Council hears ‘second touch’ on Title 20 redevelopment code: emphasis on mixing uses, minimum densities and middle housing

Rebecca, the deputy director leading the code update, and Mark Person walked council through the “second touch” on the Title 20 development-code rewrite that accompanies Vancouver’s comprehensive-plan update. Staff framed the rewrite as a simplification: fewer base zoning districts, building types that carry most dimensional standards, and targeted overlays for places where the city will require ground-floor commercial or other special rules.

Staff said the rewrite shifts the emphasis from separate-use zoning and maximum-density controls toward mixing uses, form-based building types and minimum densities in some areas. The proposed base-district approach would set minimum density, maximum height and broad parking rules; detailed lot standards, frontages, building-to-street relationships, parking and landscaping would live in building-type standards. Staff described base districts such as low-scale neighborhood, medium-scale neighborhood, mixed-use regional activity…