Vancouver city council approves study to look at adding housing near schools with low enrolment

Vancouver city councillors have voted unanimously in favour to look at ways to create additional housing in neighbourhoods where school enrolment is low.

The motion was put forward by ABC councillor Lenny Zhou, who says the city’s West Side has seen some of the biggest decreases in enrolment.

“The projections show that if we don’t do anything the number will be continuing to decline,” Zhou said. “We know that a lot of schools are at risk of closure, so if we lost that valuable land, we will never get them back.”

Enrolment has declined by 8.4 per cent in the past 10 years, which means about 4,400 students have left the Vancouver School Board, he said.

City staff have been directed to work closely with the VSB to add residential density in close proximity to schools that are at risk of closure.

VSB has a data sharing agreement with the City of Vancouver in place, and staff regularly meet to share details about development plans by the city and the potential impacts on enrolment in schools.

According to the VSB, it uses Vital Statistics B.C. and CRA child care benefits data to estimate child population, as well as track movement in and out of the city.

“There’s been enrolment decline in 22 of the past 25 years. However, there are pockets of enrolment growth in certain areas in the city such as Olympic Village, the North Cambie Corridor and Downtown core,” a spokesperson for the VSB told CTV News.

The motion specifically notes that the housing should be “family oriented.” Zhou says staff will also be looking at ways incorporate affordable housing.

Kylenta Martins, the chair of District Parents Advisory Council (DPAC) hopes that will also be a focus.

“If we were able to focus on affordable housing in spaces that are available for building and would support the schools that have space, that would fantastic,” said Martins.

“It’s about environment and being able to walk to school rather than hopping in your car and driving across the city,” she said.

“I think sometimes we lose sight of the importance of our neighbourhood school and having friends in that same neighorhood and being able to walk to a play date or seeing your friends at the grocery store, it really does create a community feel.”

City staff have been directed to review neighbourhoods where additional housing would benefit public schools and report back in the third quarter of 2024.