City of Vancouver Land Use and Development Policies and Guidelines
Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability Department
453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V4 | tel: 3-1-1, outside Vancouver 604.873.7000 | fax: 604.873.7100
website: vancouver.ca | email: planning@vancouver.ca | app: VanConnect

LIQUOR STORE GUIDELINES
Adopted by City Council on November 2, 2004
Amended January 18, 2007, June 6, 2007, January 19, 2010 and May 2, 2018

May 2018

ContentsPage1

Application and Intent ................................................................................................................ 12

Types of Liquor Stores ............................................................................................................... 1

2.1
2.2

Categorization............................................................................................................................... 1Conversion Process....................................................................................................................... 13Location and Number of Stores ................................................................................................ 1

3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5

Type 1 Stores ................................................................................................................................ 1Type 2 Stores ................................................................................................................................ 2
Type 3 Stores ................................................................................................................................ 2General.......................................................................................................................................... 2
Liquor store located within a grocery store .................................................................................. 2

4Separation from Family oriented uses ..................................................................................... 3

5Liquor Store Operations ............................................................................................................ 3

6

Process and Administrative Considerations ........................................................................... 3

City of Vancouver
Liquor Store Guidelines

May 2018
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City of VancouverLiquor Store Guidelines

May 2018
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1Application and Intent
These Guidelines are to be used in conjunction with those District Schedules of the Zoning andDevelopment By-law and Official Development Plans which conditionally permit the liquor
store use. The guidelines provide direction regarding a range of factors, including location andspacing as well as operational and administrative considerations. The applicant should consider
all of these factors in the preparation of their development permit application. City staff will
use the guidelines in the assessment of development permit applications for a liquor store,
including redevelopment of existing liquor store premises. This assessment will be based on
the characteristics of the site and surrounding area and the details of the development proposal.
The permitted product range of a liquor store is defined in the Development Permit.
The intent of these Guidelines is to provide reasonable access to liquor stores while minimizing
impacts on neighbourhoods.

2Types of Liquor Stores

2.1

Categorization

There are 3 types of liquor stores, categorized as follows:(a)Type 1(i)(b)

Type 2(i)

(c)

(ii)

A store over 280 m² (3,000 sq. ft.) that sells any combination of beer, wine andspirits.
Type 3 stores may be a maximum of 2,300 m² (25,000 sq. ft.) gross in size.

Conversion Process(a)3A store 280 m² (3,000 sq. ft.) gross or less that sells any combination of beer, wineand spirits.

Type 3(i)2.2

A store 280 m² (3,000 sq. ft.) gross or less that sells only wine.

A Type 1 store with a provincial Independent Wine Store licence may apply to become aType 2 consistent with Provincial liquor regulations on conversion.

Location and Number of Stores
New locations for liquor stores are focussed in certain identified Local Shopping Areas. TheseLocal Shopping Areas come from adopted Community Visions, Local Area Plans, or Council
Policy, and are intended to serve the daily needs of residents.
General commercial areas are commercially zoned areas that contain significant retail, but are
not Local Shopping Areas because their focus is more on serving employees, tourists, orcitywide/regional customers rather than nearby residents.
Local Shopping Areas are shown on the attached map 1, and their boundaries are described in
the attached table. Also shown on map 1 are the general boundaries for the Central Broadway
and Downtown areas.

3.1

Type 1 Stores(a)

A maximum of one Type 1 store may locate in any identified Local Shopping Area that:
(i)
(ii)

does not have a liquor store of any type; or
has an existing liquor store that is restricted by provincial legislation to the sale ofwine only products .

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Liquor Store Guidelines

May 2018
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3.2

3.3

(b)

In the Downtown and Central Broadway areas, where there are no identified Local
Shopping Areas, additional Type 1 stores may be located, provided each is 500m or morefrom any liquor store.

(c)

An existing Type 1 store in a Local Shopping Area may relocate within its Local
Shopping Area. An existing Type 1 store that is in a general commercial area may
relocate within its general commercial area.

(d)

Existing Type 1 stores may expand up to the 280 m² (3,000 sq. ft.) gross size limit.

Type 2 Stores(a)

Existing Type 2 liquor stores may remain in their current locations, or relocate close by(i.e. within the same Local Shopping Area or general commercial area), provided that thenew location meets the guidelines as well or better than the previous location.

(b)

Existing Type 2 stores may expand up to the 280 m² (3,000 sq. ft.) gross size limit.

Type 3 Stores

(a)

3.4

3.5

Existing Type 3 liquor stores may remain in their current locations, or may relocate closeby (i.e. within the same Local Shopping Area or general commercial area), provided thatthe new location meets the guidelines as well or better than the previous location.

General(a)One store only (of any Type) may be located in new Local Shopping Areas, identified
through neighbourhood planning programs. Proposed locations in these emerging Local
Shopping Areas will not be considered until these new Local Shopping Areas are definedand approved.

(b)

No additional liquor store of any Type should be located in the Downtown Eastside.
Existing stores may expand or relocate within the DTES. Relocation should not result in
more than one store in Strathcona, and one in the combined sub-areas of Gastown,
Victory Square, Industrial, Chinatown and Thornton Park . Map 2 (attached) shows theDTES and its sub-areas.

(c)

No additional liquor store of any Type should be located within 150 meters of theGranville Street Centreline between West Georgia Street and Drake Street.

Liquor store located within a grocery store(a)Type 1 and Type 2 stores may locate/relocate inside grocery stores that are at least 929 m2(10,000 sq. ft.) in size, provided that doing so does not violate section 3.1 to 3.4 of thisguideline.

(b)

The liquor store must be physically separate from the grocery store and fully enclosed.
The perimeter shall be designed in such a manner that:(i)(ii)(c)

View of liquor products, displays, and sampling stations from the grocery store isrestricted. Consideration may be given for visual transparency relating to safety ofemployees and patrons; andThe store can be fully secured during non-liquor store business hours.

Liquor stores on exterior walls must meet urban design objectives for retail continuity,
streetscape character, visual connectivity with the public realm, or similar policies andguidelines to the satisfaction of the Director of Planning.

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Liquor Store Guidelines

May 2018
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4

Separation from Family oriented uses(a)5

No liquor store should be located within 150 m of a church, park, elementary orsecondary school, community centre or neighbourhood house.

Liquor Store Operations
With regard for the primary focus of the business (range of liquor products sold), the following
factors will be taken into consideration:(a)

Hours of operation(b)

The manageability of the impacts related to:(i)traffic(ii) parking, with particular concern for short term parking(iii) loading, with an applicant provided loading operations plan detailing how andwhen loading will take place and how large delivery vehicles will beaccommodated(c)6

Handling of bottle returns (design and operation)

Process and Administrative Considerations
The main process steps will be as follows:(a)

The Applicant submits a copy of the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB)
preliminary approval letter.

(b)

Staff conduct a neighbourhood notification of affected neighbours (size of notification
area will be determined for each application).

(c)

The applicant posts signage on-site, advising of the liquor retail proposal; this signage
should be in keeping with the City’s normal sign preparation and installation procedures.

(d)

The Development Permit may be approved for a limited period of time subject to thediscretion of the Director of Planning.

(e)Applications deemed controversial by the Director of Planning may be referred toCouncil for advice.

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Liquor Store Guidelines

May 2018
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Local Shopping Area (LSA) and General Commercial Areas, December 2018

LSA #123
456789101112131415
16
1718
1920
21
2223242526
2728
2930
3132333435ABC
DEFGHIJKDescription
West 10th: Tolmie to Discovery
Dunbar: West 39th to lane South of West 41st; West 41st: Dunbar to Collingwood
West 16th North side, Alma to Dunbar and South side opposite, Dunbar 17th to 19thDunbar: lane South of King Edward to West 30th
West 4th: Highbury to Collingwood
Broadway: Collingwood to Larch
West 4th: West of Bayswater to Trafalgar
West Boulevard: 37th to 49th; East Boulevard: lane North of 41st to 49th;
West 41st: Larch to Maple
Arbutus Village Shopping Mall
Broadway: Vine to Arbutus; Arbutus: Broadway to 12th
4th Avenue: Burrard to Balsam
Granville: West 64th to South of 71st
Granville: 10th to 16th
Oak: West 21st to South of King Edward, King Edward Mall
Cambie: West 39th to West 43rd , Oakridge Centre
Cambie: 12th to 16th, East side; West 16th to West 19th
Main Street: 16th to 33rd
Main Street: 48th to 51st
Main Street: 12th to 16th
Main Street: 16th to 25th
Main to Gore; Pender, Keefer
Fraser: 41st to 51st
Fraser: 23rd to 28th
Kingsway: Inverness to Perry; Knight: lane North of Kingsway to King Edward
Commercial: Lane North of Venables to Grandview Highway North
Commercial: Grandview Highway South to 16th; Broadway: East and West of Commercial
Victoria: 47th to 50th
Victoria: 37th to 44th
Hastings: Semlin to Renfrew
Kingsway: Earles to Nanaimo
Renfrew: Graveley to 3rd; 1st Avenue: South side, Kaslo to Renfrew
Champlain Mall, 54th and Kerr
Kingsway: Rupert to Boundary
East Fraserlands
Marine Gateway
Denman: Nelson to Robson; Robson: Denman to Cardero
Denman: Nelson to Davie; Davie: Denman to Cardero
Davie: Jervis to Burrard
Robson: Bute to Burrard; Alberni: Bute to Burrard; Burrard: Smithe to Georgia
Bute: Robson to Coal Harbour
Davie: Burrard to Homer
Davie: Homer to False Creek and Marinaside Crescent
Abbott: Keefer to Pender
Granville Island
1st /2nd Avenues, Main/Quebec South of Terminal
Broadway/Main/Kingsway

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Liquor Store Guidelines

May 2018
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Map 1.

Local Shopping Areas and General Commercial Areas

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Liquor Store Guidelines

May 2018
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Map 2.

Downtown Eastside Sub-areas

Existing Type 2 (Boutique) Liquor Stores are located at:
375 Water Street
Existing Type 3 (Regular) Liquor Stores are located at:
555 West Hastings
769 East Hastings

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Liquor Store Guidelines

May 2018
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