Vancouver city council has revamped its view cones policy in a bid to increase density and rental-housing supply.

The decision, reached in a vote Wednesday, reduces the number of view cones to 38 from 24 while amending 11 of them. According to a city staff report, the move could free up 108 million square feet of future floor area for future development.

Introduced in 1989, view cones protect views of the North Shore mountains from certain vantage points within the city by restricting building heights in specific areas of Vancouver. Critics have contended that the policy has exacerbated an shortage of multi-family and affordable housing.

The ruling ABC Party had sought revise the view cones policy since taking office in 2022.

ABC Coun. Mike Klassen told Connect that the revised policy protects most of the existing views while modifying a few of them and removing a few that no longer serve an active purpose.

“It preserves the views for the future and also provides an opportunity for more housing development, which is absolutely key when we are looking at a housing crisis,” said Klassen.

“It means is that we have the ability to protect important views that Vancouverites value by also creating opportunity to build millions of square feet of new housing and making a number of projects more economically viable.”

During the meeting at which the vote was held, city staff sent a clear message that the policy changes are are considered to be guidelines and not requirements, Klassen added.

“So, that means that it’s really important that, if you bring a development on a site that has the capacity for larger floor plates, those will be taken into account,” said Klassen.

Council also approved a revision of what’s known as the shadowing policy. New “solar access guidelines” are designed to prevent new buildings from impeding sunlight excessively in public outdoor areas.

Klassen said the view cones reduction enables the city to respond more fully to Vancouver’s housing crisis. He called the move a balanced and practical approach to building more housing in the city.