Metro Vancouver’s limited industrial lands are increasingly being used for non-industrial purposes, which poses a considerable risk to the region’s economy.
That’s one of the key findings in the 2020 Regional Industrial Lands Inventory. This inventory has been completed every five years since 2005, and provides a summary of the quantity and quality of industrial lands in the region and change over time.
Other report findings include:
- there are few remaining available large sites for “trade-oriented” logistics uses;
- although there was an increase in the total size of the inventory between 2015 and 2020, many of the lands added are not well served by the transportation/goods movement network and even with these additions, the amount of vacant industrial land continues to decline; and
- there continues to be competition between residential, commercial and industrial uses for industrial lands in the region.
In 2020, the region had 11,502 hectares of land within the inventory, 82% of which were “developed” and 18% of which were classified as “other/vacant.”
The inventory quantifies the limited supply of industrial lands, the amount of land that is developed and vacant, and categorizes how industrial lands are used in the region. It also supports industrial lands protection and intensification efforts, and provides comprehensive data for further analysis of industrial land-related matters.
The inventory supports the implementation of Metro 2040: Shaping our Future and the Regional Industrial Lands Strategy, as well as local planning and economic development efforts.
You can view the inventory’s technical report, executive summary, and detailed maps on Metro Vancouver’s website.
