R5r: Mid-Rise Apartment 1 (rental)

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

As R5, with every home purpose-built rental housing. Apartments and townhouses up to 12 storeys, with no number of homes set (s. 1.5.4), and a share of rental homes required (Part 5-1.0). Small-scale multi-unit housing and secondary suites aren't listed here

Main uses

Apartments, townhouses, congregate housing, dormitories, an emergency shelter, live-work units (the work part at street level), supportive and transitional housing; The C1 district's principal and secondary uses, only alongside a principal use, under its conditions: at most two storeys above ground, 250 m² a unit (a corner unit isn't limited to shops, restaurants and services); boarders, home-based child care, home occupations, lock-off units, short-term rental, accessory buildings

Smallest lot for a subdivision

None set in the district; subdivision goes to the City's Approving Officer (our reading)

Lot coverage

None set in the district; at least 30% of the lot left permeable, shown on a landscape architect's plan (Part 4-4.3)

Height limit

12 storeys; up to 20 with height averaging across buildings (+4), extra commercial storeys where the lot's base district is commercial (+8) or a community benefit bonus at the City's discretion, together at most +8 (s. 1.5.4.2, Table 4-2.3)

Setbacks

Street 3.0 m (above the 6th storey a further 3.0 m step back), lane 1.2 m, rear 3.0 m, sides 0.0 m but 3.0 m beside an R1 or R2 lot, where the wall has windows, and above the 6th storey (Part 4-1.3.2). Between buildings on a lot, from 6.0 m face to face up to 4 storeys to 12.0 m at 5 or 6 storeys and 15.0 m from 7 to 12 storeys, unless they share a wall below the 7th storey (Part 4-1.2)

R5r is the same district with every home restricted to purpose-built rental housing: a building held in one ownership, not stratified, rented only (Part 3, Part 2).

The district sets no floor area ratio or homes per hectare; the size of a building comes from its storeys, setbacks, separations and the permeable surface required (our reading).

Floor plates above the 6th storey are capped (Part 4-3.3.2).

Inclusionary rental (Part 5-1.0): redeveloping a lot with 5 or more purpose-built rental homes means replacing them in rental tenure in the new building; in R5 every residential development must also make at least 10% of its homes rental in the Northwest and Southwest quadrants of the city, 5% in the Northeast and Southeast (some homes, such as market rental and bonus homes, aren't counted).

A lock-off unit: a smaller home inside an apartment of at least 74 m², 24 m² or more and at most 35% of it, with its own outside door and a small kitchen, on the same strata lot and title; one more household only (Part 6-3.2).

Parking under Part 7: none for homes in a Transit-Oriented Area or Frequent Transit Network Area (Part 7-1.3).

Boarding: at most 2 boarders or lodgers in a home, for 30 days or more at a time (Part 2).

Home occupations: no outside sign of the business, no manufacturing or welding, no outside storage, residents only (one employee for a home-based child care), at most one customer and one customer vehicle at a time (Part 6-3.4).

A temporary use permit can't add a use to small-scale multi-unit housing, rowhouses, townhouses, apartments, suites, lock-off units or purpose-built rental housing (Part 6-1.3).

Uses the district doesn't list aren't allowed (Part 1, s. 4.1), besides transit, public utilities, civic facilities and public parks, allowed everywhere (Part 6-1.4).

Parts 4 (general regulations), 5 (rental housing and bonus incentives), 6 (use-specific regulations) and 7 (parking) of the bylaw also apply.

Short-term rental isn't allowed in a rental unit (Part 6-3.3), so in practice not here (our reading).

Site-specific exceptions listed in the bylaw by legal description can add or change uses for one property, and development permit areas, the ALR and building rules apply on top. Confirm with the City of Burnaby's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Part 3, Section 1.5 of Burnaby Zoning Bylaw 2026, No. 14815 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-05); zone map: Open Government Licence – Burnaby.