Monitoring & Policy | Rules vs Supply
Which of your rules is blocking supply?
When permits do not come, the zoning usually is not the problem — a cost rule layered on top of it is. Parking, fees, setbacks, and timelines each quietly subtract from a builder's return. One of them is usually the binding constraint.
The core problem we solve
Every cost rule pushes lots toward the 'won't get built' side
Density too low
Nothing gets built
Below a certain number of units, a multiplex can't cover land plus construction. Builders walk. The lot stays a single house and the upzoning produces no housing.
The viable range
Homes actually get built
Enough units that the project clears a builder's return threshold — so permits get pulled and units get delivered. This is the band you're trying to hit.
Density too high
Infrastructure can't take it
Past a point, servicing, traffic, and community capacity can't absorb the density — and council and neighbours push back. The plan stalls for a different reason.
The rules that move feasibility most
Parking minimums
Each required structured stall can add $40,000–$60,000 in cost. On a narrow lot that one rule can push a viable project into the red.
Development charges
DCCs and amenity charges hit per unit. Set high, they quietly remove the smaller projects — the exact gentle density the policy wanted.
Setbacks & lot coverage
Tight setbacks shrink buildable floor area. Less sellable space means a lower return on the same land and the same fees.
Height & storeys
A storey cut after public pushback can drop a six-plex to a four-plex — and four units often falls below the line where financing and feasibility work.
Unit-mix mandates
Family-unit requirements are good policy, but they change achievable rents and the proforma. Worth knowing the cost so you can keep the benefit.
Process & timeline
Carrying cost during a long approval is real money. Slow files do not just frustrate builders — they change whether the deal pencils at all.
Find your binding constraint
We run your actual rules through a proforma on real lots and change one input at a time, so you can see which rule is quietly costing you the most housing.
- The single rule that, relaxed, unlocks the most viable lots
- Cost-per-stall and fee impact on real project math
- Before/after viable-lot share for a proposed change
- Evidence you can take to council instead of a hunch
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell which rule is the binding constraint?
Does this mean we should drop our standards?
Can you model a change before we adopt it?
Want this for your municipality?
We already track multiplex permit uptake and lot-by-lot feasibility across BC. Tell us your city and we'll show you what your data says — and how a monitoring partnership works.