The City of Vancouver will soon have an updated and more “user-friendly” Zoning and Development By-law, thanks to changes that will make it easier to find and use information within the by-law.
“Simplified and more consistent regulations will make regulations easier to understand, and more consistently applied, which will help to streamline permit review,” according to a city statement on July 7.
Scheduled for release in mid-November, the updated by-law feature tables, diagrams, reorganized sections, hyperlinks, and accessibility features, replacing the existing mainly text-based format.
The City will be hosting online training workshops in the fall. Current or potential users of Vancouver’s Zoning and Development By-law are encouraged to register, and can sign up to receive notifications at vancouver.ca/regredesign.
The City’s Regulation Redesign project was launched in 2018 to undertake a comprehensive review of the City’s land use rules in an effort to make them easier to find and easier to understand.
In addition to updating the Zoning and Development By-law, the City has been working to simplify and clarify zoning regulations, which has included amendments to building height, introducing definitions for porches, decks and similar features, improving the consistency of related regulations, clarifying authorities, and consolidating administrative regulations.
“These are incremental changes toward more simplified zoning regulations and a more streamlined permit processing,” according to the City statement.
