Vancouver staff present two upzoning proposals; planning commission split on larger 50 Eighth Street project

City planning staff on Monday briefed the Vancouver City Council on two separate rezoning requests that would increase multifamily housing capacity in different parts of the city and asked council for direction before scheduling public hearings.

Both proposals are stand‑alone rezones that do not change the comprehensive plan, staff said. The Bella Grove site is proposed to move from R‑18 to R‑30 and is described as a larger site partly encumbered by wetlands. The applicant previously received site plan approval for about 402 garden‑style units; staff said the wet southern portion of the Bella Grove parcel is likely to remain undeveloped and that the northern two‑thirds of the site would accommodate new housing at the higher R‑30 density.

The second proposal, at 50 Eighth Street, would change zoning from R‑22 to R‑50 on a smaller, roughly 1.6‑acre parcel.…