The City’s population grew by more than one quarter (29%) between 2006 and 2021, with nearly 13,000 new residents calling the City of North Vancouver home. This growth outpaced both the North Shore (12%) and the region overall (23%). This shows that the City is a highly desirable place to live, and that ongoing consideration needs to be given to the impacts of this growth. To accommodate this growth, the City’s housing stock has shifted towards more multifamily developments. Apartment development makes up the majority of new residential units, followed by missing middle housing.
The City’s demographics have shifted in recent years. Statistics show an increase in seniors – from 14% of the population in 2006 to 20% today – and families with children, who represent over 25% of households. The community remains diverse, with immigrants representing over one third of the population since 2006. However, the City has seen a smaller share of new immigrants in the last 5 years, down 5% since 2006. City residents live in a range of housing types, including apartments, single-family houses, and missing middle units. Nearly half of City residents rent their homes. To support the needs of the changing population, the City will need to continue providing a diversity of housing types and tenures including supports for aging-in-place and multi-bedroom units to accommodate children and multigenerational families.
Affordability continues to be one of the most significant issues facing City residents. One in five residents are in core housing need (Canada’s indicator of housing vulnerability), of which 70% are renters. Based on CMHC’s affordability measures, median-income earners cannot afford to buy any type of housing in the City. Homelessness continues to be a growing issue with non-market housing not keeping pace with demand. The City has made progress on increasing the supply of both market and non-market housing and on strengthening City policies, however, a continued effort from all levels of government is needed to tackle affordability and homelessness.
The HNR legislation requires municipalities to project 5 and 20-year housing need using a new standardized methodology (HNR Method). The HNR Method consists of six components added together to provide the total number of housing units needed in a municipality.
According to the last Census, the City had 29,021 housing units in 2021. Over the next 20 years, the City of North Vancouver will need 21,301 additional housing units to address both its underlying and future housing needs.
Calculation of 5 and 20 Year Housing Need for the City of North Vancouver
| Component |
Number of Housing Units
|
|
5 Year Need (2026) |
20 Year Need (2041) |
| A. Extreme Core Housing Need |
525 |
2,099 |
| B. Persons Experiencing Homelessness |
126 |
251 |
| C. Suppressed Household Formation |
358 |
1,431 |
| D. Anticipated Growth |
4,835 |
14,467 |
| E. Rental Vacancy Rate Adjustment |
73 |
292 |
| F. Additional Local Demand |
690 |
2,761 |
| Total New Units |
6,606 |
21,301 |
The Province’s HNR legislation requires all municipalities to review and update their OCPs and Zoning Bylaws by December 31, 2025 to permit the number of housing units needed over the next 20 years. The findings and requirements from the Interim HNR will be incorporated into the City’s ongoing
Official Community Plan and
Zoning Bylaw Update projects.
In 2021, the City prepared its first
Housing Needs Report to better understand current housing needs in the City over the following 10 years as identified through statistical analysis (2016 Census data and other sources) and community input.