Monitoring & Policy | Peer Benchmarking

How does your city compare to its neighbours?

Two questions, side by side: what rules did each municipality set, and what did those rules actually produce? The first is public regulation. The second is where VanPlex's analysis adds the part nobody else has.

The rules each city set

Public SSMUH bylaw and fee facts across BC municipalities. Similar headline rules, very different fine print.

Municipality	Base units	Near frequent transit	Parking near transit	Fee posture
Vancouver	6 strata	8 secured rental	Reduced / none on qualifying lots	Density-bonus cost above 0.70 FSR; rental waivers in play
Burnaby	4	6 (within 400 m of frequent bus)	None required within 400 m of frequent bus	Full DCC/ACC; case-by-case waiver bylaw (Sep 2024)
Surrey	4	6 (≈18% of eligible lots qualify)	None required in frequent-bus areas	DCCs rolled back to 2023 levels; instalments from Jan 2026
Richmond	4	6 (within 400 m of frequent bus)	None required near frequent bus	DCCs charged per lot, not per unit
Coquitlam	4	6 (near frequent transit)	Reduced near Evergreen Line	≈$41,448 per unit multiplex DCC (Jun 2025) — among the highest
New Westminster	4	6 (≈1,100 lots pre-zoned)	Reduced / none near SkyTrain	DCC Bylaw 8327 (Jan 2026) + Metro apartment-rate DCCs
Kelowna	4	6 (near frequent transit)	Reduced near frequent transit	Infill Fast-Track: pre-approved designs to permit in ~10 business days

What those rules produced

The same PlexRank analysis, three different cities. Burnaby, North Vancouver, and Kelowna each show a distinct viability shape — driven by land cost and lot geometry as much as by zoning. Compare the spread, the break-even line, and how heavy the right-hand tail is.

VanPlex PlexRank return-on-equity distribution for Burnaby multiplex lots — Burnaby

VanPlex PlexRank return-on-equity distribution for City of North Vancouver multiplex lots — City of North Vancouver

VanPlex PlexRank return-on-equity distribution for Kelowna multiplex lots — Kelowna

Partner cities only

Add your city to the benchmark

We place your municipality next to its neighbours on both the rules and the real feasibility outcome — so you can see where you actually stand.

Your city's rules in the comparison table
Your own PlexRank distribution beside your neighbours'
Permit-uptake comparison across the peer group
A clear read on whether your settings are an outlier

Request access for your city

Frequently asked questions

Where do the bylaw figures come from?+

The units, parking, and fee columns are public municipal bylaw facts — each city's SSMUH zoning and DCC schedule. We keep them current as part of the underlying VanPlex city research. They are published here because they are public regulation.

What is the difference between the rules and the charts?+

The table compares the rules each city set. The PlexRank charts show the result — how financial viability actually landed across each city's lots. Two cities can write similar rules and get very different distributions because land cost and lot geometry differ. That gap is the interesting part.

Can you put my city in the comparison?+

Yes. We add your municipality to the benchmark with its real rules and its own PlexRank distribution, so you can see exactly where you sit next to your neighbours on both policy and outcome.

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.

Talk to us about your city