When Victoria overruled West Vancouver Council on Ambleside in April, the headlines suggested the village was being opened to towers. The plan the Province put into force does something narrower. Most of Marine Drive through the village core stays at three to four storeys. Taller buildings are limited to a few named parcels, and several of those carry conditions on who can own the homes.
This matters if you are weighing an Ambleside condo against a house elsewhere on the North Shore. The plan decides which nearby blocks could change your view and streetscape. It also decides how many new strata units the village can realistically add, and that supply is smaller than the coverage suggested.
How the Province Ended Up Writing the Rules
On April 7, 2026, the Province ordered the District of West Vancouver to adopt the Ambleside Centre Local Area Plan into its Official Community Plan. The provincial news release says the District delivered 58 of its 220 net-new homes in year one of its housing target and missed a December 31, 2025 deadline to complete three provincial directives.
Council had been split 3–3 on the plan. Mayor Mark Sager could not vote because he owns commercial property in the plan area. He told the North Shore News, "The province has just cast the deciding vote." The same report says the plan took effect with no further council votes or public hearings.
The version the Province adopted is the May 2025 draft that staff had already prepared. The plan presents its heights and densities as anticipated ranges. Each project is still settled through zoning and site review, so no building is approved automatically.
The Height Map
The table below summarizes the plan's sub-areas, as written in the order-in-council text.
| Sub-area | Anticipated height | Density | Condition that shapes what gets built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-rise Marine Drive core | 3–4 storeys | 1.75–2.0 FAR | Commercial required at street level |
| Low-Rise B, gas-station and surface-parking sites | 3–4 storeys | 1.75–2.0 FAR | Upper residential floors must be rental unless an extra commercial storey is added |
| Low-Rise C, 13th Street gateway | 3–4 storeys | 1.75–2.0 FAR | Public space at the 13th Street corner in place of other amenity contributions |
| Waterfront D | 3–4 on Marine, 5–6 on 16th, 14–16 on 17th | Up to 3.5–4.0 FAR | Judged on a plaza, grocery store, public parking and housing |
| Waterfront E | 6–8 storeys | 2.5–3.0 FAR | Commercial at street level |
| Waterfront F | 3–4 storeys | 3.5–4.0 FAR | Existing 180-foot height limited to the southern Bellevue frontage |
| Waterfront G | 10–12 storeys | 3.5–4.0 FAR | At least one floor of community use |
| Upslope H | 2–3 on Marine, 6–8 on 14th, 12–14 near centre | Up to 3.5–4.0 FAR | Clyde market square and two mews |
| Upslope I | 6–8 storeys | 2.5–3.0 FAR | At least two commercial floors |
| Upslope J | 10–12 storeys | 3.5–4.0 FAR | Contemplates transfer of 1590 Bellevue Avenue to the District |
| Upslope K | 10–12 storeys | 3.5–4.0 FAR | All rental, or 70% strata and 30% below-market rental |
The table shows a corridor that stays mostly low-rise. The plan's design guidelines call for quality ground-floor retail with generous glazing, patios where feasible, and residential floors set back above the shops. Plan-wide policy allows rental on every site and sends amenity contributions toward public facilities. If you own in an older building upslope of the low-rise core, the plan expects new buildings in front of you at three or four storeys over shops, not towers.
Why the Tenure Conditions Limit New Strata Supply
The heights in the table do not all translate into condos you can buy. Three conditions reduce the strata yield:
- Low-Rise B sites lean toward rental. On the gas-station and parking parcels, homes above the shops must be rental unless the developer adds another floor of commercial space. A strata project there needs more commercial floor area, and that extra floor has to make financial sense in a village retail market.
- Upslope K is capped at 70% strata. A 10- to 12-storey building there is either fully rental or has 30% of its homes as below-market rental.
- The tallest parcels require commercial or community floors. Waterfront G needs at least one community-use floor, Upslope I needs at least two commercial floors, and Waterfront D is judged on whether it delivers a plaza, a grocery store and public parking.
Each condition takes floor area away from strata homes. As a result, the condo supply the plan allows is smaller than the plan's heights suggest. Maureen O'Brien, executive director of the Ambleside Dundarave Business Improvement Association, told the North Shore News that the area has few options for "downsizers, young families or first-time buyers." The tenure rules mean the plan meets that need partly with rental homes.
Two of the Tallest Sites Await the Minister
The plan's two tallest allowances fall on two named sites. The North Shore News describes them as the Fresh Street Market site, on the 1600 to 1700 block between Marine Drive and Bellevue Avenue, and the Village Square site, covering three-quarters of a block in the 1400 block of Clyde Avenue. The plan allows up to 16 storeys at Fresh Street facing 17th Street and up to 14 at the centre of Village Square.
These two sites are where the dispute has continued. The North Shore News reports that a year before the order, three council members objected to the higher density proposed for these two sites. After the order, Council advanced a modified plan, Bylaw 5386, which restores the earlier policies for the 1400 block north and 1600 block south of Marine Drive. It received third reading on April 27, 2026. The hearing minutes record 29 written and 20 verbal submissions. Concerns raised included towers, views, trees, traffic, parking and construction. Supporters spoke about housing diversity, affordability, arts facilities and revitalization.
Council cannot adopt the change by itself. In her letter to the District, Housing Minister Christine Boyle wrote that any amendment to the plan during the two-year period set by the order needs ministerial consent. She said she would consider supporting requests "when a technical rationale demonstrates that a proposal will enable the District to make meaningful progress toward meeting its targets." On May 4, 2026, Council directed staff to request that consent. No public decision on the bylaw appears in the District's Council Highlights through its September 23 meeting. As of publication, the 14- and 16-storey allowances remain in the adopted plan, and Council's request to remove them is waiting on the minister.
The pressure on the District has not let up. A September 18 letter from the minister addressed planning for the Park Royal-Taylor Way area and the quarterly progress reports the Province now requires. The April letter also said the deadline for the other two directives would not be extended, and that further orders were possible.
The One Approved Strata Tower
While the commercial core waits on the minister, the clearest new strata supply is in Ambleside's apartment area. On September 21, 2026, Council approved Wall Financial's application at 1552 Esquimalt Avenue. The approval covers an OCP amendment, rezoning and development permit for a 19-storey, 126-unit strata building, built beside the existing Ambleside Towers rental building, which stays. The parkade will be rebuilt in phases so residents keep parking during construction, and the project adds parking and bicycle storage.
The North Shore News reported in June that the proposal included a covenant keeping the existing building rental permanently, including if it is ever rebuilt. The District's page gives no completion date.
The project was approved through a site-specific OCP amendment, not through the new commercial-core height map. It also follows an earlier change for the apartment area, adopted July 8, 2024, that raised permitted density on RM1 and RM2 sites from 1.75 to 2.0 FAR without raising maximum heights. One more proposal is at an early stage. The District lists a preliminary 11-storey mixed-use concept at 2196 Marine Drive that would restore the heritage gas-station building. It has not been formally submitted.
What the Current Prices Reflect
Greater Vancouver Realtors' September 2026 figures, released October 2, put the West Vancouver apartment benchmark at $1,097,300, down 5.7% from September 2025. The detached benchmark was $2,822,900, down 9.9% over the same period. Apartments have held value better than houses over the past year. For a downsizer, that means the price gap between selling a house and buying a condo has narrowed somewhat.
The plan matters for those prices because the benchmark is set by buildings that already exist. Near-term new strata supply comes from one approved 126-unit tower, a few large parcels with rental or commercial conditions, and two tall sites whose allowances may be reduced. An existing Ambleside condo will compete with that new supply, which is likely to arrive slowly. GVR's sales counts for September combine West Vancouver with Howe Sound, with 15 apartment and 41 detached sales, so they describe a wider area than Ambleside alone.
The heights and tenure rules described here come from public planning documents and are general information, not legal or financial advice. Before acting on a specific building or parcel, confirm the zoning and title details with your lawyer and the District.
FAQ
Does the plan allow towers along Marine Drive? Not along most of it. The low-rise core is set at three to four storeys. Taller buildings are limited to named sub-areas such as Waterfront D, Waterfront G and Upslope H, J and K.
Can West Vancouver Council change the plan? During the two-year period set by the order, only with the Housing Minister's consent, according to the minister's April letter to the District. Council asked for consent on Bylaw 5386 on May 4, 2026.
Is 1552 Esquimalt Avenue part of the new plan? No. It is an apartment-area infill approved through its own OCP amendment and rezoning on September 21, 2026.
If you are comparing an Ambleside condo with the parcels around it, Amir Miri Personal Real Estate Corporation can check a specific building against the plan's height map, the pending Bylaw 5386 decision and the 1552 Esquimalt timeline before you make an offer. Request a Private Consultation.