B U R N A B Y H O U S I N G P R O F I L E – 2 0 1 6 15

H O U S I N G T Y P E S : A H I S T O R I C A L S N A P S H O T

Burnaby’s housing stock is a product of its history. From 100 year

old farmhouses to brand new flex suites, housing types are built,

maintained, and replaced within the context of social, economic, and

cultural change in the community.

PA R T 1

DID YOU KNOW?

Over 40% of Burnaby’s

residential towers are

more than 25 years old.3

Built before 1960

1961-1980

1981-1990

1991-2000

Map 2: Age of Burnaby’s Housing Stock by Census Tract Area, 2011

Built before 1960

1961-1980

1981-1990

1991-2000

2001-2011Source: City of Burnaby4

B U R N A B Y H O U S I N G P R O F I L E – 2 0 1 616

Pre - 19th C.

Burnaby’s oldest homes date

from the late 19th c., and are

the farmhouses and lakeside

mansions built by the City’s

founders.

Pre - WWII

A number of suburban

bungalows built in the pre-

WWII era, still remain today.

1950s

Many of Burnaby’s single

family neighbourhoods were

developed in the post-war

boom of the 1950s. A one-

storey with basement form is

typical of this era.

1990s - Present

Single and two family

residential lots continue to

be redeveloped, many with a

more contemporary two-storey

with cellar form.

S I N G L E A N D T W O FA M I LY H O U S I N G

1990s

The R10 and R11 Residential

Districts were established in

1991 and 1994 respectively,

and allowed greater regulation

of built form through

neighbourhood-based “area

rezoning” campaigns in areas

such as Brentwood, Westridge,

Cariboo Heights, Garden

Village and the South Slope.

1990s

The R12 Residential District,

established in 1994, permits

higher density through the area

rezoning process, including

two-family dwellings on 9.15 m

(30 ft) wide lots.

B U R N A B Y H O U S I N G P R O F I L E – 2 0 1 6 17

FUTURE

1960s - 1980s

The “Vancouver Special”

house type found its way east

to Burnaby in the 1960s, and

continued to be built into the

1980s.

1970s - 1990s

The 1970s - 1990s saw new

residential subdivisions in the

Buckingham Heights, Squint

Lake, and Cariboo Heights

areas.

2010s

Secondary suites are a feature

of many single family homes;

Burnaby adopted its Secondary

Suites Program in 2014 to

encourage construction of new

suites and assist homeowners

with upgrading existing suites.

1980s

In the late 1980s, residents

voiced concerns about the

size of new detached houses.

In response, Burnaby added

new regulations for floor area,

height, and bulk.

B U R N A B Y H O U S I N G P R O F I L E – 2 0 1 618

1960s

Many of Burnaby’s apartment

buildings date from the 1960s,

when rising land prices and

tax incentives encouraged

redevelopment of single family

lots with three-storey wood-

frame apartment buildings.

1960s

From 1962 to 1968, Burnaby’s

apartment inventory more than

tripled, from 1,699 units to

5,845. To accommodate this

growth, the City adopted 17

“Apartment Study Area,” plans

that were precursors to the

current OCP and Community

Plans.

1970s - 1980s

The 1970s and early 1980s

also saw the construction of

major townhouse complexes

in the Forest Grove, Lyndhurst,

Montecito, Edmonds, and

Greentree Village areas.

M U LT I P L E FA M I LY H O U S I N G

1940s

Burnaby’s oldest apartment

buildings date from the

1940s. Most are small low-rise

buildings, with ten or fewer

units.

1980s - 1990s

Twenty of Burnaby’s 26

housing cooperatives were

built with the support of senior

government in the 10-year

period between 1981 and

1990. All but two of these

were townhouse or low-rise

developments.

1980s - 2000s

Eight housing cooperatives,

with a total of 283 units, were

constructed near the Edmonds

SkyTrain Station between

1988 and 1990. Burnaby’s

last housing cooperative was

constructed in 2000.

B U R N A B Y H O U S I N G P R O F I L E – 2 0 1 6 19

1970s

Burnaby’s first residential tower,

the 10-storey Brentwood Tower

at 5050 Halifax Street, was

built in 1970. Over the next

four years, 19 more towers

would be constructed, all of

them purpose-built rental

buildings, and five of them

seniors housing.

1970s

Burnaby’s first housing

cooperative, Norman Bethune

Housing Cooperative, was

constructed in 1975 in the

Lyndhurst neighbourhood.

1970s - 1980s

From 1975 to 1983, 42 more

residential towers were

constructed, most of them

under strata ownership, a new

form of ownership authorized

under the 1969 Strata Titles

Act. Burnaby’s cooperative

housing towers – 115 Place

Towers in the Government

Road area, and Post 83 Co-op

near Central Park – were also

built during this period.

1990s

The closure of Oakalla Prison in

1991 allowed redevelopment

of the land for housing. From

1994 to 1999, 403 townhouse

and apartment units, including

76 co-op and non-profit units,

were constructed in this area.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

B U R N A B Y H O U S I N G P R O F I L E – 2 0 1 620

1990s - 2000s

Redevelopment in the 1990s

and 2000s added over 2,500

apartment and townhouse

units within blocks of the

Edmonds SkyTrain station.

Station Hill was redeveloped

on a “City in the Park” model,

with seven residential towers

flanked by townhouse and low-

rise units, and surrounded by

green space.

1990s

Although the earliest example

dates from 1972, construction

of residential towers in

mixed-use environments,

with commercial podiums

containing retail and restaurant

uses, has become more

popular since the late 1990s.

Some residential towers have

business offices on lower floors

or in adjacent buildings.

CONTINUED FROM

PREVIOUS PAGE

FUTURE

B U R N A B Y H O U S I N G P R O F I L E – 2 0 1 6 21

2000s - Present

Since 2008, most residential

tower developments have

featured townhouse units at

street level to improve City

streetscapes and provide

a human scale relationship

between the building and

public space.

2000s - Present

Three to five storey residential

development above retail

storefronts has been a popular

form of development in Urban

Village areas, such as Hastings

Street and Royal Oak.

2000s - Present

In the 2000s, the award-

winning UniverCity

development at Simon Fraser

University introduced the

flex-suites model and other

innovative and sustainable

design features. Development

of the nearly 4,350 planned

housing units continues, with

over half completed to date.