, the downtown skyline, select landmark buildings and Burrard Inlet. However over the years the demand for growth has led to a growing call for an overhaul of the city’s view restrictions.

The report recommends council repeal view protection guidelines established in 1989 and replace them with public view guidelines, which will still allow for stunning views while ensuring enough sunlight in public spaces.

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Some of the other proposed amendments include removing part of the view of the North Shore Mountains from Queen Elizabeth Park to support a million square feet of building space and removing some of the viewpoints from the Cambie Bridge to allow for more building height. Changes to the views from Olympic Village would open up space to build in the Downtown Eastside, the report says.

Protected views of Mount Seymour from the edge of the seawall below Alder Crossing would be slightly reduced to support development sites in the Stadium-Chinatown area of downtown.

The report says the city must balance the need for more housing, job space and hotel rooms while ensuring Vancouver continues growing as a livable, equitable and vibrant community.

In October, council voted to go ahead with a review of the city’s long-standing view cones, with a focus on continuing to protect key corridors while allowing increased housing, work and hotel space.

Councillor Peter Meizner, who brought forward the motion to review the city’s view cones, previously said there are lower priority view cones, along with building height limits, that are getting in the way of affordable housing developments. He added some view corridors are already obstructed, such as one on the seawall in False Creek where there’s a sail mast blocking views.

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He said one view cone was the reason a 39-storey social housing building at 508 Drake Street is being built as a triangle, noting that a third of the building got sliced off, causing the loss of scores of potential square footage.

The report also recommends regulating solar access to a consistent standard citywide, with the exception of downtown, to provide clarity to developers and the public. The approach would use the angle of the sun to establish a solar envelope.

Proposed development should not create new shadow impacts on public parks, schools, and village high streets between the spring and fall equinoxes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the report suggests.

ticrawford@postmedia.com

With files from Joseph Ruttle and Sarah Grochowski

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