Mass Rezoning Along Broadway & Cambie Corridors
Vancouver wants to pre-zone land in the Broadway and Cambie areas to simplify development—but critics warn it could bypass public input and risk tenant displacement.
WBN News Kitsilano
✍️ By Karalee Greer | WBN News – Kitsilano | July 23, 2025 Subscription to WBN and being a Contributor is Free.
Vancouver’s Broadway & Cambie Corridor is undergoing one of the most transformative urban developments in its history.
Anchored by the soon-to-be-completed Broadway Subway extension, the 10-block Innovation Corridor—stretching from Clark Drive to Vine Street—is being positioned as a central engine of economic growth, research, and transit-integrated living for the city’s future.
Originally driven by housing pressures and transit limitations, the corridor’s evolution now reflects a bold convergence of transit planning, densification policy, and strategic investment in innovation ecosystems.
The City of Vancouver is advancing a major rezoning initiative targeting roughly 4,300 parcels within the Broadway and Cambie Plan areas. Proposed at a Council meeting this week, the plan would reclassify these parcels under uniform zoning categories—R‑3 (low-rise), R‑4 (mid-rise), and R‑5 (high-rise)—eliminating the need for site-specific rezoning and allowing developers to proceed directly to development permits. https://globalnews.ca/news/11297041/broadway-cambie-rezoning/
Officials project the move could cut 12–15 months off the development timeline by eliminating rezoning procedures; however, even with accelerated permits, construction-ready approval still takes 24–36 months Global NewsShape Your City Vancouver.
The rezoning districts would support buildings from four to 22 storeys, concentrating high-rises near transit and commercial nodes. These higher-density zones would also require affordable housing or childcare facilities, and may include local-serving retail.
Timeline & Permit Process
If Council endorses the motion at an upcoming public hearing, the standardized districts could be enacted via bylaw as early as September 2025. Developers in rezoned areas could then bypass the multi-month rezoning stage and proceed directly to development permit applications—though final building permits would still come within two to three years.
Developer and Public Concerns
Supporters, including Chief Planner Josh White, praise the approach as a “glass-box” model fostering transparency and efficiency, reducing uncertainty in timing and cost Shape Your City Vancouver. Nevertheless, critics have raised notable objections:
- Michael Geller, a retired architect-planner, warns the process “basically rezones it so they don’t have to go through any public consultation or council consideration.” Global News.
- Residents, including Stephanie Ondrack and Ron Gurr, say the fast-paced development, noise, and construction stress are overwhelming, and demand continued local input Global News.
Housing advocates caution that rental displacement remains a concern, even though the city’s Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy (TRPP) still applies to development permits. The policy mandates tenant notification, compensation, and the option to return at pre-construction rent rates or a 20% discount on average market rent Shape Your City Vancouver.
Balancing Growth and Community
Proponents argue the rezoning is essential to deliver on the Broadway Plan’s promise of 64,000 new homes and 45,000 jobs over 30 years. https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/zoning-changes-broadway-cambie-plans . Yet, many residents and local advocates continue to call for stronger safeguards—ranging from thorough tenant protections to improved community consultation and transparency, especially concerning building heights and environmental impacts.
Karalee Greer - Publisher Subscription to WBN and being a Contributor is Free.
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