The City of Burnaby, already home to some of Metro Vancouver’s largest transit-oriented developments, has finally moved to comply with the Government of British Columbia’s transit-oriented development legislation.
Burnaby City Council quietly and swiftly approved the bylaws’ first, second, and third readings to turn the provincial legislation relating to Transit-Oriented Areas into municipal policy.
This new intent to comply with the legislation comes five months after the deadline to do so. Municipal governments with TOA areas within their jurisdiction — emanating from SkyTrain stations and select standalone bus exchanges — were given until the end of June 2024 to enact bylaws to align with the provincial government’s new transit-oriented development policies and other housing-related legislation.
Under provincial legislation, TOAs emanating from SkyTrain stations have an 800-metre radius, with the Tier 1 inner radius of 200 metres enabling residential building heights of at least 20 storeys and a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor area that is 5.0 times larger than the size of the lot. The Tier 2 middle radius of 400 metres enables residential building heights of at least 12 storeys and a density of 4.0 FAR, while the Tier 3 outer radius of 800 metres enables residential building heights of at least eight storeys and a density of 3.0 FAR.
As for the smaller 400-metre TOA radius for select standalone bus exchanges (major bus exchanges that are not attached to a SkyTrain station), the legislation requires new minimums of up to 12 storeys and 4.0 FAR for the Tier 4 inner radius of 200 metres, and up to eight storeys and 3.0 FAR for the Tier 5 outer radius of 400 metres.
