Renfrew-Collingwood Multiplex Guide: Vancouver East's Value Corridor

Renfrew-Collingwood doesn't get talked about as often as Mount Pleasant or Commercial Drive, but for a buyer focused on value, it's one of the more interesting corners of Vancouver East right now. It's a large, mostly residential neighbourhood stretching from Boundary Road at the Burnaby line west toward Nanaimo Street, served by two separate SkyTrain lines, and in the middle of a genuine zoning shift that's bringing new multiplex housing to blocks that have looked the same for decades.

Where it sits, and what it's like to live there

Renfrew-Collingwood is one of Vancouver's largest neighbourhoods by area and population, running roughly from Broadway down to the Fraser River lands near Kingsway, bordered by Boundary Road to the east. It's a mix of older post-war bungalows, newer infill housing, mid-rise apartments near transit, and pockets of commercial strip along Kingsway and Joyce Street. Renfrew Ravine Park and Central Park (shared with Burnaby) give the area some of the best green space on this side of the city.

It's a diverse, working neighbourhood rather than a curated retail strip, you won't find the café culture of Main Street here, but you will find grocery stores, community centres, and schools within a short walk of most homes, plus quick access to Metrotown's shopping and services just across the Burnaby line.

What a multiplex home costs here

Renfrew-Collingwood is more affordable than many other east-side neighbourhoods, and that gap shows up clearly in listing data. Recent figures from Zolo put the average home listing price in the Collingwood VE portion of the neighbourhood at roughly $1,461,000, about 30% below the Vancouver-wide average, with condos averaging around $609,000 and townhouses around $1,246,000. In the Renfrew Heights portion, Zolo's data showed houses averaging closer to $1.59 million.

For context on the wider market, Greater Vancouver REALTORS reported the regional benchmark price for attached homes (the category that covers townhouses and most multiplex units) at $1,043,400 in April 2026, down 5.1% from a year earlier, a buyer-friendlier market than Vancouver has seen in a while. Multiplex units in Renfrew-Collingwood, being newer construction on smaller footprints than a full detached house, often land in a comparable or somewhat lower range than the neighbourhood's detached averages above, though exact pricing depends heavily on unit size and block.

Two SkyTrain lines, one neighbourhood

Renfrew-Collingwood is unusual in having rapid transit on two different lines at its edges. Joyce to Collingwood station sits on the Expo Line at Joyce Street and Vanness Avenue, near the neighbourhood's southern edge, it opened in 1985 as one of the original Expo Line stations and was renamed to its current name in 2001. Toward the north end, near Grandview Highway, Renfrew station sits on the Millennium Line, which opened in 2002 and connects riders into the Expo Line network via a transfer at Commercial-Broadway. Between the two stations, most of the neighbourhood is within a reasonable walk or short bus ride of rapid transit, a genuine advantage for buyers who want to skip a car commute without paying west-side prices for it.

The rezoning bringing new multiplex housing

The reason there are more new multiplex homes in this neighbourhood than there were a few years ago comes down to two overlapping policy changes. In October 2023, Vancouver introduced multiplex zoning across most of the city's low-density, single-family-zoned neighbourhoods, allowing three to eight homes on lots that used to permit only one house. Weeks later, the BC government's own small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) legislation extended a similar rule province-wide.

Renfrew-Collingwood has also seen a more targeted change: the Rupert-Renfrew Station Area Plan, approved by Vancouver City Council, rezoned roughly 2,600 single-family lots near the Rupert and Renfrew SkyTrain stations, spanning the northern part of Renfrew-Collingwood and the southern part of Hastings-Sunrise, to allow low-rise strata condominiums and secured purpose-built rental buildings, not just multiplexes. City staff have noted that some of these blocks will remain limited to lower-density multiplex development until water and fire-flow infrastructure is upgraded, which could take years in those specific pockets, worth asking about if you're looking at a brand-new project near the station plan boundary.

Who this neighbourhood suits

Renfrew-Collingwood tends to work best for:

• Value-focused buyers who want a new home with a private entrance but don't need to be within walking distance of downtown's restaurant strips.
• Commuters using either SkyTrain line, Renfrew station connects north toward Commercial-Broadway and beyond, while Joyce-Collingwood runs the Expo Line straight into downtown.
• Growing families who want more bedrooms and outdoor space than a condo, at a lower price point than Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano, or the west side.
• Buyers eyeing new construction who want to get ahead of a neighbourhood that's visibly changing, as older single-family lots continue to redevelop into duplexes, triplexes, and small apartment buildings.

What this comes down to

• Renfrew-Collingwood runs meaningfully below the Vancouver-wide average on price, recent listing data put it roughly 30% under the citywide average in parts of the neighbourhood.
• Two SkyTrain lines bracket the area: Joyce to Collingwood on the Expo Line to the south, Renfrew station on the Millennium Line to the north.
• Vancouver's 2023 multiplex zoning changes, plus the Rupert-Renfrew Station Area Plan, are actively bringing new duplex, triplex, fourplex, and low-rise housing to lots that used to allow only a single house.
• A handful of blocks near the Rupert-Renfrew plan boundary may see slower construction timelines pending city infrastructure upgrades, worth asking about on a specific new-build listing.
• Browse current listings in the neighbourhood, or contact our team to hear about new Renfrew-Collingwood multiplex projects as they come to market.

Plan your next step

Use the home-buying guide to organise your search. Prepare your property questions, check the actual neighbourhood routes, and keep evidence separate from preferences when comparing homes.