• The general Heights area has been identified since 2011 by the Vancouver Comprehensive Plan as a future urban center envisioned to accommodate development as the City grows. Centers are areas where existing services and infrastructure support new development and allow for the creation of 20-minute neighborhoods, and where proximity to services, amenities and transportation options increase livability and promote community identity.

• In June 2017 the City of Vancouver purchased the Tower Mall property with the intention of facilitating redevelopment and catalyzing private investment in an underserved area, now called the Heights District. The 205-acre District includes a mix of City and privately-owned properties, and includes commercial and retail uses, social and healthcare services, three schools, several churches, and a housing complex owned by the Vancouver Housing Authority. Within the District, the 63-acre Tower Mall Redevelopment Area was identified as the area where most redevelopment will occur in the future. The entire District will also be served by the forthcoming Mill Plain Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) extension.

• At the beginning of the planning process, the Council established key objectives for the Heights District, including establishing a vison for a vibrant urban neighborhood, integrating affordable and workforce housing, creating accessible public open spaces, integrating innovative and sustainable urban design, seamlessly integrating transit, increasing multimodal safety and connectivity, and establishing 20-minute neighborhoods where residents can safely and comfortably walk, bike, roll and take transit to access daily services and amenities.

• In order to ensure that the Heights District Plan reflected community values and the needs and aspirations of a variety of stakeholders, the project planning team undertook a robust community engagement process. Public outreach and engagement was conducted using a variety of methods designed to engage a diverse group of stakeholders as well as the broader community, including three large public in-person open houses and concurrent online open houses; nearly 100 meetings with individuals, focus groups, community organizations and student groups; a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) comprised of 20 diverse stakeholders that met 12 times throughout the planning process and provided detailed feedback and guidance on the Plan recommendations; and regular project updates including a project webpage, mailing list, media releases, distribution through schools, and postcards mailed to thousands of households. Efforts were made throughout the process to engage underrepresented communities, including persons of color, immigrants, renters, youth, and people with disabilities.

• Following a series of workshops and plan refinements, the City Council adopted the Heights District Plan, Plan Appendices, and a Planned Action Final Environmental Impact Statement on August 17, 2020, and directed staff to begin implementation efforts.

• In September 2020 the Heights project team initiated a process for updating development standards to ensure future development in the Heights aligned with the Plan vision and goals, including a new Heights Mixed Use (HX) zoning district and associated Urban Design Guidelines, updates to Title 20 and the City’s Comprehensive Plan, and a Planned Action Ordinance and supporting mitigation measures.

• Outreach and engagement related to implementation of the Heights District Plan has continued the robust community process that occurred as part of the subarea planning process, including ongoing engagement with the following stakeholder groups: Neighborhood Associations and coalitions, Heights Community Advisory Committee (CAC), agency partners, property owners, businesses, service providers, community-based organizations, affordable housing partners, and the broader development community.

• Community engagement and stakeholder feedback resulted in significant changes to the proposed regulatory standards over the course of their development. Items that were refined based on this engagement include building heights throughout the District, step-down provisions, minimum parking ratios, limitations on uses in different subdistricts, greater flexibility for ground floor uses, additional requirements for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design features (CPTED), flexibility in parking screening requirements, refined transportation demand management provisions, and updated bike parking standards, among others. More detailed information on community outreach and engagement associated with implementation of the Heights District Plan is available in a summary memo provided to Council at a May 17 workshop and in the staff report for the June 8, 2021, Planning Commission public hearing on this topic.

• In addition to stakeholder input, the City Council and Planning Commission reviewed and made recommendations on refinements to the proposed Heights regulatory standards at a series of workshops in 2020 and 2021. Planning Commission workshops were held on October 13 and November 10, 2020, and January 26 and April 13, 2021. City Council workshops were held on February 8 and May 17, 2021.

Goal 1: Ensure our built urban environment is one of the safest, most environmentally responsible and well maintained in the Pacific Northwest.

Goal 6: Facilitate the creation of neighborhoods where residents can walk or bike to essential amenities and services "20-minute neighborhoods."

Goal 8: Strengthen commercial, retail and community districts throughout the city.

The following implementing regulations have been developed for the Heights District: adoption of a new Heights Mixed Use (HX) zoning district and associated Heights District Urban Design Guidelines; adoption of additional amendments to the City of Vancouver Comprehensive Plan and Title 20 of the Vancouver Municipal Code; and adoption of a Planned Action for the Heights District, including mitigations.

The Heights Mixed Use (HX) Plan District (Exhibit A) is intended to implement the Heights District Plan vision, goals and policies, and includes standards in the following areas: regulation of uses, including ground floor frontage requirements; development standards, including minimum residential density, maximum building height, building step-down and transitions, facades, building line provisions, modulation, entrances, roof forms, architectural characteristics, materials and colors, landscaping, stormwater, signage, vehicle and bicycle parking minimums and other requirements, and utilities and screening; a design standard modification process; and approval processes for site plan, planned action and design review.

The Heights District Urban Design Guidelines (Exhibit B) work in tandem with the Heights Mixed Use (HX) Plan District to implement Plan visions, goals, and policies. They are founded on several universal design principles that help shape the character, urban form and public spaces of the District, and are based on key design drivers identified through the Heights District planning process. These include inclusive mixed-income housing, connectivity, community health, wellness and equity, and sustainability, among others. The Urban Design Guidelines inform the development of all structures and landscapes within the District and are intended as a discretionary tool, which is administered in concert with the HX Plan District. They address the following aspects of development: public infrastructure, including new and existing streets, sidewalks, traffic calming, parks and open spaces, landscape design and stormwater management systems; building typologies, including housing, commercial, and civic/institutional uses; architecture, including massing, scale, building modulation and façade articulation, entrances, and roof forms; materials and color; signage; public art; parking, including vehicle and bicycle parking; lighting design; utilities and screening; and sustainable development and design.

Updates to several sections of Title 20 of the Vancouver Municipal Code (Exhibit C) will ensure integration of the new HX Plan District and maintain consistency between various sections within the development code. This includes changes in the following code sections and tables: Table 20.130.040-1 Comprehensive Plan and Corresponding Zoning District Designations; 20.430.020 Listing of Zoning Districts; 20.430.030-1 Commercial and Mixed Use Districts Use Table; 20.430.040-1 Development Standards; 20.430.050 Special Limitations on Uses; 20.770.080 Tree Density Requirements; 20.850.020 Approval Process; 20.850.030 Development Standards; 20.890.060 Additional Development Standards by Zoning District; 20.925.030 General Provisions; 20.945.080 Off Loading Requirements; and 20.985.020 Development Standards.

The Heights Mixed Use (HX) Plan District requires an amendment to Table 1-5 on page 1-13 of the Vancouver Comprehensive Plan (Exhibit D) to add the HX Plan District and definition to the list of Commercial zones in the City.

Based on the previously issued Heights District Plan: Planned Action Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) a Planned Action Ordinance (PAO) is proposed to facilitate future development of the Heights District through a front loading of future environmental review. Pursuant to RCW 43.21C.440, WAC 197-11-164, and VMC 20.790.530, PAOs allow individual future development projects that are within adopted impact thresholds to undergo less extensive SEPA environmental review provided such review was undertaken in the full district EIS. The cumulative environmental thresholds for the full Heights District established in the FEIS and referenced in the Mitigation Document (Exhibit E) are for 1,800 new residential units, 204,000 square feet of commercial development, and 36,000 square feet of institutional development. To qualify for expedited SEPA review, individual future projects must not cause these cumulative district wide thresholds to be exceeded and must also follow various mitigation measures listed in the Mitigation Document. It should be noted that future projects qualifying for expedited SEPA review are still subject to the full range of substantive and procedural City planning and building codes applied during Site Plan Review or other applicable review processes.

The proposed Heights Mixed Use (HX) Zoning District, Heights District Urban Design Guidelines, Heights Planned Action Ordinance and associated Comprehensive Plan and Title 20 amendments are consistent with the Heights District Subarea Plan, applicable portions of the Vancouver Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Plan, and provide for updated development standards and regulations necessary to implement an adopted subarea plan, which is designated as an urban center in the Comprehensive Plan. Together, the proposed updates provide a framework of prescriptive standards and discretionary guidelines that will ensure individual development projects implement the vision of the Heights District Plan, and provide for enhanced housing options, additional services and amenities, and new recreation and employment opportunities in a well-designed, livable, mixed-density, mixed-use, connected and sustainable environment.

The proposed regulatory updates provide for a mix of uses that allow for the development of the District as a 20-minute neighborhood where residents can walk, bike, roll or take transit to essential amenities, services, and employment opportunities which include stores, restaurants, parks, schools, and transit stations.

The Heights Mixed Use (HX) Zoning District includes sub-districts with unique standards and supported by design guidelines to ensure development is sensitive to and compatible with the adjacent established neighborhoods, and the HX Zone includes requirements for decreased building heights and increased minimum parking ratios in transition areas where redevelopment will occur in close proximity to existing neighborhoods.

With regard to wireless communication facilities, the proposed standards ensure non-discriminatory provision of personal wireless services and adequate service in the area. While monopoles are not permitted within the HX zone, wireless facilities may be attached to existing and future structures within the zone.  Additionally, the Heights District is located in close proximity to other land use zoning districts also permitting wireless communication facilities, including monopoles, that can assist in providing adequate service to the area. This regulatory standard is consistent with the authority of the City of Vancouver over the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service facilities.

The Urban Design Guidelines provide a framework for transportation and infrastructure improvements, including bicycle and pedestrian facilities and guidance on low impact development stormwater management strategies and best management practices, to improve the efficiency and safety of Vancouver’s transportation and utility infrastructure systems.

A duly advertised Planning Commission public hearing on this topic was held on June 8, 2021, at which the Planning Commission forwarded a unanimous recommendation to Council to adopt the Heights Mixed Use (HX) zoning district, Heights District Urban Design Guidelines, Heights Planned Action, and associated Comprehensive Plan and zoning code amendments as outlined in the staff report without edits. All materials from this public hearing are available here.

1. Establishes a regulatory framework that will implement the Heights District Plan vision for a vibrant neighborhood center that is sustainable, healthy, equitable, accessible and safe, and includes engaging public open space, diverse housing affordable to a wide range of community members, and safe multimodal travel opportunities within the district and to transit and nearby neighborhoods.
2. Implements the Comprehensive Plan and Strategic Plan goals of providing enhanced housing and employment opportunities in well-designed, livable, mixed-density, mixed-use centers and corridors, and incorporating sustainability strategies in these areas.
3. Facilitates creation of a 20-minute neighborhood where residents can walk, bike, roll or use transit to access essential amenities, services, and employment opportunities.
4. Establishes unique sub-districts within the HX zone that are supported by development standards and design guidelines to ensure development is sensitive to and compatible with the adjacent neighborhoods.
5. Facilitates cohesive redevelopment in alignment with a community vision, and ensures that all future investments in buildings, transportation and utility infrastructure, parks and public space, and community development initiatives are coordinated in order to collectively implement this vision.
6. Leverages additional public investments currently being made in the Plan area, including the forthcoming Mill Plain Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) high-capacity transit line, redevelopment of three existing schools in the area, and recent investment in Skyline Crest that has resulted in new facilities providing community services and resources.
7. Allows for the lifting of the development moratorium currently in place for a portion of the Tower Mall Redevelopment Area and facilitates private investment that implements the Heights District vision.