--- title: "Build Affordable Housing on Public Land: the Vote Vancouver plan | Vancouver 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/parties/vote-vancouver/2026-platform/housing-and-belonging/affordable-housing-on-public-land" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:00:58.626Z" meta: description: "Vote Vancouver would build affordable housing on unused city-owned land, naming five parcels with a timeline within one month of taking office. New public..." "og:description": "Vote Vancouver would build affordable housing on unused city-owned land, naming five parcels with a timeline within one month of taking office. New public..." "og:title": "Build Affordable Housing on Public Land: the Vote Vancouver plan | Vancouver 2026" "twitter:description": "Vote Vancouver would build affordable housing on unused city-owned land, naming five parcels with a timeline within one month of taking office. New public..." "twitter:title": "Build Affordable Housing on Public Land: the Vote Vancouver plan | Vancouver 2026" --- ** Vote Vancouver · Vancouver 2026 # Vote Vancouver: five city land parcels in a month, rents at 30% of income Vote Vancouver would build affordable housing on unused city-owned land, naming five parcels with a timeline within one month of taking office. New public housing would target no more than 30% of household income, use the DASH program for faster building and be run by non-profits. All 8 commitments [Read page 10 of the PDF ](https://votevancouver.ca/s/VV-PolicyPriorities_260915.pdf#page=10) [**12**Candidates](https://voche.me/parties/vote-vancouver/candidates) [**10/10**Issues with published policy](https://voche.me/parties/vote-vancouver/platform) [**6**Sources on file](https://voche.me/parties/vote-vancouver/money) **9**Questions answered HOUSING AND BELONGING · PAGE 10 ## Build Affordable Housing on Public Land: what the Policy Priorities says Vote Vancouver starts its housing plan with the land the city already owns. The party says the city cannot fix the price of materials, labour or land, but it can remove the cost of land by building on sites it holds. It would find underused or unused city-owned sites and use them for affordable housing, working with other governments, non-profit housing providers and community partners. The party sets a deadline and a price target. Five parcels of public land would be chosen, named and announced with a timeline within one month of entering City Hall. New public housing would aim to cost no more than 30% of a household's income. Projects would mix towers, mid-rise and low-rise buildings, townhomes and prefabricated modular housing, depending on the site. To build faster, the platform names DASH, which stands for Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing: a program of pre-approved building designs and sustainable materials. Non-profit or community groups would run the finished buildings. The party also wants to change how the city plans neighbourhoods. It would take the city's Communications Group out of community planning and give that work back to the Planning Department. City Council controls city-owned land, zoning and the permit process, and it directs city staff, so it can act alone on the land, the designs and the planning changes. Building and running the homes depends on non-profit partners, and the party says it would work with all orders of government. THE PARTY'S NUMBERS ## Figures in this chapter **5 parcels** Parcels of public land the party would name, with a timeline, for affordable housing The party's figure, page 10 **1 month** Time after entering City Hall by which the party says the five parcels would be announced The party's figure, page 10 **30%** Largest share of household income the party says new public housing would cost The party's figure, page 10 8 COMMITMENTS ## What the party says it would do 1. ### Affordable housing on underused city-owned sites Vote Vancouver would identify underused or unused City-owned sites and use them to build affordable housing, working with all orders of government, non-profit housing providers and community partners so new communities have the infrastructure they need.
Who has the power
City Council The city owns this land, so Council decides what is built on it and on what terms.
Source
Policy Priorities, page 10
2. ### Five parcels named within one month The party says five parcels of public land would be chosen, named and announced with a timeline within one month of entering City Hall.
Who has the power
City Council Choosing which city-owned parcels to offer for housing is a decision Council can make on its own.
Source
Policy Priorities, page 10
3. ### Rents at no more than 30% of household income New public housing would target no more than 30% of household income, because the party says housing costs should be affordable for the people who live there.
Who has the power
City, with others Council can set this target for homes on its land, but the platform relies on non-profit operators and other governments to build and run them.
Source
Policy Priorities, page 10
4. ### A mix of building types New projects would include a mix of towers, mid-rise and low-rise buildings, townhomes and prefabricated modular housing, depending on the neighbourhood and the site. The party says this would add homes without sacrificing the neighbourhood.
Who has the power
City Council Council sets zoning, which decides the size and type of buildings allowed on each site.
Source
Policy Priorities, page 10
5. ### DASH for faster building The city would use programs such as DASH (Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing) to build homes faster with pre-approved models and sustainable materials, in particular for modular housing.
Who has the power
City Council Council controls the city's own permit process and can approve standard designs in advance.
Source
Policy Priorities, page 10
6. ### Non-profit and community operators Non-profit or community organizations would run the new developments, which the party says would reduce the strain on City Hall and keep the buildings connected to the communities they serve.
Who has the power
City, with others The city can choose operators for buildings on its land, but the work depends on non-profit groups agreeing to run them.
Source
Policy Priorities, page 10
7. ### Community-based neighbourhood planning The party would re-establish what it calls meaningful, genuine and transparent community-based neighbourhood planning, working with each community to decide what it needs.
Who has the power
City Council Council sets how the city consults residents on neighbourhood plans.
Source
Policy Priorities, page 10
8. ### Planning returned to the Planning Department Vote Vancouver would remove the city's Communications Group from community-based planning processes and give that work back to the Planning Department, as the party says it used to be done.
Who has the power
City Council How city departments share work is set through Council's direction to staff and its budget.
Source
Policy Priorities, page 10
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT ## Where the power sits for this chapter City Council6 City, with others2 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ## Questions about build affordable housing on public land
What would Vote Vancouver do with city-owned land? Vote Vancouver would find underused or unused city-owned sites and build affordable housing on them. The party says five parcels would be chosen, named and announced with a timeline within one month of entering City Hall (Policy Priorities, page 10).
How affordable would Vote Vancouver's public housing be? The party says new public housing would target no more than 30% of household income, because housing costs should be affordable for the people who live there (Policy Priorities, page 10).
What is DASH in Vote Vancouver's housing plan? DASH stands for Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing. Vote Vancouver says the city would use programs like it to build homes faster, with pre-approved designs and sustainable materials, in particular for modular housing (Policy Priorities, page 10).
Who would run Vote Vancouver's new public housing? Non-profit or community organizations would run the developments. The party says this would reduce the strain on City Hall and keep the buildings connected to the communities they serve (Policy Priorities, page 10).
Would Vote Vancouver build towers on public land? The platform says new projects would mix towers, mid-rise and low-rise buildings, townhomes and prefabricated modular housing, depending on the neighbourhood and the site (Policy Priorities, page 10).
What does Vote Vancouver want to change about neighbourhood planning? Vote Vancouver would bring back community-based neighbourhood planning. It would take the city's Communications Group out of those planning processes and give the work back to the Planning Department (Policy Priorities, page 10).
Can Vancouver City Council build housing on city land without the Province? Council controls city-owned land, zoning and permits, so it can choose the sites and approve the buildings. Vote Vancouver's plan still relies on non-profit operators and says it would work with all orders of government on the housing (Policy Priorities, page 10).
ON THE BALLOT ## The Vote Vancouver candidates behind this ### Mayor [52**Rebecca Bligh**Ballot 52 · Vancouver city councillor](https://voche.me/candidates/rebecca-bligh) ### City Council [105**Geoff Teoli**Ballot 105](https://voche.me/candidates/geoff-teoli) [106**Keerit Jutla**Ballot 106](https://voche.me/candidates/keerit-jutla) [112**Steve Jedreicich**Ballot 112](https://voche.me/candidates/steve-jedreicich) [114**Rebecca Hasdell**Ballot 114](https://voche.me/candidates/rebecca-hasdell) [115**Bhavna Solecki**Ballot 115](https://voche.me/candidates/bhavna-solecki) [132**John Boychuk**Ballot 132](https://voche.me/candidates/john-boychuk) ## 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. [Vote Vancouver Policy Priorities ](https://votevancouver.ca/s/VV-PolicyPriorities_260915.pdf#page=10)SAYS SO ITSELFVote Vancouver · pages 10 · checked September 22, 2026 ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.