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. The applicant’s nonbinding conceptual plan shows a five‑story, market‑rate building with about 77 units on the site, with parking placed along the edges to buffer adjacent single‑family homes, staff said. The site abuts a stormwater facility to the south and a park to the north.

Planning Commission action differed between the two projects. Brian (staff member, planning) told the council the commission voted unanimously in favor of the Bella Grove rezone and that there was minimal public testimony at that hearing. He said the commission’s support was driven in part by the site’s adjacency to other higher‑density uses and the city’s stated need to provide more housing.

By contrast, the 50 Eighth Street rezone drew more public comment and a split commission recommendation. Staff said eight people testified in opposition and two testified in favor at the Planning Commission hearing; concerns raised included the scale of change relative to surrounding one‑story single‑family homes, traffic on narrow local streets, impacts to trees and to the nearby stormwater facility. The Planning Commission voted 4–3 against the 50 Eighth Street rezone, with commissioners saying they wanted more context from the comprehensive plan and associated design standards before approving a large jump in density.

Council members pressed staff on several details the council asked to see before a hearing. Councilor Fox asked whether staff could pursue a crossing to improve access from the proposed 50 Eighth Street site to the adjacent park and requested that photos of on‑site trees (which were part of the hearing record) be circulated to council before the public hearing. Councilor Stover and others asked for clarification of interim zoning options (R‑30 exists as an intermediate zone) and noted that the comprehensive plan draft has identified this area as a “medium‑scale neighborhood,” a label staff said has been discussed as possibly allowing at least five stories, but is not yet final.

Brian told council staff would assemble hearing materials — including written testimony submitted to date and the planning commission record — and that the city would schedule a council public hearing soon. No formal council vote was taken on either rezone at Monday’s work session.

Councilors also discussed mitigation measures and conditions that could be negotiated at the hearing stage if the council chooses to move either rezoning forward, including potential crosswalk improvements, frontage sidewalk requirements tied to site development, and park impact fee revenue that could support future park development.