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Victoria's residential rental market


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#81 sdwright.vic

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 08:10 AM

There are plenty of reasons


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Come on I am not saying 100 stories, but building up is most definately better than out.
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#82 Mike K.

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 08:37 AM

I have to admit that I've really come around on my opinions regarding development patterns and what I would consider to be ideal urban planning.

 

I am now of the opinion at the ripe old age of 35 that there has to be a healthy balance of all housing options and not an overt focus on one. Over the last decade we've really embraced highrise and high-density living across the region, which is amazing, for sure, but we've also failed to supply enough single-family housing that remains in very high demand but which is arguably now only within reach for those in the mid-to upper-middle class.

With all of our land and abundance of resources, how did we get to a point where someone earning $65-$80k per year can no longer afford to purchase even a starter home in the furthest of our suburbs?


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#83 sebberry

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 09:02 AM

how did we get to a point where someone earning $65-$80k per year can no longer afford to purchase even a starter home in the furthest of our suburbs?

 

I guess Kettle Creek was the closest we'll ever get to that. 


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#84 Freedom57

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 09:04 AM

Like?

Come on I am not saying 100 stories, but building up is most definately better than out.

I wonder how many of our high-rise supporters have lived in or worked in a high-rise during a major earthquake. (It’s quite alarming….) Does anyone have any insight on how our building standards/codes for high-rises in BC compare to other earthquake prone areas.  Hopefully they are even more stringent.



#85 rjag

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 09:08 AM

Agreed Mike,

there are many areas that would benefit from Row style townhomes such as https://www.google.c...2!8i6656?hl=en 

or

https://www.google.c...12!8i6656?hl=en

 

They blend in very well and add to the density as well as character of the neighbourhood. Not everyone or every place wants or desires a 6-20 story glass and concrete structure.

 

There are lots of areas that would benefit from these styles of homes that provide increased density and still add character. 


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#86 sdwright.vic

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 09:10 AM

I lived in San Francisco... so yes I have been i a high rise during an earthqauke. 5.5 in 1996- I was on the 32 floor of my office building. I lived in Seattle during the last big one there.
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#87 Mike K.

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 09:19 AM

Safest place to be is in a modern highrise.

 

Where does this notion come from that being in a highrise during an earthquake is bad? Movies? Third world disaster footage, maybe?


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#88 Star Dust

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 09:22 AM

Nparker and Star Dust.

 

I case you are wondering where your childish after midnight posts went, I hid them from our reader's view. They were of no value to anyone.

 

I am starting to get a little tired of having to remind people about the "etiquette" that is expected of contributors when posting to this forum.

 

Nparker, you should know better. You have been around long enough to know the drill.

 

Star Dust, you seem to be a slow learner. It is frustrating having to instruct a grown man on how to post respectfully....even if they are new. 

 

I find it down right rude to come here when I can't sleep in order to catch up on some topics that I have been keenly interested in.......and then spend my time cleaning up your mess. 

 

Stop it.

 

Good, posts where personal remarks are made about my character and cheap shots are taken at me about my spelling, grammar or me as a person should be removed.  Please note that you will never see me make personal attacks on anyone here or take cheap shots at them and insult them as a person, despite how heavily some people have tried to BAIT me into doing so. People who do so......simply go on my "Ignore" list, and if they are on that list, trust me, they have done something to belong there LOL. , I never make any of my replies personal in nature. People can debate my views all they like, that's what the Forum is about, but nobody here should ever be personally attacked, or insulted, or had names thrown at them for their views, and unfortunately several people around here have chosen to do that.  That being said, Onward and upward

 

Cheers,


Edited by Star Dust, 12 February 2018 - 09:42 AM.


#89 Nparker

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 09:31 AM

Safest place to be is in a modern highrise. Where does this notion come from that being in a highrise during an earthquake is bad? Movies? Third world disaster footage, maybe?

Personally, I worry considerably more about being attacked by giant reptilian creatures. Have you seen what they have done to Tokyo, over and over again?


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#90 Freedom57

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 09:55 AM

Safest place to be is in a modern highrise.

 

Where does this notion come from that being in a highrise during an earthquake is bad? Movies? Third world disaster footage, maybe?

I'm most concerned with the "big one" (earthquake) as our buildings haven't been tested in that scenario.  Of course, low-rises would also be affected, but if the high-rises fail, you know you won't get out.



#91 tjv

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 12:21 PM

As a civil engineer who did take structurally engineering in university although never practiced structural engineering post graduation, all modern buildings including most houses are designed to effectively get people out safety.  Only police stations, fire stations and other post similar buildings are designed to be safely usable after a seismic event.


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#92 rjag

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 12:49 PM

^ exactly. Nothing is earthquake 'proof' its resistant and outside of a 'post-disaster' designed building everything else is designed to enable you to exit.

 

Even then there is a 'post-disaster' building in Victoria that had serious structural problems in the Blizzard of '96 and had significant failure points with power etc. when the whole south island lost power Thanksgiving 10 or so years ago

 

Outside of older stone buildings such as the Leg or concrete block warehouses etc the worst type of building to be in is a mid-rise glass clad structure where there is a central structural support. 

 

In the Peru earthquake a dozen years ago the older buildings fared well and surprisingly the ones that experienced major damage were newer mid rise 15 or more storey with glass exteriors and underground parking 


Edited by rjag, 12 February 2018 - 12:50 PM.


#93 sdwright.vic

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 02:51 PM

Yeah... Peru building standards are completely comparable to ours.
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#94 rjag

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Posted 12 February 2018 - 03:19 PM

Yeah... Peru building standards are completely comparable to ours.

 

Actually they are very comparable. I'll try and find a link to a documentary that was done after the big quake there 10 years ago where a bunch of UBC engineers went down to study why the most severely damaged buildings were Glass mid rise towers built to the same standard as in Vancouver. They were shocked to learn that the internal structural support was enough and with all those glass corners the buildings torqued more than they expected. Some even sunk into their parkades



#95 Nparker

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Posted 28 February 2018 - 09:15 AM

I am no Lisa Helps fan, but the following letter to the editor, just goes to show how out of touch many locals are about the current residential building boom.

...I find it self-serving that our mayor takes advantage of this photo-op to promote herself. This photo contradicts her ongoing enthusiasm to aggressively promote the building of up-market condos...Building additional purpose-built rental housing presents a viable short-to-mid-term approach to improving affordability...We are building too much of the wrong type of housing and have pretended to address housing affordability far too long.

 

Don Cal

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http://www.timescolo...sing-1.23187237

Someone needs to point out that Townline alone has added 3 large purpose-built rental projects to the downtown core in the past 5 years. At least 3 others are currently under construction that will add hundreds of rental units to the market. I might also add that it wasn't Lisa Helps who voted against the rental proposal at 1120 Burdett.


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#96 spanky123

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Posted 28 February 2018 - 09:25 AM

I am no Lisa Helps fan, but the following letter to the editor, just goes to show how out of touch many locals are about the current residential building boom.

Someone needs to point out that Townline alone has added 3 large purpose-built rental projects to the downtown core in the past 5 years. At least 3 others are currently under construction that will add hundreds of rental units to the market. I might also add that it wasn't Lisa Helps who voted against the rental proposal at 1120 Burdett.

 

Aren't the Townline units north of $1,500 - $2,000 a month though? We are back to the definition of affordable.



#97 Nparker

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Posted 28 February 2018 - 09:27 AM

Aren't the Townline units north of $1,500 - $2,000 a month though...

Build 2000 more like them and there's a chance the price will come down.



#98 spanky123

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Posted 28 February 2018 - 09:30 AM

Build 2000 more like them and there's a chance the price will come down.

 

If the price comes down then they won't get built :-)


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#99 aastra

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Posted 28 February 2018 - 09:37 AM

But again, those are decent new rental units. What Victoria desperately needs are crappy & dehumanizing new rental units. Tents, sheds, storage containers... improvised and ridiculous measures that nevertheless end up costing substantially more than proper apartments.


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#100 jonny

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Posted 28 February 2018 - 09:39 AM

Aren't the Townline units north of $1,500 - $2,000 a month though? We are back to the definition of affordable.

 

$1,500/mo is plenty affordable for a professional couple.

 

These middle class rental units allow people who can afford to do so move out of basement suites and older, cheaper units, which frees up that housing stock for others. The math is simple. 


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