The protected First Shaughnessy area in Vancouver’s Westside requires new zoning allowances to comply with provincial housing legislation. Originally developed by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the early 1900s, it features low-density, large-lot homes with heritage protections. Proposed changes aim to permit small-scale multi-unit housing and higher densities, particularly near future transit hubs. The proposed zoning changes would affect 586 lots in First Shaughnessy and 1,128 protected residential lots citywide.
City staff will present policy recommendations to City Council by June 2024 to meet provincial deadlines. Concerns about economic viability due to land prices and heritage conservation prompted revisiting earlier policies, including those established in 2015 to protect heritage homes and character. First Shaughnessy’s rich history includes Glen Brae Manor, once owned by the Ku Klux Klan, later serving as a private hospital and now Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.
