Comment on Agenda Item 1
Adding Missing Middle Housing and Simplifying Regulations
Public Hearing on September 14, 2023
The 2010 Norquay Village Neighbourhood Centre Plan called for the elimination of RS-1 zoning for more than 1900 parcels of land. All of Norquay’s residential properties were rezoned in 2013 for higher density in the form of duplexes, small house/duplex, traditional rowhouses, stacked townhouses (including 4-plex and 6-plex projects), and 4-storey apartments. Norquay has had a lot of experience with missing middle housing.
Is missing middle housing livable for its residents?
Does missing middle housing make our neighbourhood more livable?
Here are four lessons from the Norquay experiment.
1 — Unit and room sizes are often too small
All of the 4 bedrooms in the front units of this triplex measure 8′ x 7′
Units and rooms that are too small can be found in all of Norquay’s housing forms. But the problem is acute in the stacked townhouse zone, especially in the very common 3-bedroom units. The “typical” unit in this zone was supposed to be 1200 sf, but ended up being more like 1000 sf. This sounds reasonable. However, in multi-level units much of this space is consumed by stairs. It is rare to find a 3-bedroom unit where all of the rooms (living room, kitchen, dining area, and bedrooms) meet the unit size or the room size specifications for social housing units built by BC Housing.
Vancouver has no specifications for minimum unit or room sizes. Staff has told us that the specifications they are currently developing will apply only to apartment units.
Recommendation: The City of Vancouver needs to develop new specifications for minimum unit and room sizes for all housing forms.
2 — Many projects are unattractive because design guidelines are inadequate
The design of this duplex seems haphazard
Duplexes were made outright in Norquay in 2010. Some of the duplexes that were built after that were very unattractive. A simple design guideline that was introduced in 2019 took care of the problem. The proposed R1-1 inclusive zoning includes only a very few basic design guidelines.
Recommendation: Design needs to be added to the list of “aspects of program implementation” that staff will monitor. (See p. 9 of the Referral Report.) If design turns out to be a problem, more guidelines for design will need to be added.
3 — Landscaping has not been properly planted or adequately maintained
Much of the landscaping in the front yard has already died
Two trees in the open space between the 2 buildings are also dead
(An 1800 sf front unit in this 4-unit project is currently being advertised for $2M)
In some Norquay projects the landscape is in good condition, but in most projects it is not. The amount of infrastructure required by missing middle housing severely reduces the amount of ground level open space available tor planting. City of Vancouver landscape specialists make an effort to evaluate required landscape plans, but developers often do not respect the approved plan. Planting is often done in mid-summer and is not properly watered, so plants die and are not replaced. Weeds are not removed. Inspection before occupancy is usually done by a building inspector who pays little to no attention to the landscaping. Much of the open space in missing middle development is shared, and no one feels responsible for maintaining it. The end result is that landscaping in Norquay’s residential zones has deteriorated markedly.
Recommendation: Certified landscape inspectors need to inspect projects upon completion. New residents need to maintain the landscaping.
4 — Opportunities for significant streetscape improvement are “missed”
Sidewalks
A city sidewalk and street trees should have been installed on this boulevard
If there is no existing city sidewalk on the boulevard in front of a new development in Norquay, the developer is required to install one. Eight completed Norquay projects should have installed such a sidewalk, but only two did so. The other 6 opportunities for the city to have a developer pay for a city sidewalk were “missed.”
Recommendation: The requirement to provide a city sidewalk where none previously existed should be written into the zoning regulations. Locations where this requirement is “missed” should be placed at the head of the Dept. of Engineering’s priority list for new sidewalks to be built at city expense.
Double-Fronted Lots
Galt Street continues to function as a lane
Vancouver has many lots that front onto two streets. All of the houses usually front on the same street, and the second street functions as a lane for that side of the street. This creates a very unattractive streetscape. Multiplex development provides an opportunity to require front doors to face both streets. In the one project built on double-fronted lots in Norquay, that opportunity was “missed.”
Recommendation: Zoning regulations should require the front doors of street-adjacent units on double-fronted lots to face that adjacent street.
Conclusion
Unless the City of Vancouver addresses these impacts that Norquay has already suffered, Vancouver is headed in a direction that is less liveable.
Jeanette and Joseph Jones
Eye on Norquay
Missing Middle Housing
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Comment on Agenda Item 1
Adding Missing Middle Housing and Simplifying Regulations
Public Hearing on September 14, 2023
The 2010 Norquay Village Neighbourhood Centre Plan called for the elimination of RS-1 zoning for more than 1900 parcels of land. All of Norquay’s residential properties were rezoned in 2013 for higher density in the form of duplexes, small house/duplex, traditional rowhouses, stacked townhouses (including 4-plex and 6-plex projects), and 4-storey apartments. Norquay has had a lot of experience with missing middle housing.
Is missing middle housing livable for its residents?
Does missing middle housing make our neighbourhood more livable?
Here are four lessons from the Norquay experiment.
1 — Unit and room sizes are often too small
All of the 4 bedrooms in the front units of this triplex measure 8′ x 7′
Units and rooms that are too small can be found in all of Norquay’s housing forms. But the problem is acute in the stacked townhouse zone, especially in the very common 3-bedroom units. The “typical” unit in this zone was supposed to be 1200 sf, but ended up being more like 1000 sf. This sounds reasonable. However, in multi-level units much of this space is consumed by stairs. It is rare to find a 3-bedroom unit where all of the rooms (living room, kitchen, dining area, and bedrooms) meet the unit size or the room size specifications for social housing units built by BC Housing.
Vancouver has no specifications for minimum unit or room sizes. Staff has told us that the specifications they are currently developing will apply only to apartment units.
Recommendation: The City of Vancouver needs to develop new specifications for minimum unit and room sizes for all housing forms.
2 — Many projects are unattractive because design guidelines are inadequate
The design of this duplex seems haphazard
Duplexes were made outright in Norquay in 2010. Some of the duplexes that were built after that were very unattractive. A simple design guideline that was introduced in 2019 took care of the problem. The proposed R1-1 inclusive zoning includes only a very few basic design guidelines.
Recommendation: Design needs to be added to the list of “aspects of program implementation” that staff will monitor. (See p. 9 of the Referral Report.) If design turns out to be a problem, more guidelines for design will need to be added.
3 — Landscaping has not been properly planted or adequately maintained
Much of the landscaping in the front yard has already died
Two trees in the open space between the 2 buildings are also dead
(An 1800 sf front unit in this 4-unit project is currently being advertised for $2M)
In some Norquay projects the landscape is in good condition, but in most projects it is not. The amount of infrastructure required by missing middle housing severely reduces the amount of ground level open space available tor planting. City of Vancouver landscape specialists make an effort to evaluate required landscape plans, but developers often do not respect the approved plan. Planting is often done in mid-summer and is not properly watered, so plants die and are not replaced. Weeds are not removed. Inspection before occupancy is usually done by a building inspector who pays little to no attention to the landscaping. Much of the open space in missing middle development is shared, and no one feels responsible for maintaining it. The end result is that landscaping in Norquay’s residential zones has deteriorated markedly.
Recommendation: Certified landscape inspectors need to inspect projects upon completion. New residents need to maintain the landscaping.
4 — Opportunities for significant streetscape improvement are “missed”
Sidewalks
A city sidewalk and street trees should have been installed on this boulevard
If there is no existing city sidewalk on the boulevard in front of a new development in Norquay, the developer is required to install one. Eight completed Norquay projects should have installed such a sidewalk, but only two did so. The other 6 opportunities for the city to have a developer pay for a city sidewalk were “missed.”
Recommendation: The requirement to provide a city sidewalk where none previously existed should be written into the zoning regulations. Locations where this requirement is “missed” should be placed at the head of the Dept. of Engineering’s priority list for new sidewalks to be built at city expense.
Double-Fronted Lots
Galt Street continues to function as a lane
Vancouver has many lots that front onto two streets. All of the houses usually front on the same street, and the second street functions as a lane for that side of the street. This creates a very unattractive streetscape. Multiplex development provides an opportunity to require front doors to face both streets. In the one project built on double-fronted lots in Norquay, that opportunity was “missed.”
Recommendation: Zoning regulations should require the front doors of street-adjacent units on double-fronted lots to face that adjacent street.
Conclusion
Unless the City of Vancouver addresses these impacts that Norquay has already suffered, Vancouver is headed in a direction that is less liveable.
Jeanette and Joseph Jones
Written by eyeonnorquay
12 September 2023 at 9:01 pm
Posted in Comments, Photos, Written to Council