But critics say the changes fall short and are unlikely to result in the ground-oriented family housing council desires.

Municipal councils in B.C. are facing a Dec. 31 deadline from the province to make changes to official community plans and zoning bylaws to clear the regulatory hurdles for enough new housing to meet the community’s needs over the next 20 years. According to staff, the city’s zoning bylaw had a shortfall of 6,556 new homes.

Since June, council has been working on a strategy to meet the province’s requirements by adding more housing options in low-density neighbourhoods and on five city-owned sites.

Under the new rules, just under 4,300 properties east of St. Andrews Avenue and west of Mahon Avenue would be eligible for up to four units. Another 600 or so single-family lots in between those boundaries could have up to six units. The heritage home areas along Grand Boulevard and East 19th and East 10th streets will be exempted to give the city more time to study options that balance heritage preservation with the need for new housing.

Capacity for another 900 homes is being written into the zoning for five city-owned sites, including the North Vancouver City Fire Department hall, the municipal hall site, the Harry Jerome Lands, and the largely undeveloped land on the 100 block of East First Street along Alder Street.

Prior to the vote, council heard from members of the public, almost all of whom urged council to go ahead with the changes – but to also to not let council’s design guidelines get in the way of new homes being built.

Reneé Woywitka, a retired nurse, said the changes have the potential to turn back the tide of young people leaving the community in search of more affordable homes.

“The amount of unused space is really quite a travesty,” she said. “None in my wide circle of friends and acquaintances with children of a similar age to mine have been able to afford to buy a house in North Vancouver where they grew up. This situation really makes it difficult for families to stay close and support each other when necessary.”

Andrew Robertson said it was overdue for the city to allow more housing options in the roughly 70 per cent of the city’s residential landmass that has gone unchanged for decades, but also gave a word of caution.

“It’s commendable, and I thank this council for recognizing with this plan that the status quo isn’t working, and that the next 20 years need to be different,” he said. “But the scale of change is incredibly small compared to the severity of our housing need in most places.… This does make me a bit concerned that we’re just trying to satisfy provincial requirements on paper, instead of taking an important opportunity to ensure our housing shortage is addressed in a meaningful way.”

Mehrdad Rahbar, a home designer and vice president Vernacular Group, noted that the actual floor space for multiplexes allowed in city’s guidelines is only 10 per cent bigger than what single-family homes are currently allowed. That means builders will opt for the less complicated options, he warned.

“Based on our recent practical experience, most of our clients are unlikely to increase the number of units per lot. Instead, they tend to build larger units, ultimately resulting in more expensive housing for end users,” he said, urging council to revisit the maximum allowable floorspace.

According to city staff, the guidelines were put in place to reduce overall massing so that the multiplex homes “look better from the street.”

The zoning updates passed 6-1.

Several council members emphasized that the changes shouldn’t be seen as an overhaul of the OCP, which is still pending.

“Did we land perfectly on the ideal point between neighbourhood concerns, developer feasibility feedback and provincial expectations? Only time will tell, but we were working under pressure that included deadlines and targets. I hope we have achieved the objective of helping our children, friends and families live in the same community that we are enjoying,” said Coun. Shervin Shahriari. “We need density and we need action, and doing something is better than doing nothing.”

Coun Tony Valente was the lone nay vote, which he said was in protest over the province’s deadline not giving the city enough time to do more public consultation.

Mayor Linda Buchanan also called out the province for dictating mandatory growth to municipal councils – especially when the city has been a leader in the field – and said senior levels of government must show up with the infrastructure dollars that make growth work.

She also acknowledged that while some say the changes don’t go far enough, they are a cautious step toward meeting very real housing needs.

“Behind every unit/home delivered is a real person, a real family and a real story, and we heard that over and over tonight,” she said. “There are the stories of people who work in our community and simply want to live near their jobs, not in distant suburbs, requiring hours commuting every day. There are stories of parents who raised their children here and now their children are raising children here, and they want the chance to stay.”