Vancouver Greens on main streets: no net loss of shop space and property tax relief
The Green Party of Vancouver would require major redevelopments to replace affordable commercial space, ask the Province for property tax flexibility and commercial tenant protections, and explore charges on high-volume e-commerce delivery operations.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT · PAGES 34 TO 35
Main Streets First: what the Platform 2026 says
Main Streets First is the Green Party of Vancouver's plan for shopping streets and the independent businesses on them. The party says rising rents and redevelopment are pushing out local shops, social enterprises and arts groups. The chapter mixes city rules that council can change with requests to the Province, which holds some of the powers the party wants to use.
Two items depend on the Province. The Greens would work with the Province to give Vancouver more freedom to protect small businesses from large property tax increases. They would also ask the Province for protections for commercial tenants. The platform itself names the Province for both items, so a Green council could ask for these changes but would need the Province to make them.
The rest are city tools. The party's "no net loss" policy would require major redevelopment projects to replace the affordable commercial space they remove. The Greens would change zoning so buildings can have narrow storefronts, small shop spaces and businesses on upper floors. They would also give Business Improvement Areas, the local business groups that council approves, more flexibility and support.
For downtown, the party says remote work is here to stay. It would encourage offices to become homes, attract schools and colleges, expand arts programs, add family amenities and loosen zoning. The Greens would also explore fair payments from high-volume e-commerce delivery and logistics companies, to help maintain the public streets that support them. The platform gives no amount for these payments, and council, which controls city streets, would have to decide on them.
7 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Progressive Property Tax Relief
The Greens would work with the Province to give Vancouver more flexibility to protect small businesses from disproportionate property tax increases, while still paying for the services and infrastructure the city needs.
- Who has the power
- Province The Vancouver Charter sets how the city may tax property, and only the Province can change it, so council can only ask for this power.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 34
Empowered and responsive Business Improvement Areas
The party would strengthen partnerships with Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), give them more flexibility and support for local projects, and help them build shared, local solutions for safety, economic activity, public spaces and communities.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves Business Improvement Areas under the Vancouver Charter and decides how the city works with them.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 34
Commercial rent protection advocacy and local retention strategies
The Greens say independent businesses, social enterprises and arts groups are being pushed out by rising rents and redevelopment. The party would ask the Province for commercial tenant protections, and would use tax incentives, land-use policies, transition supports and targeted financial help to keep affordable commercial space for local businesses.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The platform says tenant protections would come from the Province, while the land-use tools and city funding it names are council's.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 34
Protect local businesses from displacement
The party would adopt a "no net loss" policy for affordable commercial space, requiring major redevelopment projects to replace the affordable commercial space they would otherwise remove.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves rezonings and development permits, which is where the city sets conditions on major redevelopments.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 34
Human-scale mixed use
The Greens would support building patterns with narrow storefronts, small spaces and flexible mixed use, so homes, shops, studios, offices and services can share a street. They would update zoning to support active ground floors, small shop frontages and business uses on upper storeys.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets zoning, which decides what can be built and used on each piece of land.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 34
Downtown reinvention
The party says remote work will continue and downtown must change with it. It would encourage office-to-housing conversions, attract educational institutions, expand arts and cultural programming, support family-friendly amenities and update zoning to allow more flexibility.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council controls downtown zoning and city arts programs, and can invite schools and colleges to locate there.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 35
Fair Curbside Contributions
As delivery volumes grow, the Greens say they would explore fair contributions from high-volume e-commerce delivery and logistics operations to help maintain the public streets and curbs those operations use.
- Who has the power
- City Council The city owns its streets and sets curb and parking rules, so any charge would start with a council decision.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 35
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about main streets first
What is the Green Party of Vancouver's no net loss policy for commercial space?
The Green Party of Vancouver would require major redevelopment projects to replace the affordable commercial space they would otherwise remove. The party says independent businesses, cultural groups and local retailers deserve a place in the city's future (platform, page 34).
Would the Vancouver Greens bring in commercial rent control?
The Vancouver Greens say they would ask the Province for commercial tenant protections. At the city level they would use tax incentives, land-use policies, transition supports and targeted financial help to keep affordable commercial space for local businesses (platform, page 34).
How would the Green Party of Vancouver lower property taxes for small businesses?
The Green Party of Vancouver would work with the Province to give Vancouver more flexibility to protect small businesses from disproportionate property tax increases. Because the Vancouver Charter is a provincial law, this needs the Province to act (platform, page 34).
Would the Green Party of Vancouver charge e-commerce delivery companies for using city streets?
The Green Party of Vancouver says it would explore fair contributions from high-volume e-commerce delivery and logistics operations, to help maintain the public infrastructure they use. The platform gives no amount or start date for these payments (platform, page 35).
What is the Vancouver Greens' plan for downtown Vancouver?
The Vancouver Greens say remote work is here to stay and downtown has to change. They would encourage office-to-housing conversions, attract educational institutions, expand arts and cultural programming, support family amenities and make downtown zoning more flexible (platform, page 35).
Which of the Green Party of Vancouver's main street promises need the Province?
Two of them. The property tax flexibility and the commercial tenant protections both need the Province, which the Green Party of Vancouver says it would work with or ask. The no net loss rule, the zoning changes, the downtown plan and the Business Improvement Area support are all council decisions (platform, page 34).
ON THE BALLOT
The Green Party of Vancouver candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Platform 2026, Green Party of Vancouver (72-page PDF, last updated September 29, 2026) SAYS SO ITSELFGreen Party of Vancouver · pages 34 to 35 · published · checked