Burnaby Launches Digital Tools for Small-Scale Housing
Charles Song
6 min read
Governmental Plan
Introduction
Since July 1, 2024, Burnaby’s R1 zoning has allowed small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) of up to six units on lots once limited to single and two-family homes. Zoning alone doesn’t tell an owner what is actually possible on a specific lot. To close that gap, the City now offers two tools: SHiFT, a Small-scale Housing Feasibility Tool, and a Housing Design Library of ready-made designs.
Introduction
Since July 1, 2024, Burnaby’s R1 zoning has allowed small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) of up to six units on lots once limited to single and two-family homes. Zoning alone doesn’t tell an owner what is actually possible on a specific lot. To close that gap, the City now offers two tools: SHiFT, a Small-scale Housing Feasibility Tool, and a Housing Design Library of ready-made designs.
Burnaby is turning small-scale housing from a custom puzzle into a repeatable process — and repeatability is where modular thrives.
Burnaby is turning small-scale housing from a custom puzzle into a repeatable process — and repeatability is where modular thrives.
1. SHiFT: Feasibility Before Design
Built with MDDL, SHiFT lets users check what small-scale housing could fit on a Burnaby property before paying for detailed design.
Search by address or select a lot on the map. The tool compares it against Burnaby’s zoning requirements.
Each lot gets a colour status: green (highly suitable design), yellow (potentially suitable, may need changes), red (no design available) or grey (not applicable).
An optional financial calculator estimates Net Operating Income and Internal Rate of Return, using inputs such as land cost, unit sizes, rents and construction costs.
SHiFT is free to use with a registered account. It is not a permit system, and the City advises verifying results with Planning staff and professionals.
💡 Key point: Early feasibility used to take a consultant and several weeks. Now a first read takes minutes, which means more owners will reach the “what next?” stage faster.
2. The Housing Design Library: Start From a Proven Design
The Library is an online gallery of small-scale housing designs that owners can purchase directly from the designers.
Current listings include laneway designs by Lanefab and Hart Design Studio, including options for sloped sites and designs adaptable to row housing.
City staff have reviewed CMHC’s BC catalogue designs for R1 zoning compliance. These include ADUs, a duplex, a rowhouse, fourplexes and a courtyard sixplex, and they are available at no cost.
Filters already cover duplexes through sixplexes and rowhouses, which signals room to grow.
💡 Key point: Standard designs reduce design time and cost, but they are only half the equation. The other half is building them efficiently, again and again.
3. What These Tools Don’t Do
Burnaby is clear about the limits:
Library designs are not pre-approved. Using one does not guarantee approval or qualify for expedited review.
Every project still requires a full building permit review, with site-specific plan checking and code compliance.
Larger building types, such as rowhouses and apartment-style housing, may require a Certified Professional.
The City is not currently accepting new designs for the Library.
💡 Key point: Tools accelerate the start of a project, not the whole project. Site conditions, permits and construction delivery still decide the timeline.
4. Why This Matters for Modular
Standardized, repeatable housing types are the foundation of efficient modular delivery. Burnaby’s tools push the market in exactly that direction.
Design repetition: Common SSMUH layouts, like fourplexes and sixplexes, are ideal candidates for factory production.
Faster go-decisions: When feasibility is quick, owners commit sooner. A delivery method with predictable cost and schedule becomes more valuable.
Bridging design and delivery: A catalogue design still needs site adaptation, permits and a delivery partner. That is where integration matters.
💡 Key point: Burnaby has standardized the what. Modular can standardize the how, turning catalogue designs into homes built with factory precision.
1. SHiFT: Feasibility Before Design
Built with MDDL, SHiFT lets users check what small-scale housing could fit on a Burnaby property before paying for detailed design.
Search by address or select a lot on the map. The tool compares it against Burnaby’s zoning requirements.
Each lot gets a colour status: green (highly suitable design), yellow (potentially suitable, may need changes), red (no design available) or grey (not applicable).
An optional financial calculator estimates Net Operating Income and Internal Rate of Return, using inputs such as land cost, unit sizes, rents and construction costs.
SHiFT is free to use with a registered account. It is not a permit system, and the City advises verifying results with Planning staff and professionals.
💡 Key point: Early feasibility used to take a consultant and several weeks. Now a first read takes minutes, which means more owners will reach the “what next?” stage faster.
2. The Housing Design Library: Start From a Proven Design
The Library is an online gallery of small-scale housing designs that owners can purchase directly from the designers.
Current listings include laneway designs by Lanefab and Hart Design Studio, including options for sloped sites and designs adaptable to row housing.
City staff have reviewed CMHC’s BC catalogue designs for R1 zoning compliance. These include ADUs, a duplex, a rowhouse, fourplexes and a courtyard sixplex, and they are available at no cost.
Filters already cover duplexes through sixplexes and rowhouses, which signals room to grow.
💡 Key point: Standard designs reduce design time and cost, but they are only half the equation. The other half is building them efficiently, again and again.
3. What These Tools Don’t Do
Burnaby is clear about the limits:
Library designs are not pre-approved. Using one does not guarantee approval or qualify for expedited review.
Every project still requires a full building permit review, with site-specific plan checking and code compliance.
Larger building types, such as rowhouses and apartment-style housing, may require a Certified Professional.
The City is not currently accepting new designs for the Library.
💡 Key point: Tools accelerate the start of a project, not the whole project. Site conditions, permits and construction delivery still decide the timeline.
4. Why This Matters for Modular
Standardized, repeatable housing types are the foundation of efficient modular delivery. Burnaby’s tools push the market in exactly that direction.
Design repetition: Common SSMUH layouts, like fourplexes and sixplexes, are ideal candidates for factory production.
Faster go-decisions: When feasibility is quick, owners commit sooner. A delivery method with predictable cost and schedule becomes more valuable.
Bridging design and delivery: A catalogue design still needs site adaptation, permits and a delivery partner. That is where integration matters.
💡 Key point: Burnaby has standardized the what. Modular can standardize the how, turning catalogue designs into homes built with factory precision.
Conclusion
SHiFT and the Housing Design Library won’t build homes on their own, and Burnaby says so plainly. What they do is lower the barrier to starting, giving owners a fast feasibility check and a library of designs to work from. For small-scale housing to scale, the next step is pairing standardized designs with standardized delivery.
BuildMAX exists to connect those two halves, from lot feasibility to factory-built homes.
