DT1: Core

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

Multi-family homes, live/work units and an accessory home, within the floor area allowed; the zone sets no count of homes. No house, rooming house, secondary suite or boarders (ss. 11.2.1, 11.2.3)

Main uses

A downtown mix of shops, offices, culture and entertainment: retail, restaurants, a neighbourhood pub, a lounge, offices, financial institutions, personal services, a pharmacy, a laundromat, an internet centre, a hotel, a convention centre, a library, a museum, cultural facilities, an artist studio, assembly halls, clubs, religious institutions, recreation, a theatre, an entertainment use, a teletheatre outlet inside a lounge or pub, a university or college, a commercial school, a court of law, a funeral parlour, a veterinary clinic, a laboratory, printing and publishing, a production studio, a micro brewery up to 557 m², a personal care facility, a social service resource centre, daycare, a transportation terminal, a pawn shop (300 m from another), a seasonal public market, parking, electric vehicle charging; homes as above; a cannabis store only on lots the bylaw names; a home-based business and short-term rental as accessory uses (ss. 11.2.1, 11.2.3, 11.2.4)

Smallest lot for a subdivision

370 m², 12 m wide, 25 m deep; a watercourse leave strip doesn't count toward the area (ss. 11.4.1, 11.4.2)

Lot coverage

100%; floor area 2.8 times the lot area, 0.2 and 0.25 more for Schedule D's Tier 1 and Tier 2 amenities, and more again for parking under the building (ss. 11.3.1, 11.3.3, 11.7.1)

Height limit

14 m; at least 2 storeys (s. 11.7.1)

Setbacks

Front at least 0 m and at most 4 m (at least 4.5 m on a lot facing Terminal Avenue), sides, flanking side and rear 0 m; 2.5 m more beside a major road not yet widened; no parking between the street and the building's front; Part 6's watercourse setbacks also apply (ss. 11.5.1, 11.5.3, 11.5.4, 11.6.1)

The zone is for a mix of uses where people live among shops, clubs, culture and entertainment (s. 11.1).

Where a lot has one main building, no more than half its front may sit back past the 4 m limit (s. 11.5.2). No overnight storage of commercial vehicles over 8,600 kg in parking lots or parkades (s. 11.6.2).

Some lots the bylaw names have their own uses, floor area or height (ss. 11.2.4, 11.3.2, 11.7.2); whether a lot is one of them, ask the City.

A home here is most often in a strata building: what an owner may do with it is in the strata's bylaws as well, so read them.

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 11 of City of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw No. 4500 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-06); zone map: Open Government Licence – Nanaimo.