Summary#

Council carried Councillor Klassen’s motion unanimously on July 28, 2026. It approved changes to housing rezoning conditions for 11 Vancouver developments and directed City staff to work them into the related Housing Agreements, but only if each owner agrees. The staff report says the changes aim to support project viability and housing delivery while keeping some affordability requirements.

• For several rental projects, the approved changes reduce the discount required for below-market rental (BMR) units—from 20% below a Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) average rent to 10%, or to the CMHC average rent.
• At 1040-1060 Barclay Street, the change keeps at least 20% of residential floor area as BMR housing, but changes the rent discounts. Eligible returning tenants retain a separate 50%-discount offer.
• At 1068-1090 Burnaby Street, at least 20% of residential floor area remains BMR housing, at a 20% discount. Eligible returning tenants who qualify for a 50% discount keep that offer.
• At 58 West Hastings Street, the Housing Agreement would no longer set affordability requirements for half the homes; the shelter-rate and senior-shelter-rate requirements for the other half stay unchanged. The ground lease has additional requirements for the affected homes.
• Council directed Legal Services to prepare Housing Agreement by-laws, but the changes still require owners’ agreement and later Council action on those by-laws. The motion says it creates no legal rights or City obligation.

What it means for you#

• Renters and future tenants: Some BMR homes would have smaller rent discounts than before. At 58 West Hastings Street, the Housing Agreement’s affordability rules would be removed for half the homes, though the ground lease has additional affordability requirements. The changes do not themselves set the dollar rent; that depends on the relevant CMHC average rents.
• Eligible returning tenants: The report says eligible tenants at Barclay and Burnaby who qualify for a 50% discount would still be offered a home at that rate. At Barclay, the offer would first be in other named projects expected to open in 2027, or in the new Barclay building once those homes are occupied.
• Owners of the 11 developments: They would have to agree to the relevant Housing Agreement changes for staff to proceed with them. For the Barclay affordability change to apply, the project must obtain a Stage 2 building permit within 24 months of Council approval of its Housing Agreement. Burnaby already has a full-construction building permit, so the report sets no time limit for its affordability change.
• The City: Staff must work on amended or replacement agreements and Legal Services must prepare by-laws for Council consideration. This decision does not itself enact those by-laws.

Money#

No cost estimate is provided in the available material.

• The report says Legal Services will need to do further work, but gives no staffing or cost estimate.
• The report says the changes are not expected to support additional Community Amenity Contributions beyond the affordable housing being proposed. It provides no dollar estimate of this effect.

What is unclear#

• The revised agreements and Appendix A, which contains the detailed proposed changes, are not included here. The report does not give the final wording of each agreement.
• The owners’ decisions and the timing of any later Housing Agreement by-laws are not stated.
• The report uses “HILs” without defining it in the supplied material.
• The source gives different address details for some projects: Barclay is described as both 1040-1060 and 1040-1080, and the W 39th Avenue address is given as both 1489 and 1498. The exact references need confirmation.
• The supplied material does not include public comments on the changes. Council carried the motion unanimously.

Case for#

• City staff say the changes respond to financial and viability constraints and are intended to help the developments proceed while retaining specified rental and affordability requirements.
• At Harrison Drive, the change keeps 20% of residential floor area as BMR housing while allowing rents at CMHC average levels; staff cite the project’s 187 publicly funded seniors’ care beds.
• At Barclay and Burnaby, the revised terms retain BMR requirements and preserve a 50%-discount offer for eligible returning tenants, while changing the ongoing rents for those homes after tenant turnover.

Case against#

• The changes reduce affordability in several projects: some rents would move from 20% below CMHC averages to 10% below or to the average itself.
• At Barclay, the former requirement included some BMR homes at a 50% discount; after eligible returning tenants leave, those homes would instead be rented at a 20% or 30% discount.
• At West Hastings, half the homes would lose affordability requirements in the Housing Agreement. The report says the ground lease has additional requirements, but the supplied material does not give their full terms.
• The changes depend on owner agreement and later by-laws. Until those steps happen, the exact terms that will apply remain unsettled.