One way the City could grow is to increase density on City Lands near the city centre and frequent transit areas. This will provide the City and Council a higher degree of control over the pace and rate of growth, help optimize the value of City assets, fund City amenities, and provide a diversity of housing types.
The City is exploring developing housing on the following five City Lands: City Hall Lands, Fire Hall Lands, East First Lands, Alder Street Lands, and Harry Jerome Neighbourhood Lands, as shown on the map below. The proposed changes are intended to help meet future housing needs over the coming decades. This means, any development of these five properties would take place separately and over time, and require Council approvals — allowing Council to direct the pace and amount of new development.
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Harry Jerome Neighbourhood Lands
The first site that the City intends to rezone, with a portion of the site to be made available for development is the Harry Jerome Neighbourhood Lands. The Council approved funding strategy for the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre, which is scheduled to open in 2026, includes the sale or long-term lease of surplus City lands at the Harry Jerome Neighbourhood Lands. Some of these lands have already been leased and developed (as the Lonsdale Square and Sunrise Senior Living projects), some will be retained by the City for park, and some will be made available for disposition in the near future.
City staff are proposing to amend the Official Community Plan to allow increased height and floorspace for the Harry Jerome Neighbourhood Lands. The allowable height is proposed to increase from 88 metres to 103 metres (i.e. approximately 30 storeys to 35 storeys) and the allowable gross floor area is proposed to increase from 2.5 to 2.9 times the site area. These changes would result in a gain of about 180 housing units. The benefits of this proposal include increased housing supply, added population to support local retail and service businesses, and additional revenue for the City. The proposed changes are anticipated to have minor impacts on traffic and infrastructure, and City staff consider the changes reasonable in the context of allowable height and density in the area.
Next steps
- Community engagement
July 2025
City staff conducted pop-ups, a community workshop, a town hall meeting and a survey to collect feedback.
- Bylaw Changes First Reading
October 6, 2025
Council meeting to consider bylaw changes to the City’s planning tools.
- Public Hearing
November 17, 2025
An opportunity for the public to share feedback with Council on the proposed updates.
Learn more about this process on our Public Hearings and Meetings page.
- Council Decision
December 8, 2025
Council makes a final decision on the proposed updates.
Contact Us
Planning & Development Team
Phone: 604-982-9675
Email: zoningupdate@cnv.org
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