Vancouver West

The proximity to everything is incredible. You get the best of all worlds, beaches, restaurants and close to any events that are happening right across the bridge. The walkability score is amazing, and the biking that you can do through the neighbourhood is excellent. There are beautiful tree-lined streets and some gorgeous views from a lot of the West Side. I love being in a neighbourhood that is so close to the airport, and the shopping on West 4th Ave. has been growing over the years. It really is its own personality.

It is an interesting market as there are predominantly single-family homes that have been there for many years. A lot of the generational wealth comes from the West Side and over the years it was a hotspot for foreign ownership due to the proximity to all of the amenities and the popular school catchments that it has to offer. Now that there are new zoning changes, I think we will start to see younger families come into some of the neighbourhoods that were harder to get into over the years, due to the price point.

I don’t know that the West Side has had many changes over the years. The new zoning changes will create more opportunities for multi-family and higher density, which will have a massive impact in the market here, along with the property types for different buyers.

We will start to see larger buildings, more transit corridors, larger amenity spaces. The West Side has been known for its sleepy qualities later in the evening, I think this will create more vibrancy within the communities and newer pockets of interest.

It does have a variety depending on the area. You will see higher density and more multifamily in the Kitsilano area, whereas Shaughnessy, Kerrisdale, Dunbar, etc., [have] larger single-family homes. I would say predominantly single-family across the board.

I think there is potential for a single-family home that may need full renovations, or a “tear down” is what we call it. You may be able to find a small condo closer to the beach in that similar state as well that may be a good snag during a slower market.

I find that the larger single-family homes are usually families looking for security and good school catchment areas. The West Side was known for more prestigious lots and homes. It was aspirational to try and live on the West Side and still is in many areas.

I think with the new policies in place it will allow for younger ownership. Along with different property types and prices. You will see various ages in the West Side now, whereas before, it was traditionally established families. I do believe along Kitsilano and Broadway you will still see a younger and more vibrant crowd with some of the density and modern projects coming in.

The average sale price ten years ago was $2.2 million, and today it is at $3.05 million for detached homes. That is a massive increase, with the last five years being a lot more conservative. The pandemic was in there, so hard to gauge those two years, but we have been steadily climbing the last two years. With attached mid-$500,000 and now mid-$700,000; similar to attached, with the last two years climbing.

Price, transit and amenities were some of the biggest things that used to come up as points of contention, but with the new policies in place, we are seeing improvements and plans coming forward that will help combat these issues for the community. You will also start seeing larger developments in some of the corridors you normally would not have seen, some in some quiet residential areas.

I love Whitford, these beautiful townhouses on Oak and 37th – right across from VanDusen. That will be a lovely addition to the neighbourhood.

There are pockets, mostly families are moving to the established neighbourhoods, Kerrisdale, Dunbar, Shaughnessy. We see more younger couples, singles in the UBC area and Kitsilano areas, mostly due to housing sizes and pricing. A lot of the university crowd rents and we have heard and seen that there has not been enough housing to support students recently.

Yes, some corridors will allow one tower per block, 18 – 25 storeys, depending on the proximity to the Broadway line. Others will allow six-storey mid-rises along the block, and all R1-1 zoning will see multi-family homes of three to eight units, depending on the lot size. Granville will see a lot of changes coming into town, with a few new applications along that corridor.

I think we will see a lot more housing supporting rentals and students. If you think about some of the big cities, most areas have their own identity, people do not have to come in and out of town to access shopping, restaurants, amenities, etc. I feel some of the new planning will start to create that. Port Moody did a great job of it; Mount Pleasant has seen success with it as well.

The Jericho Lands are expected to bring in a multitude of housing options to the West Side of Vancouver – affordable housing, family, social, light industrial, commercial – tying in parks, open space, rapid transit and amenities. It will significantly shape the feel and future of this area in a more positive way. There will be significant cultural ties and provide further opportunities for jobs and home ownership. At 90 acres, it will be the size of a small town. I am excited to see the future plans.