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RGO-A zone in New Westminster
Residential Ground-Oriented Infill District (4 Unit). Allow a range of ground-oriented housing: single detached dwellings, duplexes, multiplexes, laneway and carriage houses, and secondary suites (s.401.1).
The rules
| Name | Residential Ground-Oriented Infill District (4 Unit) |
|---|---|
| Homes allowed | Up to 4 homes per lot, principal plus secondary units combined (s.401.10-401.12) |
| Floor space ratio | 0.8 |
| Floor space notes | FSR by number of units (s.401.13): 2 units 0.6, 3 units 0.7, 4 units 0.8 (shown, maximum for RGO-A). Exclusions: shared mechanical rooms (max 6.46 m2 per site), bike rooms 8-11.5 m2, waste storage 12 m2, areas 1.22 m or lower, shared parking up to 37 m2 on lots < 557.4 m2 without a usable lane, common amenity up to 5% (s.401.6). A single detached house follows NR-1 (west of Eighth St/north of Sixth Ave), RS-4 (Queen's Park) or RS-1 rules (s.401.3). |
| Height | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Height notes | Peak height 12.0 m (peaked roof) or 11.0 m (roof pitch 4:12 or less), from averaged existing grade at building corners (s.401.7, 401.9, 401.23). No storey cap; above 2 storeys needs a 5.0 m rear setback. |
| Lot coverage | 45% |
| Coverage notes | Building coverage by units (s.401.18): 2 units 40%, 3-4 units 45% (shown); minimum pervious coverage 45% / 40%; minimum planted site space 30% / 20% (min 15 m2, 2.1 m wide). Detached accessory buildings max 10% of site (s.401.29). Column order of the PDF table read as 2 / 3-4 / 5-6 units. |
| Setbacks | front 3.5 m (11 ft), side 1.22 m (4 ft), rear 3 m (10 ft), flank 3 m (10 ft) |
| Setback notes | Front 3.5 m; rear 1.2 m where it abuts a lane, otherwise 3.0 m; parts of buildings above 2 storeys set back 5.0 m from the rear lot line; side 1.22 m, exterior side 3.0 m; separation 2.4 m side-to-side, 6.1 m front/rear-to-any, 2.4 m principal-to-accessory; 4.57 m corner cut-off (s.401.23-401.24). |
| Bonus density | No density bonus. Duplexes/multiplexes on collector/arterial frontages must dedicate up to 3.0 m for a 6.0 m lane (s.401.14). Parking (s.140.9 as amended): 1.0 space per principal unit and 0.5 for each of the first 2 suites, none within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop. Sites with 4+ units need 12 m2 screened waste storage (s.401.27). |
| Bylaw sections | s.401.1-401.31 (added by Bylaw 8578, 2026); s.140.9, 190.29 |
What you can use it for
Single detached dwellingDuplexMultiplex (3-6 units, no more than one unit stacked on another)Secondary suite (one per principal unit)Laneway/carriage houseHome based businessFoster/child careWomen's transition housePublic utilities
What BC law allows on these lots
- 4 homes (lots over 280 m²)1,762 lots
- 6 homes (near frequent transit)87 lots
- 3 homes (lots up to 280 m²)86 lots
Our estimate per lot under BC's Bills 44 and 47, from lot size, transit distance and the urban boundary.
Example lots in RGO-A
- 101 College Crt 788 m² · 8,482 ft²
- 127 Fourth Ave 405 m² · 4,359 ft²
- 1507 Eighth Ave 602 m² · 6,480 ft²
- 219 E Sixth Ave 667 m² · 7,180 ft²
- 311 Louellen St 503 m² · 5,414 ft²
- 415 Third St 394 m² · 4,241 ft²
- 529 Garfield St 604 m² · 6,501 ft²
- 717 Colborne St 444 m² · 4,779 ft²
- 823 Fourteenth St 618 m² · 6,652 ft²
- 905 Laurel St 558 m² · 6,006 ft²
Other zones in New Westminster
RM-4RM-2RM-6BRM-5ARGO-BRS-1RQ-1RM-6ANR-1RM-2ARMW-2ARMW-3BRT-ARS-2RT-3ANR-2RT-2DRMW-3RS-4RT-3RT-1RQ-5RT-2ARM-1ART-2ERM-5RM-1RT-2FRT-2RS-5RT-2BRT-2CRT-3BRW-1RT-BRM-1BRS-6RM-6NR-5
Read from New Westminster Zoning Bylaw No. 6680, 2001 (section consolidations to 2025-05-26, plus adopted amendments Bylaw 8524 (Townhouse Zoning Update) and Bylaw 8578, 2026 (Infill Housing Program, footer-dated 2026-06-08); official consolidation to 2025-11-17 not retrievable) ↗, checked 2026-10-21. Summaries are our reading of the bylaw: confirm with New Westminster before buying or designing. Page rebuilt October 26, 2026.