Overview
Through the Official Community Plan (OCP), the City can find the right balance between the competing demands for Burnaby’s limited land base, ensuring that all residents have access to housing, recreation, job opportunities, services, transportation and more. The current OCP uses quadrants, town centres and urban villages to divide the city and ensure neighbourhoods serve the needs of community members.
By 2050, Burnaby is expected to grow by more than 100,000 people and add 50,000 new jobs. This growth means we need to rethink how we use land in Burnaby to accommodate more people, more housing, more services and amenities, and more jobs–all while supporting more sustainable transportation options. New provincial legislation will change the approval processes for new housing, allowing higher densities in certain areas than what has traditionally been permitted in Burnaby. We need to adapt and align with these changes, while still keeping the unique look and feel of neighbourhoods across the city.
Land Use and Urban Design Policy Directions
Policy directions
1. Create a land use map based on parcels.
a) Support more walkable communities that have more housing options, shops, services and amenities.
b) Create more medium-density housing like townhouses and low-rise apartments.
c) Focus housing and job opportunities near public transit.
d) Protect, connect and expand conservation land and park space.
e) Support more mixed-use areas.
f) Encourage more sustainable and active transportation, like cycling and walking.
g) Provide more clarity on parcels and land use for property owners and residents.
h) Focus development away from environmentally sensitive areas and places at risk of hazards.
i) Protect and enhance farmland.
Why we are proposing these policies
- A parcel-based land use map will make it easier to use to make planning and development decisions.
- Building more medium-density housing will give residents more choices in housing.
- More jobs, services and shopping where people live will make it easier for people to walk, bike or roll on a daily basis.
- More housing and jobs near transit will allow more people to take transit, which may support more frequent transit service in the future.
Policy directions
2. Work with host Nations to identify places that are significant to their communities and ensure host Nations and Indigenous people living in Burnaby can access and use these significant and cultural places.
Why we are proposing these policies
- Collaboration with host Nations to ensure significant and cultural places are accessible for their community will help advance reconciliation.
- Greater recognition of Indigenous history and current presence in Burnaby fosters deeper understanding of our community’s heritage.
Policy directions
3. Create healthy and equitable buildings and environments.
a) Provide social services, cultural spaces, places of worship, places for cultural expression and places where people can connect to their community.
b) Consider noise, pollution, nature and access to amenities when deciding how land should be used.
c) Create affordable and rental housing in places with access to green spaces and amenities and areas that are far from noise and pollution.
Why we are proposing these policies
- Public spaces can have a big impact on our health, so creating healthier environments will help community members live happier, healthier and longer lives.
Policy directions
4. Create guidelines for the form and character of development in certain areas to streamline the development approval process and improve design quality. These guidelines would:
a) Consider how the size of buildings relate to the size of a person and the surroundings.
b) Improve walking and cycling safety.
c) Provide clear standards for how public spaces are designed.
d) Create accessible and safe spaces for people of all ages, abilities and stages of life.
e) Protect and expand areas near creeks and streams and tree cover.
f) Reduce impacts on birds, fish and wildlife.
g) Reduce hazards like flooding, landslides and wildfires.
h) Incorporate sustainable and native plans, landscaping and stormwater management.
i) Encourage innovation and creativity in architecture and design.
j) Consider local context and Indigenous culture in design.
k) Encourage sustainable building design that adapts to climate change.
Why we are proposing these policies
- Burnaby has the power to create and enforce Development Permit Areas (DPA) and guidelines, but currently doesn’t do so.
- DPA guidelines will improve the quality of design across the city and make the development process more clear, simple and fair.
Policy directions
5. Improve transition spaces between areas with different uses and different densities.
a) Integrate post-secondary institutions and schools into the surrounding communities.
b) Use buffer areas to transition between areas with different uses, such as between residential and industrial areas.
c) Improve transitions between urban and natural areas and urban and agricultural areas to protect natural areas and farmland.
d) Avoid sudden changes in densities between different areas.
Why we are proposing these policies
- More transition spaces between areas that are used for different purposes, such as industrial and residential or commercial and agricultural, will help reduce nuisance complaints about noise, light, smells and more.
- Integrating schools and institutions into neighbourhoods will help better connect these organizations to the community.
Policy directions
6. Use a framework to make decisions about how land should be used that can be adapted to new trends, community needs, new technology and climate change.
a) Monitor, report and update the OCP regularly.
b) Make the zoning bylaw more flexible by using broader categories with fewer restrictions.
Why we are proposing these policies
- The community’s needs will keep changing, so the City needs guidelines to make decisions about how we use land that can evolve as Burnaby grows.
Policy directions
7. Continue to develop Community Plans that:
a) Set the long-term vision for the future of the area the Community Plan covers.
b) Provide opportunities for the community to share their input.
c) Identify, protect and foster things that are special or unique to the community.
d) Encourage people to create, retain and interpret arts, culture and heritage.
e) Find ways to protect and uncover creeks and other parts of nature.
f) Engage with host Nations and Indigenous people living in Burnaby and recognize the territories and places of names for host Nations.
g) Complement the Official Community Plan.
Why we are proposing these policies
- The Official Community Plan is a high-level plan that works alongside more detailed community plans that guide development in specific areas.
- These smaller scale Community Plans can consider local perspectives in the long-term vision for each neighbourhood more effectively.
Policy directions
8. Update the Neighbourhood Boundary Map to reflect how residents understand their neighbourhoods, make neighbourhoods more consistent sizes and support community planning work.
Why we are proposing these policies
- The current neighbourhood boundary map is inconsistent and doesn’t reflect the current understanding of each neighbourhood.
Challenges and opportunities
Challenges and opportunities
Challenges
- There aren’t many areas with medium-density housing, like townhouses and low-rise apartments.
- Distinct, separate areas for different uses, like shopping, housing and industrial activities make it hard or inconvenient for people to walk or take transit for their day-to-day trips.
- Many neighbourhoods don’t have shopping, services or amenities nearby.
- Arts and cultural spaces, like galleries and theatres, are only in a few places in the city, making it difficult for people to access them.
- New developments are putting more pressure on the environment.
- Burnaby’s land use map is not based on land parcels, which can be confusing for property owners and developers.
Opportunities
- There are lots of tools Burnaby can use to set specific requirements for new development in certain areas, such as Development Permit Areas and guidelines. These tools can support things like environmental protection or the look and feel of a neighbourhood.
- Community members want more walkable neighbourhoods that offer a combination of housing, job opportunities and services.
- Create communities near transit to increase ridership (and therefore enhance service) and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Update the land use map to project for future growth to help identify where the City needs to build infrastructure.
Engagement findings
Engagement findings
Community members:
- want to protect and celebrate the unique character of neighbourhoods across Burnaby
- feel overwhelmed by tall towers in Burnaby’s town centres and want more housing choices
- want walkable communities that make it easier to access services
- feel that there’s a loss of community in Burnaby
- want more mixed-use properties and creative buildings and design
This survey is administered by the City of Burnaby. Personal information collected and used for the purpose of receiving information regarding the Official Community Plan will be managed in accordance with s. 26 (c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. All personal information collected through this survey will remain confidential and de-identified when shared with the public. For questions regarding the collection of Personal Information and receipt of electronic messages please contact: Corporate Communications and Marketing at communications@burnaby.ca.
More information
Development Permit Areas (DPA) and guidelines is a set of regulations that apply to specific areas with related requirements and considerations for any development or alteration of land. The Local Government Act provides authority to municipalities to create development permit areas and guidelines, and can cover a range of topics such as hazardous conditions, natural environment and form and character for development.
