New council may rescind majority vote for duplexes in Vancouver

Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr drafting motion to rescind vote of previous Vision Vancouver-led council.

• Generally, a new council is free to reconsider previous bylaws and resolutions of its predecessors.
   
• If the new council wanted to take steps to reverse some or all of these [duplex zoning] amendments, council would need to hold a public hearing prior to approving an amendment to reverse the amendments that are currently proposed.
• If (as is the case here) the matter being reconsidered is a zoning bylaw amendment, then a key issue is what to do with the applicants who have sought to develop their properties in accordance with the impugned amendments.
• Section 570 of the Vancouver Charter authorizes a method of preventing or withholding such applications.
• The new council could also be amenable to have the city issue permits for duplexes until it revises the bylaws to forbid them. No resolution would be needed under section 570 if council was not concerned about the approval of some duplexes.