Vancouver to explore single-stair amendments to its building code [Video]

Vancouver city councillors have approved a motion to explore single stairs in buildings of up to six storeys in the city, in line with provincial building code changes passed earlier this year.

The changes would allow one exit stairwell instead of two, with the provincial government saying in August that removing a stairwell allows builders to build on smaller lots and gives them more flexibility for multi-bedroom apartments, adding housing density in areas of transit-oriented developments.

The motion from Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung asking staff to look at updating the city’s building bylaws passed unanimously last week, with councillors pointing to other cities like New York as examples of places where single-stair apartment buildings have been implemented.

Kirby-Yung’s motion is pitched as a bid to deliver more “missing middle” housing options in the city — generally townhomes and low-rise apartment buildings that are located near large skyscrapers and single-family homes.

Proponents argue that units wrapped around a single stair will …