Finally! In the stuffy council chambers at City Hall last night, Vancouver City Council unanimously approved a city-wide change to bylaws that will enable homeowners to apply for rezoning to accommodate the construction of smaller houses or cottages at the rear of their lane-backed lots. A small victory, maybe, but this highly anticipated change in zoning says Vancouver is starting to get serious about eco-density – serious about making Vancouver more sustainable, livable, and affordable.

What’s next?

“There is still considerable and complex work to develop regulatory changes to five different zoning schedules covering close to 70,000 lots of varying sizes and shapes with a variety of existing houses and garage types, as well as changes to the Parking and Building by-laws and related policies. Regulations would include not only topics such as height, setbacks, floor space, and parking, but also green building and site and universal access.”

City of Vancouver Policy Report: Urban Restructure

So when will we see actual structures going up? Laneway housing enthusiasts are hopefully circling December 2009 on their calendars, so I would guess it will be closer to spring, 2010. This is great news for so many reasons, not the least of which is that Vancouver-based Smallworks (smallworks design pictured above) will finally have the chance to bring real style to an alleyway near you. Check out the full report.

MSM linkage: Vancouver Sun