The City of Vancouver has shared a new initiative to advance Passion House and Zero Energy projects.
In support of the City’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in new construction to zero by 2030, the following Zero Emissions Buildings Catalyst Tools are now in effect:
- An increase of up to 5% floor area beyond zoning for Passive House or Zero Energy buildings with 6 or more residential units.
- Amendments to the Zoning and Development By-law to enable the relaxation of other regulations in these projects.
- Discretion for the Director of Planning to vary design guidelines.
The policy and guidelines can be found at:
Architects may wish to note the following limitations:
- The program ends December 2025.
- Floor area increase and relaxations do not apply into a rezoning.
- Policies such as Rate of Change and heritage retention continue to apply.
For those projects that are pursuing a rezoning, the incremental cost of constructing a Passive House or Zero Energy project will be considered in pro forma evaluations.
For more information, please visit the City of Vancouver website.