COR3: Community Corridor

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

Multi-family buildings, houses, live/work units and seniors' congregate housing, within the floor area allowed (s. 9.2.1); the zone sets no count of homes. Student housing isn't allowed

Main uses

Homes (multi-family, houses, live/work, seniors' congregate housing) and a wide range of shops and services: retail (each store up to 750 m², a grocery store up to 2,500 m²), restaurants, a neighbourhood pub, offices, a hotel, financial institutions (no drive-thru), personal care facilities, a veterinary clinic, pet daycare, a laundromat, repair and sign shops, a custom workshop up to 500 m² inside a building, a pawn shop (300 m from another), furniture and appliance sales, printing, a production studio, a theatre, a library, a museum, a college, assembly halls, clubs, a bingo hall, recreational facilities, religious institutions, daycare, electric vehicle charging, boarders, short-term rental; car sales, a cannabis store, fast food, a gas station, a liquor store or a retail warehouse only on lots the bylaw names (ss. 9.2.1, 9.2.3, 9.2.4)

Smallest lot for a subdivision

1,000 m², 20 m wide (15 m with a lane), 30 m deep (s. 9.4.1)

Lot coverage

60%; floor area 0.75 times the lot area, 0.50 more where a building mixes commercial and residential uses, 0.25 more for each of Schedule D's Tier 1 and Tier 2 amenities, and more again for parking under the building (ss. 9.3.1, 9.3.2, 9.7.1)

Height limit

14 m, or 18 m with at least 75% of the parking under the building; at least 2 storeys above grade (s. 9.7.1)

Setbacks

Front at least 3.0 m and at most 6 m (with one building, at most half its front face beyond 6 m; with more, building fronts within it along at least half the frontage), one side 0 m and the other 3 m, flanking side 3 m, rear 7.5 m; 2.5 m more beside a major road not yet widened; no parking between the street and the building's front (ss. 9.5.1, 9.5.3 to 9.5.5, 9.6.1)

The zone is for a wide range of uses meeting the day-to-day needs of the community around it (s. 9.1).

The extra floor area for mixed use and amenities is granted through the development permit (s. 9.3.1).

The Interim Corridor Area's one-house rule is for COR1 lots only, not this zone (ss. 9.2.1, 9.8).

Short-term rental (stays under 30 days) only in the operator's own primary residence, the whole home or rooms; one per lot where the home has suites (s. 6.16).

Part 6 (general regulations: accessory buildings, watercourse setbacks, flood levels, fences, home businesses) also applies.

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 Nanaimo's planning and development department before you buy or build.

Source: Part 9 of City of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 4500 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-04); zone map: Open Government Licence – Nanaimo.