1893 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Until someone holds our elected officials accountable for this mess, we're all going to suffer. We desperately need 10,000 new rental units in the region. Now. Not by 2050, now!

[VicHockeyFan]

Until someone holds our elected officials accountable for this mess, we're all going to suffer. We desperately need 10,000 new rental units in the region. Now. Not by 2050, now!

 

Do we though?  I think it's been made clear that nobody with a regular full-time job is homeless in the region.

[Mike K.]

You gotta read my article that references rental managers who say 20,000 units will need replacement or major renovations by 2025. Any way we slice it, we need new inventory to replace aging stock.

[Nparker]

Do we though?

Yes we do need more. We have a significantly ageing rental stock. More-and-more "renoviction" stories will be forthcoming as existing properties are either renovated or replaced. As I said before, new rental housing stock HAS to utilize greater density than what it is replacing or we will continue to have an affordability issue.

[VicHockeyFan]

Maybe more retirees will just have to move.  Duncan has low rents.

[Nparker]

Maybe more retirees will just have to move.  Duncan has low rents.

Good luck getting them to choose Duncan over Victoria. Also, the current generation of retirees can afford the higher rents in the CRD.

[Mike K.]

Retirees or downsizers are a sizeable portion of the folks living in my building, for sure. In my girlfriend's building the ratio is similar, probably half of the residents in both buildings are aged 50-plus.

[VicHockeyFan]

I think you'll find the type living in for example the Lord and Lady Simcoe are very-limited income seniors.  So some of them might move.

[Mike K.]

I'd say a huge chunk of Victoria's older apartment buildings are home to seniors on limited incomes. We're in for a serious reality check over the next five years.

[jonny]

Do we though? I think it's been made clear that nobody with a regular full-time job is homeless in the region.

So we should hoist up the draw bridges and say we're full, no more people?

[jonny]

I'd say that a vacancy rate of 1.5% means we are effectively turning away potential residents. That's not good business. There should be healthy stock of housing with healthy turnover. These people are rightfully afraid that they literally won't be able to find a place to rent. It's not that they may not find one in the area they want, but that they won't be able to find one at all. That's no good.

[Nparker]

I'd say that a vacancy rate of 1.5% means we are effectively turning away potential residents...

And of course the current vacancy rate is much lower than 1.5%

...Greater Victoria's average apartment vacancy rate dropped to 0.6 per cent in October, down from 1.5 per cent in October 2014, according to the latest figures from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp...

http://www.timescolo...arket-1.2265304

I don't believe there has been significant improvement since these stats were released.

[VicHockeyFan]

So we should hoist up the draw bridges and say we're full, no more people?

 

Of course not.  But I think we should be clear that our lack of homes is not making full-time workers homeless.

[VicHockeyFan]

I'd say that a vacancy rate of 1.5% means we are effectively turning away potential residents. That's not good business. There should be healthy stock of housing with healthy turnover. These people are rightfully afraid that they literally won't be able to find a place to rent. It's not that they may not find one in the area they want, but that they won't be able to find one at all. That's no good.

 

Oh, I think it's a fact for some jobs, for sure.

[jonny]

Of course not.  But I think we should be clear that our lack of homes is not making full-time workers homeless.

 

Who said this? You?

 

Our current course is not sustainable. We need more housing if we don't want to limit our potential.

[VicHockeyFan]

Who said this? You?

 

Our current course is not sustainable. We need more housing if we don't want to limit our potential.

 

Yes, me.  The guy that is downtown on the streets 364 days of the year.  I'm the guy that had breakfast with 3 homeless people on the weekend.  

 

I'm not sure about "not sustainable".  Have you seen housing costs (shortages) in San Francisco, or New York, or Vancouver?  You know, it's the funny thing about people and markets, it all gets worked out.

[dasmo]

I am 100% for more density BUT done in a smart way. Just adding more NOW is not a good idea and might just spoil it for all of us. Just look at the parking issue that Mike brings up. Same with traffic congestion. People will still drive a short distance if it's not walk and bike friendly. This is why there needs to be the massive charrette  in regards to rezoning victoria that could integrate into a solid pedestrian / bike transportation plan. Enough with the spot zoning everything.... 

[spanky123]

There is a shortage of $1,000 a month rental units. If you have the money then it is not difficult to find a place to live. All boils down to what type of City we want to have. Lots of people are perfectly happy with us catering to wealthy retirees and wealthy snowbirds.

[VicHockeyFan]

Our current course is not sustainable. We need more housing if we don't want to limit our potential.

 

Narrow that down a bit and ask if the zero growth over the last 20 years in Broadmead has had bad effects, or zero in Uplands over or Rockland the last 50 years.

 

I dunno.  I was reading a 1990 Times Colonist the other day, we had a housing crisis then apparently.  We seem to make it through crisis after crisis with no real casualties.   

 

It's a bit of "Victoria is too expensive/crowded now that nobody wants to live/move there anymore".  Bah, I dunno.

[VicHockeyFan]

There is a shortage of $1,000 a month rental units. If you have the money then it is not difficult to find a place to live. All boils down to what type of City we want to have. Lots of people are perfectly happy with us catering to wealthy retirees and wealthy snowbirds.

 

Palm Springs or Carmel or Whistler, or dare I say Oak Bay or North Saanich have no trouble with this "business model".  It's only CoV council that wants to flood our city with deadbeats rather than affluent high-property-tax-paying consumers.