Vancouver’s Vanishing Views: Towers Rise, Cones Fall

Vancouver, BC - February 27, 2025 - Downtown Vancouver’s iconic view cones, established in 1989 to preserve vistas of the North Shore Mountains, skyline, and waterfront, are undergoing significant changes as the city prioritizes housing amid a persistent crisis. In July 2024, Vancouver City Council approved a major overhaul of its View Protection Guidelines, relaxing or eliminating 14 of the 26 view cones and amending 11 others. This shift unlocks up to 215 million square feet of development capacity—equivalent to 179 Olympic Villages—potentially adding 300,000 new homes and job spaces over the next few decades, with noticeable impacts expected within three to five years.

The changes, driven by ABC Coun. Peter Meiszner’s 2023 motion, target “lower priority” view cones, such as those obstructed by trees or urban elements, while preserving panoramic vistas like Queen Elizabeth Park’s upper views. Developers, including Bosa Properties and Concord Pacific, are already revising plans, adding floors to towers along the Broadway Corridor and False Creek. This will transform Downtown Vancouver’s look and feel, introducing taller, denser buildings that may obscure some mountain vistas but enhance urban vibrancy with increased residential and commercial activity.

Over the next three to five years, expect a skyline punctuated by higher structures, particularly near transit hubs, softening the city’s once-rigid silhouette. The City isn’t compensating developers directly; instead, relaxed regulations serve as an incentive, boosting land values and development potential. Critics lament the loss of Vancouver’s scenic identity, but proponents argue it’s a necessary trade-off for housing affordability, reshaping the city’s character for a denser, more populated future.

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