Option: As approved by Council, 25 Jul 2024: six-storey social housing
Proponent: Catalyst Community Developments Society (non profit society)
Rules as of: 2026-10-23 · version stamp: e51e3a0350b87718 · engine 0.1.0
Deterministic output of the rule stack listed under Sources. Same inputs and rule set give the same memo. It is a feasibility screen, not legal, planning or funding advice; every number links to the document it came from, so check it there.
Outright, under RM-1: no. FSR 2.95 exceeds the outright maximum of 1.2; it can proceed only by rezoning (CD-1 under the Interim Rezoning Policy for Social Housing), where density is negotiated. Height 22.3 m exceeds the outright maximum of 10.7 m; it can proceed only by rezoning (CD-1 under the Interim Rezoning Policy for Social Housing), where height is negotiated.
By rezoning (CD-1 under the Interim Rezoning Policy for Social Housing): yes, with conditions.
Not yet confirmed.
| Item | Status | Who / what |
|---|---|---|
| Interim Rezoning Policy for Social Housing in Former Community Vision Areas | Conditional | Manager and architect: expect staff to test the scheme against the RM-4 benchmark; prepare the shadow and daylight case. |
| Protection of Trees By-law 9958: minimum trees, protection distances, cash in lieu | Conditional | Architect: find room for the missing trees (1 m from side lines, 1.5 m from the building, 2.5 m apart) or budget the cash in lieu. |
| BC Builds: eligibility and below-market requirement | Uncertain | Manager: state the below-market share and discount; BC Builds applies opportunity by opportunity, so check the current Property Opportunity Notices. |
| BC Housing Community Housing Fund: eligibility and unit mix | Uncertain | Manager: supply the missing figures; the indicative grant at 2025-26 rates would be $17,977,155 for 105 units. |
Unlikely. The gap is $12,522,309, 23% of the capital cost, more than the 15% a feasibility screen can call close. Placeholders in use: Soft costs, Contingency, Rent-geared-to-income, Operating cost, Replacement reserve.
| Line | Figure | From | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard cost base | $4,693 per m² | f.hard_cost_base | average of Quadplex 01 ($425/sf), Quadplex 02 ($438/sf) and Townhouse ($446/sf) |
| Escalation to the latest index | ×1.0292 | f.escalation_bcpi | BCPI 109.2 (2026-04-01) over 106.1 (2024-07-01) |
| Hard cost | $40,084,465 | f.hard_cost_base | 8,299 m² × $4,693 × 1.0292 |
| Soft costs | $10,021,116 | f.soft_costs (placeholder) | 25% of hard cost |
| Contingency | $4,008,446 | f.soft_costs (placeholder) | 10% of hard cost |
| Land | $0 | f.land | nominal: the owner is a church and the tenure plan is a long lease or a transfer |
| Capital cost | $54,114,027 | the option | hard + soft + contingency + land |
| Market rent | $2,598,180 a year | f.rents | CMHC October 2025, 105 units; some unit types priced at the CMHC all-units average: the table has no figure for them |
| Rent-geared-to-income | $0 a year | f.rents (placeholder) | 30% of a household income taken at 50% of the fund's income limit (placeholder) |
| Deep-subsidy rent | $0 a year | f.rents | the shelter rate, $500 a month |
| Vacancy | $96,133 a year | f.rents | 3.7% of gross rent, the CMHC survey's rate |
| Operating cost | $682,500 a year | f.operating (placeholder) | $6,500 per unit |
| Replacement reserve | $63,000 a year | f.operating (placeholder) | $600 per unit |
| Net operating income | $1,756,547 a year | the option | gross rent less vacancy, operating cost and reserve |
| Community Housing Fund grant | $17,977,155 | bch.chf.eligibility | $171,211 per unit × 105; indicative, the fund is between calls |
| Equity | $0 | the option | none entered |
| Supportable debt | $23,614,563 | f.mortgage | NOI over a 1.10 coverage ratio, at 6.19% over 40 years (annual service $1,596,861) |
| Funding | $41,591,718 | the option | grants + equity + supportable debt |
| Gap | $12,522,309 | the option | capital cost less funding; a negative gap is headroom |
A feasibility screen, not a lender's model: hard costs from a Class D catalogue estimate escalated by the Statistics Canada index, rents from the CMHC survey, debt at the posted five-year rate under CMHC's coverage ratio. Placeholders are marked; replace them with the project's own budget before anyone relies on the gap.
massing.json carries the same geometry for the Revit script (revit/ffm_massing_pyrevit.py).
6 floors of 69.6 × 19.87 m (1,383 m² each); a double-loaded corridor, units 9.04 m deep; 69 of 105 units placed.
| Block | Count | Area | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-bedroom+ | 12 | 1,226 m² | bch.design_guidelines.unit_areas: 12 × 94.6 m² net (86 m² minimum + 10%), 102.2 m² gross with partitions |
| Two-bedroom | 26 | 2,070 m² | bch.design_guidelines.unit_areas: 26 × 73.7 m² net (67 m² minimum + 10%), 79.6 m² gross with partitions |
| One-bedroom | 37 | 2,153 m² | bch.design_guidelines.unit_areas: 37 × 53.9 m² net (49 m² minimum + 10%), 58.2 m² gross with partitions |
| Studio | 30 | 1,176 m² | bch.design_guidelines.unit_areas: 30 × 36.3 m² net (33 m² minimum + 10%), 39.2 m² gross with partitions |
| Non-residential | 1 | 1,250 m² | option.non_residential_gfa_m2: the option's non-residential floor area (childcare, a hall, shops) |
| Amenity | 1 | 158 m² | placeholder: 1.5 m² per unit, at least 40 m² |
| Services, bicycles | 1 | 300 m² | placeholder: 40 m² services + 260 bicycle spaces × 1.0 m² |
| Parking | 68 | 2,040 m² | placeholder: below grade, not on the plates |
Adjacency rules, in plain words, read back from the plates:
Did not fit on the plates: One-bedroom × 17 (989 m²); Studio × 19 (745 m²). More storeys, a larger plate or a smaller program.
layout.json carries the blocks, the rules and every zone's coordinates; placeholders are listed in it under assumptions.
| Rule | Status | Finding | Numbers used | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Interim Rezoning Policy for Social Housing in Former Community Vision Areas (cov.irp.social_housing_rezoning, v 2023-11-01) | Conditional | Eligible for consideration as 100% social housing under the policy; height 22.3 m is above the staff benchmark of 19.9 to 21.3 m. The policy sets no maximum, so the number is negotiated with staff. | benchmark fsr = 3; height m = 22.3; fsr = 2.953 | Interim Rezoning Policy for Social Housing, Seniors Housing, and Institutional, Cultural and Recreational Uses in Former Community Vision Areas (approved 1 Nov 2023, amended 31 Mar 2026), s.3.1.1; staff benchmark from the 998 E 19th Ave referral report |
Off-street parking minimums (cov.parking_minimums, v 2024-06-26) | Info | No minimum off-street parking applies citywide since June 2024; the option provides 68 vehicle and 260 bicycle spaces, which are set by the Parking By-law at the development permit stage. | parking spaces = 68; bicycle spaces = 260 | City of Vancouver, housing and transit-friendly actions passed June 2024 (minimum parking requirements eliminated citywide), Parking By-law amendments, June 2024 |
RM-1 outright floor space ratio (cov.rm1.outright_fsr, v 2023-01-01) | Uncertain | FSR 2.95 exceeds the outright maximum of 1.2; it can proceed only by rezoning (CD-1 under the Interim Rezoning Policy for Social Housing), where density is negotiated. | fsr = 2.953; max fsr outright = 1.2; gfa m2 = 8,299; site area m2 = 2,810.7 | City of Vancouver referral report, 998 E 19th Ave (states RM-1 outright FSR 1.20); RM-1 District Schedule, Existing zoning; RM-1 District Schedule s.4.7 |
RM-1 outright maximum height (cov.rm1.outright_height, v 2023-01-01) | Uncertain | Height 22.3 m exceeds the outright maximum of 10.7 m; it can proceed only by rezoning (CD-1 under the Interim Rezoning Policy for Social Housing), where height is negotiated. | height m = 22.3; max height m outright = 10.7; storeys = 6 | City of Vancouver referral report, 998 E 19th Ave (states RM-1 outright height 10.7 m / 35 ft); RM-1 District Schedule, Existing zoning; RM-1 District Schedule s.4.3 |
| Rule | Status | Finding | Numbers used | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Small-scale multi-unit housing minimum unit counts (bc.ssmuh.minimum_units, v 2024-06-30) | Not applicable | Written for R1-1, RS, RT districts; this site is zoned RM-1. | district = RM-1 | Province of BC, Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing overview webinar (22 Jan 2024) and SSMUH Provincial Policy Manual, Bill 44; Local Government Act Part 14 Division 5; manual Packages A to D |
Transit-oriented area minimum allowable height and density (bc.toa.minimum_density, v 2024-06-30) | Not applicable | The site is outside the transit-oriented areas; no provincial minimum height applies. | Province of BC webinar (Bill 47 transit-oriented areas); City of Vancouver release, June 2024, Bill 47; Local Government Act transit-oriented areas; Vancouver Charter amendments |
| Rule | Status | Finding | Numbers used | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Below-market rental housing policy for rezonings (secured market rental) (cov.below_market_rental, v 2023-01-01) | Not applicable | The below-market rental policy applies to 100% secured market rental rezonings; social housing is governed by the social housing definition instead. | City of Vancouver, Policy: Below-Market Rental Housing for Rezonings, Policy requirements | |
Development cost levy and community amenity contribution treatment of social housing (cov.dcl_cac_social_housing, v 2023-01-01) | Info | Social housing is exempt from development cost levies and from community amenity contributions in a rezoning; the church use is also DCL-exempt. The exemption's value is worth stating in the memo. | dcl exempt = True; cac exempt = True | 998 E 19th Ave referral report: CAC exempt under the policy's social housing exemption; DCL exempt as church and social housing (estimated value $3,075,715 at 30 Sep 2023 rates), Public benefits |
Family-unit requirement in rezonings (cov.family_units, v 1992-01-01) | Pass | 38 of 105 units (36.2%) have two or more bedrooms, against a 35.0% minimum. | units total = 105; two plus bed units = 38; two plus bed share = 0.362; three plus bed units = 12; three plus bed share = 0.114; min two plus bed share = 0.35; min three plus bed share = None | High-Density Housing for Families with Children Guidelines (1992) as applied in rezonings; the 998 E 19th Ave referral report states the 35% policy minimum, Unit mix; family units 38 of 105 (36%) against a 35% minimum |
Social housing definition (Zoning and Development By-law s.2; DCL By-law 9755) (cov.social_housing_definition, v 2023-01-01) | Pass | Meets the City's social housing definition: 30.0% of units for households below HILs (minimum 30.0%), owned by a non profit society, secured for 60 years. | share below hils = 0.3; owner type at completion = non_profit_society; housing agreement years = 60 | 998 E 19th Ave referral report: social housing as defined in the Vancouver Development Cost Levy By-law No. 9755 (at least 30% of units for households below the Housing Income Limits, rents not exceeding 30% of income, owned by a non-profit or government, secured by housing agreement for the longer of 60 years and the life of the building), Tenure and affordability; Housing Agreement and Section 219 covenant |
Protection of Trees By-law 9958: minimum trees, protection distances, cash in lieu (cov.trees.replacement, v 2023-01-01) | Conditional | Schedule C requires 20 trees on 2,811 m²; the option keeps 1 of 9 and plants 16, leaving 17, a shortfall of 3: plant 3 more at the by-law setbacks or pay $3,000 cash in lieu; the final count is set at the development permit. | site area m2 = 2,810.7; schedule c required = 20; existing = 9; retained = 1; removed = 8; replacements proposed = 16; trees after = 17; shortfall = 3; cash in lieu cad = 3000; survey scope = every tree on the site, within 2 m of the boundary, and on the adjoining street | City of Vancouver Protection of Trees By-law No. 9958 (consolidated), Schedule A (s.1.2), Schedule C (ss.5.1, 5.2, 6.2), s.6.2 cash in lieu, s.6.5 siting, s.7.2 arborist report |
| Rule | Status | Finding | Numbers used | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Building code basis flags (BC Building Code 2024; Vancouver Building By-law 2025) (bc.code_basis, v 2025-09-15) | Info | 6 storeys puts the building under Part 3 of the BC Building Code 2024 and the Vancouver Building By-law 2025; wood frame is standard to 6 storeys and encapsulated mass timber is permitted to 18 under the VBBL; seismic changes apply to permits from 2026-09-15. | storeys = 6; part = 3 | Province of BC, BC Building Code 2024; City of Vancouver, Guide to 2025 Vancouver Building By-law updates, Part 3 vs Part 9 basis (Div A 1.3.3.2); encapsulated mass timber |
BC Housing Design Guidelines: minimum net unit areas (bch.design_guidelines.unit_areas, v 2019-05-01) | Info | BC Housing minimum net unit areas are studio 33, one-bedroom 49, two-bedroom 67, three-bedroom 86 m²; the option averages 67 m² gross per unit, so net areas should be checked at the plan stage. | average gross area per unit m2 = 67.1 | BC Housing Design Guidelines and Construction Standards (2019 edition; copy), Unit areas; building envelope; structure |
| Rule | Status | Finding | Numbers used | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BC Builds: eligibility and below-market requirement (bc.bcbuilds.eligibility, v 2024-02-13) | Uncertain | BC Builds: fit cannot be confirmed without the share of units at least 20% below market. Non-residential space is 15.1% of area, under the 30% cap; Ground must break within 12 to 18 months of the conditional land contribution letter. | submission = Proposal in any format by email against each Property Opportunity Notice; optional capital and operating budget template | BC Builds, developers and operators (page current as of 22 Sep 2026); Province of BC BC Builds announcement 2024, Applicant requirements; grants; timelines |
BC Housing Community Housing Fund: eligibility and unit mix (bch.chf.eligibility, v 2025-05-30) | Uncertain | Community Housing Fund: fit cannot be confirmed without the rent-tier split (market / rent-geared-to-income / deep subsidy units); accessible unit count (5% minimum); land tenure (lease of at least 60 years at nominal value, or ownership). Site control (letter of intent) meets the readiness bar; Construction must be able to start within 18 months of award; Program status: 2025 call (RFP #1070-2526-022) cancelled Feb 2026; program page says it will post when next seeking proposals (as of 22 Sep 2026). | status = 2025 call (RFP #1070-2526-022) cancelled Feb 2026; program page says it will post when next seeking proposals (as of 22 Sep 2026); provisional grant per unit cad = 171211; indicative grant cad = 17977155 | BC Housing, Community Housing Fund 2025 RFP #1070-2526-022 webinar slides; 2023 RFP #1070-2324-041; CHF program page, Eligibility; unit mix 30/50/20; minimum requirements; rated criteria |
BC Housing Project Development Fund (pre-development loans) (bch.pdf.predevelopment_loan, v 2025-01-01) | Info | max loan cad: 250000; eligible costs: due diligence, feasibility and design. | max loan cad = 250000; eligible costs = due diligence, feasibility and design | UBCM resolution NR24 and the Province's response (Project Development Fund loans up to $250,000), Provincial response |
CMHC Affordable Housing Fund: readiness and submission mechanics (cmhc.ahf.readiness, v 2024-03-13) | Info | construction start months after approval: 6; intake: continuous; submission: online application with Project Assessment Workbook and Integrity Declaration; separate Required Documentation Checklist; criteria note: Affordability, accessibility and energy thresholds sit in the program scoring, not in the applicant guide; pull from cmhc.ca/ahf before encoding. | construction start months after approval = 6; intake = continuous; submission = online application with Project Assessment Workbook and Integrity Declaration; separate Required Documentation Checklist; criteria note = Affordability, accessibility and energy thresholds sit in the program scoring, not in the applicant guide; pull from cmhc.ca/ahf before encoding | CMHC, Affordable Housing Fund applicant guide, Minimum submission requirements; readiness |
| Rule | Status | Finding | Numbers used | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Construction price escalation (Statistics Canada BCPI, Vancouver, residential) (f.escalation_bcpi, v 2024-08-21) | Info | Building construction price index, Vancouver, residential buildings, division composite (2023=100): 109.4 in the third quarter of 2026, from 106.1 in the third quarter of 2024, the hard-cost base period; escalation 1.031 (a memo run on an earlier date uses the last quarter published on or before that date). | table = 18-10-0289-01; product id = 18100289; coordinate = 24.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0.0; vector = v1617916836; series = Vancouver, British Columbia; Residential buildings; Division composite; base = 2023=100; latest period = 2026-07-01; latest value = 109.4; released = 2026-10-29 | Statistics Canada, Table 18-10-0289-01 Building construction price indexes, by type of building and division (quarterly, 2023=100), released 29 Oct 2026, Vancouver, British Columbia; residential buildings; division composite (vector v1617916836) |
Hard construction cost, base ($/m², Vancouver) (f.hard_cost_base, v 2024-08-21) | Info | Hard cost base $4,693 per m² ($436 per build sq ft): the average of the three four-unit wood-frame designs in the Class D estimate for the Province's standardized housing designs, Vancouver baseline, August 2024, hard costs only. | value per m2 cad = 4693; value per sqft cad = 436; base period = 2024-07-01; basis = average of Quadplex 01 ($425/sf), Quadplex 02 ($438/sf) and Townhouse ($446/sf); the catalogue's ten designs run $401 to $585 per build sq ft; the report's regional review gives Vancouver $350 to $475 per sq ft; excludes = soft costs, utility connections, existing buildings, rock or shoring, pad-mounted transformers (the report's stated assumptions) | SHP Class D Estimate Report, V3 (Chris Hill, CPA CMA, for the BC Ministry of Housing Standardized Designs Catalogue), 21 Aug 2024, Cost Estimate Summary (per build sf); Region Review; Assumptions |
Land: nominal lease from a church, a society or a government; else the assessed value, entered (f.land, v 2026-10-01) | Info | Land is carried at a nominal value where the owner is a church, a non-profit society, a co-operative, a First Nation, the City or the Province and the tenure plan is a long lease or a transfer; otherwise the BC Assessment value or the agreed price is entered by hand, and until it is the pro-forma is unsure. | nominal value cad = 0 | BC Assessment, property assessment search (assessed value of the parcel); the owner's tenure plan, Assessed value as of 1 July of the previous year |
Mortgage rate, amortization and debt coverage (Bank of Canada; CMHC MLI Select) (f.mortgage, v 2026-10-14) | Info | Conventional 5-year mortgage rate 6.19% (chartered banks, Bank of Canada series V80691335, 28 Oct 2026) as the ceiling; CMHC MLI Select terms for the debt test: a 1.10 debt coverage ratio and a 40-year amortization (50 years is available at 100 affordability points). | rate pct = 6.19; rate series = V80691335; rate date = 2026-10-28; amortization years = 40; debt coverage ratio = 1.1; insured rate note = an insured multi-unit loan is usually priced below the posted conventional rate; the posted rate is the conservative ceiling | Bank of Canada, Valet API, series V80691335 Conventional mortgage, 5-year (weekly); CMHC, MLI Select product sheet, Conventional mortgage, 5-year; MLI Select: minimum debt coverage ratio 1.10 for standard rental, amortization to 50 years at 100 points |
Operating cost and replacement reserve per unit (f.operating, v 2026-10-01) | Info | Operating cost $6,500 per unit a year (management, maintenance, utilities, insurance, property tax where not exempt) and a $600 per unit replacement reserve: declared placeholders until the operator's budget replaces them. | operating cost per unit year cad = 6500; replacement reserve per unit year cad = 600 | Declared placeholder (no public source): to be replaced by the operator's budget or BC Housing's operating benchmarks where published |
Rents by tier: CMHC average market rent, rent-geared-to-income, the shelter rate (f.rents, v 2026-01-29) | Info | Market rent from the CMHC Rental Market Survey of October 2025, Vancouver CMA, purpose-built apartments: two-bedroom $2,363 a month, all unit types $1,963, vacancy 3.7% (the other bedroom types are left to be typed from the CMHC data tables); rent-geared-to-income at 30% of a household income taken, as a placeholder, at half the Community Housing Fund's low-to-moderate income limit for the unit size; the deep-subsidy rent at the income assistance shelter rate of $500. | survey = October 2025; vacancy rate = 0.037; rgi rent share of income = 0.3; rgi income share of chf limit = 0.5; deep subsidy rent monthly cad = 500 | CMHC, Rental Market Report, January 2026 (October 2025 survey), Vancouver CMA; Province of BC, income assistance shelter allowance (single person, maximum $500 from 1 Dec 2025), Vancouver: purpose-built rental vacancy 3.7%, average two-bedroom rent $2,363; summary by zone, all units $1,963 |
Soft costs and contingency, as shares of hard cost (f.soft_costs, v 2026-10-01) | Info | Soft costs 25% of hard cost (design, permits, levies where they apply, financing, legal, insurance, marketing) and a 10% contingency: declared placeholders until a practitioner gives this project's figures. | soft cost share of hard = 0.25; contingency share of hard = 0.1 | Declared placeholder (no public source): to be replaced by the proponent's development budget |
998-e-19th-ave: RM-1, 2,810.7 m², 75.6 × 37.2 m; owner: Vancouver First Church of the Nazarene.998-e-19th-ave-as-approved: 6 storeys, 22.3 m, 8,299.0 m² GFA; units studio 30, one bed 37, two bed 26, three bed plus 12; tenure social housing.9209630adb35220b8e7e9d43f4b0b8c636e9557b8f7d61a6111e6aed3d9a7823a_zoning_district.json: ef2791008abaf57c…b_provincial.json: 0fede33e5d62b1bd…c_city_policies.json: 961f8f2e91ce2d3f…d_design_standards.json: dc53a9b24d809090…e_funding_programs.json: 9267a33722068790…f_assumptions.json: 942a6dbab04d93fc…e51e3a0350b87718