Family-Sized Housing: The Gap North Van Cannot Ignore

North Vancouver is a wonderful place to raise a family. The hard part comes when that family needs more room.

The problem often arrives gradually. A couple rents a one-bedroom apartment. A first child comes along and they make it work. Then there is another child, more furniture, strollers, bikes, school supplies, and the need for a little privacy. The home that once felt comfortable starts to feel temporary.

Finding the next home is where many families get stuck.

Larger rental homes are scarce, and buying a detached house is far beyond the reach of most households. Families are left competing for a limited number of townhomes, duplexes, and three-bedroom apartments. Some move farther away. Others leave the community entirely, even when their jobs, schools, friends, and extended family are here.

When families leave, the effect reaches schools, local employers, volunteer organizations, sports teams, and extended family members who remain here.

More than a bedroom count

Three bedrooms are a useful starting point, but a home does not become family-friendly simply because a third bedroom has been added to the floor plan.

Families need storage for the things they use every day. They need room for a stroller near the entrance, secure space for bikes, closets that can handle winter coats and sports equipment, and kitchens designed for more than one person at a time.

Usable outdoor space matters too. That could be a small yard, a shared courtyard, a generous balcony, or a safe park close by. The form can vary, but children need somewhere to move and families need somewhere to spend time outside without planning a car trip.

Location is part of the equation. A well-designed home becomes much less practical when every school run, grocery trip, or childcare pickup requires a long drive. Family housing works best near schools, transit, parks, shops, and community services.

The homes we are missing

North Van has a particular shortage of larger rental homes. Current housing figures show how uneven the mix is: studios and one-bedroom homes account for 58%, while homes with three or more bedrooms make up only 19%.

That leaves a big gap between an apartment built for one or two people and a detached house. This is where missing-middle housing matters.

There is no single building type that fills it. Three-bedroom townhomes can work well for some households. Stacked townhomes make more efficient use of land while keeping a front-door connection to the street. Duplexes and multiplexes can add family homes on ordinary residential lots. Mid-rise buildings can include larger apartments, especially when those units are planned from the beginning rather than squeezed into leftover space.

Secure rental housing also matters. A family should be able to put down roots without fearing that an eviction or unaffordable rent increase will disrupt school, childcare, and work all at once.

Turning permission into homes

North Vancouver is opening the door to more duplexes, multiplexes, townhomes, and other ground-oriented housing. That is progress, but a zoning change does not house anyone by itself.

The approval process must be clear enough for these projects to move forward. Fees and requirements need to reflect the scale of the project. City policy should encourage larger units in both rental and ownership developments, while still allowing a healthy mix of home sizes.

We should also pay attention to whether family-sized homes are genuinely usable. A three-bedroom label is not enough if the layout has no storage, the third room barely fits a bed, or the building has nowhere for children to play.

The people feeling this shortage are not an abstract group. They are teachers, nurses, childcare workers, tradespeople, small-business owners, and other local workers raising children here. They help keep North Vancouver running.

Families who work here and contribute to this community should have a realistic chance to stay. Allowing more housing forms was an important step. The next test is whether we build homes families can actually grow into.