--- title: "Housing Growth: the Green Party of Vancouver plan | Vancouver 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/parties/green-party-of-vancouver/2026-platform/sustainable-growth/housing-growth" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:00:31.984Z" meta: description: "The Green Party of Vancouver would use city-owned land for affordable housing, co-ops and land trusts, and pause micro-suites as small as 250 sq ft. Its pl..." "og:description": "The Green Party of Vancouver would use city-owned land for affordable housing, co-ops and land trusts, and pause micro-suites as small as 250 sq ft. Its pl..." "og:title": "Housing Growth: the Green Party of Vancouver plan | Vancouver 2026" "twitter:description": "The Green Party of Vancouver would use city-owned land for affordable housing, co-ops and land trusts, and pause micro-suites as small as 250 sq ft. Its pl..." "twitter:title": "Housing Growth: the Green Party of Vancouver plan | Vancouver 2026" --- ** Green Party of Vancouver · Vancouver 2026 # Vancouver Greens on housing: city land for co-ops, micro-suite pause, preset designs The Green Party of Vancouver would use city-owned land for affordable housing, co-ops and land trusts, and pause micro-suites as small as 250 sq ft. Its platform also proposes pre-approved home designs, 4 to 6 storey wood-frame apartments in every neighbourhood and faster co-op lease renewals. All 12 commitments [Read pages 6 to 7 of the PDF ](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/vangreens/pages/6122/attachments/original/1790718545/Platform_2026_-_Green_Party_of_Vancouver_%281%29.pdf?1790718545#page=6) [**10**Candidates](https://voche.me/parties/green-party-of-vancouver/candidates) [**10/10**Issues with published policy](https://voche.me/parties/green-party-of-vancouver/platform) [**12**Sources on file](https://voche.me/parties/green-party-of-vancouver/money) **8**Questions answered SUSTAINABLE GROWTH · PAGES 6 TO 7 ## Housing Growth: what the Platform 2026 says The housing chapter of the Green Party of Vancouver platform starts with the land the city already owns. The party says taxpayer-owned land should hold affordable housing, co-ops and community land trusts, and should be planned for the public value it gives over the long term. The platform contrasts this with what it calls ABC's focus on dividends from for-profit housing on public land. For the rest of the city, the Greens want more types of homes in every neighbourhood: rowhomes, townhomes, infill, and low-rise apartments of 4 to 6 storeys built with wood frames. The platform supports single egress staircase buildings, meaning apartment buildings served by a single exit stair. It also proposes Pre-Approved Housing Designs (PAHD), a set of home plans the city approves once so that builders can reuse them and get permits faster, and a modular or prefab "Vancouver Special 2.0". The party would pause micro-suites. It says a recent council policy allows permanent homes as small as 250 sq ft, kitchen and bathroom included, and it calls homes this size an unsuitable answer to the housing shortage. For co-ops on city land, naming South False Creek, the Greens would speed up planning and lease renewals and limit the cost formulas that the platform says make renewal unaffordable. Council controls zoning, permits and the use of city land, so most of this chapter is within its power. Vancouver also has its own building bylaw under the Vancouver Charter, which the Greens want to keep and simplify for larger apartment buildings. Funding for co-op, social and supportive homes would depend on partners: non-profits, the Province, and federal programs such as Build Canada Homes, a federal housing agency. THE PARTY'S NUMBERS ## Figures in this chapter **4 to 6 storeys** Height of the wood-frame low-rise apartments the party wants in all neighbourhoods The party's figure, page 6 **250 sq ft** Smallest micro-suite size, kitchen and bathroom included, that the party says recent council policy allows The party's figure, page 7 12 COMMITMENTS ## What the party says it would do 1. ### Public land for public good The party would make sure taxpayer-owned city land is used for affordable housing, co-ops and community land trusts. The platform contrasts this with what it describes as ABC's focus on dividends from for-profit housing on public land.
Who has the power
City Council The city owns this land, so Council decides what is built on it and on what terms.
Source
Platform 2026, page 6
2. ### Best long-term public value from city land The platform says the city's planning for land it owns would aim for the best long-term public value, a goal the platform ranks above the highest financial return.
Who has the power
City Council Council sets the policy for how city-owned land is planned, leased and sold.
Source
Platform 2026, page 6
3. ### Tools to build more affordable housing city-wide The Greens would partner with non-profits and senior governments to deliver co-op, social and supportive housing in every neighbourhood. They would fast-track zoning and permits for affordable housing.
Who has the power
City, with others Council controls zoning and permit speed, but the platform relies on non-profits and the provincial and federal governments to fund and run the housing.
Source
Platform 2026, page 6
4. ### Building for a changing climate The party would restore sustainability work across city departments so that new and retrofitted buildings are cleaner and greener, putting resident health and comfort first as the climate changes.
Who has the power
City Council How city departments are organized and what they work on is set through Council's budget and direction to staff.
Source
Platform 2026, page 6
5. ### Green retrofits: the greenest buildings are the ones already built The platform would encourage partnerships through the federal Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative and the BC Retrofit Accelerator to help fund climate-smart retrofits of existing buildings. It would simplify the conditions on green retrofits by reducing the triggers that force owners into unrelated upgrades.
Who has the power
City, with others The city sets the permit conditions for retrofits, while the funding programs the platform names come from outside the city.
Source
Platform 2026, page 6
6. ### Missing middle housing: more of the housing we need The Greens would support a wider variety of homes in all neighbourhoods and near shopping streets, including low-rise apartments of 4 to 6 storeys in wood frame, Single Egress Staircase (SES) buildings, which have one exit stair, and rowhomes, townhomes and infill. They would permit faster, cheaper construction methods, including prefab, modular and wood frame.
Who has the power
City Council Council sets zoning and Vancouver's own building bylaw, which decide what kinds of homes can be built and how.
Source
Platform 2026, page 6
7. ### Moratorium on micro-units The party would reverse the recent council policy that allows micro-suites as small as 250 sq ft, kitchen and bathroom included. The platform compares these homes to the size of a parking stall and calls them an inappropriate housing solution.
Who has the power
City Council The platform describes this as a council policy, so a new Council can reverse it.
Source
Platform 2026, page 7
8. ### Simple Homes, Pre-Approved The Greens would offer Pre-Approved Housing Designs (PAHD), city-approved plans for homes and rental buildings that move through permits quickly, and explore a "Vancouver Special 2.0" of modular or prefab kit designs. They would seek targeted investment through the federal Build Canada Homes, with zoning and permit rules that favour these designs.
Who has the power
City, with others Council controls the city's permits and zoning, while Build Canada Homes is a federal housing agency that the city can only apply to.
Source
Platform 2026, page 7
9. ### Vancouver's Building By-law working for you The party would reduce the complexity of the Vancouver Building By-law (VBBL), in particular for larger multi-unit residential buildings, and says it would keep the bylaw, which it says the current ABC council has considered eliminating. It would use the city's own legal powers to try new rules on mass timber, decarbonization, exit stairs and elevators, patios, and FSR exemptions. FSR, or floor space ratio, is the total floor area a building may have compared with the size of its lot, and an exemption leaves some floor space out of that count.
Who has the power
City Council Vancouver has its own building bylaw under the Vancouver Charter, so Council can change building rules that other BC cities cannot.
Source
Platform 2026, page 7
10. ### Streamlining permit approvals The platform proposes to fix the separation between city departments that it says adds time and cost to building approvals, and to make construction approvals more efficient.
Who has the power
City Council Council controls the city's own permit process and the staff who run it.
Source
Platform 2026, page 7
11. ### Building Canada Strong The Greens would support "build Canadian" purchasing policies. They would encourage mass timber, wood-frame mid-rise buildings and public infrastructure that use Canadian forestry products where possible.
Who has the power
City Council Council sets the purchasing rules for the city's own projects and can encourage building methods through zoning and the building bylaw.
Source
Platform 2026, page 7
12. ### Co-Op Housing The party would speed up planning and lease renewals for co-ops on city-owned land such as South False Creek, with the aim of keeping the community mix, long-term affordability and livability. It would limit the capital expenditure cost formulas that it says make lease renewal unaffordable.
Who has the power
City Council The platform describes these co-ops as sitting on city-owned land, so the city is the landlord and Council sets the lease terms.
Source
Platform 2026, page 7
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT ## Where the power sits for this chapter City Council9 City, with others3 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ## Questions about housing growth
Does the Green Party of Vancouver want to ban micro-suites? The Green Party of Vancouver proposes a moratorium, a pause, on micro-units. It would reverse the recent council policy that the party says allows micro-suites as small as 250 sq ft, kitchen and bathroom included (platform, page 7).
What would Vancouver's Greens do with city-owned land? The Greens say taxpayer-owned city land should be used for affordable housing, co-ops and community land trusts. The platform says the goal for city land would be the best long-term public value, which it ranks above the highest financial return (platform, page 6).
What are pre-approved housing designs in the Vancouver Green platform? The Green Party of Vancouver would offer Pre-Approved Housing Designs (PAHD): plans for homes and rental buildings that the city approves in advance so projects get permits faster. It would also explore modular or prefab kit homes, which it calls Vancouver Special 2.0, and seek funding from the federal Build Canada Homes (platform, page 7).
Does the Vancouver Green Party support six-storey apartments in every neighbourhood? The platform supports low-rise apartments of 4 to 6 storeys built with wood frames, along with rowhomes, townhomes and infill, in all neighbourhoods and near shopping streets. It also supports single egress staircase buildings, which have one exit stair (platform, page 6).
Would the Green Party of Vancouver get rid of the Vancouver Building Bylaw? No. The Greens say they would keep the Vancouver Building By-law and reduce its complexity, in particular for larger apartment buildings. The platform says the current ABC council has considered eliminating it (platform, page 7).
What do the Vancouver Greens promise housing co-ops? The Green Party of Vancouver would speed up planning and lease renewals for co-ops on city-owned land such as South False Creek. It would limit the capital expenditure cost formulas that it says make renewals unaffordable (platform, page 7).
Can Vancouver City Council deliver the Green Party's housing plan by itself? Council controls zoning, permits, city-owned land and Vancouver's own building bylaw, so it can act alone on most of the chapter. The Greens' plans for co-op, social and supportive housing depend on non-profits and on provincial and federal money, such as Build Canada Homes (platform, pages 6 to 7).
ON THE BALLOT ## The Green Party of Vancouver candidates behind this ### Mayor [51**Pete Fry**Ballot 51 · Vancouver city councillor](https://voche.me/candidates/pete-fry) ### City Council [102**Annette Reilly**Ballot 102](https://voche.me/candidates/annette-reilly) [119**Camil Dumont**Ballot 119](https://voche.me/candidates/camil-dumont) [141**Bridget Burns**Ballot 141](https://voche.me/candidates/bridget-burns) [147**Stephanie Smith**Ballot 147](https://voche.me/candidates/stephanie-smith) ## 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. 1. [Platform 2026, Green Party of Vancouver (72-page PDF, last updated September 29, 2026) ](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/vangreens/pages/6122/attachments/original/1790718545/Platform_2026_-_Green_Party_of_Vancouver_%281%29.pdf?1790718545#page=6)SAYS SO ITSELFGreen Party of Vancouver · pages 6 to 7 · published September 29, 2026 · checked September 30, 2026 2. [Build Canada Homes, federal housing agency, launched September 2025 ](https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/prefabricated-housing-canada/)Policy Options (Institute for Research on Public Policy) · checked September 30, 2026 ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.