Building in New Westminster, BC: Infill Zones, Heritage and Permits

Provincial law sets the minimum. It requires a city to allow 3 homes on lots of 280 square metres or less, 4 homes on larger lots, and 6 homes on lots larger than 280 square metres within 400 metres of a bus stop with frequent service (City of New Westminster, read September 25, 2026).

The City applied those rules through the Infill Housing Program. Infill housing means new homes added on lots in established neighbourhoods. The program created two zoning districts. Zoning is the set of rules that says what you may build on a lot. The districts are called RGO, short for Residential Ground-Oriented Infill. RGO-A allows up to 4 homes and RGO-B allows up to 6. The City counts 1,900 RGO-A lots and 1,100 RGO-B lots, both rounded figures. Our post on multiplex and laneway home rules in New Westminster goes through the two zones, the size and parking limits and the servicing costs in more depth.

Zoning Bylaw 6680, in its version dated June 8, 2026, sets these limits:

Queen's Park is the City's only Heritage Conservation Area, a zone that gives heritage protection to a whole neighbourhood. Each property in it is either Protected or Non-protected. Council adopted the area in June 2017, after a neighbourhood heritage study that began in 2013. Single detached homes in the neighbourhood follow the RS-4 zone.

Sapperton appears as McBride-Sapperton in City documents. A 2016 heritage report prepared for the City calls it the place where New Westminster began, because of the Royal Engineers and their barracks. The report says the area between East Columbia Street, Sherbrooke Street, Rousseau Street and Hume Park is nicknamed "the layman's Queen's Park", and that some residents were concerned about demolition there. Sapperton lies outside the Heritage Conservation Area.

Before the City accepts a demolition permit for any building older than 50 years, it reviews the building for heritage value, and Council may withhold the permit for a time. CityViews, the City's interactive map, shows a building's age.

Queensborough sits on a floodplain, which is land that can flood, and follows different rules. The City received a provincial extension, so its deadline to meet the provincial housing rules is now May 4, 2029. Its Interim Development Review Framework, revised June 22, 2026, says infill housing is currently not permitted there.

Costar Construction is a construction management company in Vancouver, and New Westminster is one of its 8 service areas. It describes a multiplex as a small-scale townhouse project on a single lot, and it says laneway homes are available in New Westminster. A laneway house is a small separate home at the back of a lot with lane access, and a carriage house is the same on a lot without a lane.

It also offers custom homes, which start from a brief description of your ideas and continue with floor plans and 3D conceptual models, plus kitchen and bathroom renovations and commercial tenant improvements.

Its portfolio lists the New Westminster Apartment project at 350 Ninth St (project page). According to the 2024 Georgie Awards winners list from the Canadian Home Builders' Association of British Columbia, Costar Construction Inc. won Best Multiplex Home for the project "It Takes Two".

Its process has 5 stages. The first four are Design and Planning, Pre-construction, Construction, and Handover.

The City's Infill Housing Guide, approved June 9, 2026, says an infill project needs a Development Permit, a Building Permit and a Tree Permit. Some projects also need a Heritage Alteration Permit, which approves changes to a property with heritage protection. A Development Permit is the City's review of building form and landscaping, and a Building Permit checks the plans against the BC Building Code. The Tree Permit is required even when a lot has no protected trees, and it is filed with the Development Permit application.

The City says its infrastructure, such as water and sewer pipes, was designed for the earlier limit of 3 homes on a lot. A project with more than 3 homes that proceeds before the City's own infrastructure work pays for all needed upgrades. Before a Building Permit is issued, you sign a Works and Services Agreement for work outside your lot and provide a security deposit.

Townhouses follow a separate Townhouse Program with RT-A and RT-B districts. A townhouse site needs at least 836.1 square metres (9,000 square feet) of area and 20 metres (65.6 feet) of frontage. Rowhouses, where each home sits on its own property, need a rezoning.

For a new house or duplex, you email a PDF application package to the Building Division. For alterations and small projects, you can apply online after you register a MyCity profile (an online account), or apply by email (City page, read September 25, 2026).

In Queensborough, the 2014 Queensborough Community Plan created a Flood Hazard Development Permit Area, so most new buildings need a Development Permit with the Building Permit. Soil and high water table rules require drainage plans, pile foundations (deep posts driven into the soil) and geotechnical reports (soil studies by an engineer).

Costar Construction offers a complimentary one-hour project consultation at your property or at its Vancouver office, 104 - 338 W 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 3X2. Book on the booking page. You can also use the contact page, email info@costarconstruction.com, or call 236-997-0026.