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Affordable housing in Victoria


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#2121 Kapten Kapsell

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 08:58 AM

What exactly is workforce housing?

That's tough to say; in this case, each of the 22 bachelor suites has a kitchen and washroom and does not rely on a shared kitchen space.  Maybe they are just calling it 'workforce housing' as they anticipate that most renters will be employees of the hospital complex across the street...



#2122 Nparker

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 09:06 AM

Isn't any dwelling occupied by someone who has a job in essence "workforce" housing?



#2123 shoeflack

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 09:15 AM

^Technically yes. But generally, "workforce housing" is meant as affordable housing for those who otherwise wouldn't be able to live near their workplace. So the idea being that now you can live near your work, so you can walk or take transit more efficiently...something like that.

 

But it's essentially just another buzzword for affordable housing.



#2124 sebberry

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 09:17 AM

Isn't any dwelling occupied by someone who has a job in essence "workforce" housing?

 

Kinda sounds like temporary housing camps, sort of like the rows and rows of trailers for oil workers in Fort Mac :).  


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#2125 RFS

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 09:25 AM

Sounds dystopian. Permanent serf caste that needs housing.
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#2126 aastra

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 09:32 AM

 

Kinda sounds like temporary housing camps, sort of like the rows and rows of trailers for oil workers in Fort Mac

 

Let's not give the authorities any ideas.



#2127 PPPdev

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 10:06 AM

"workforce housing" is a byproduct of the current housing discourse that has rendered only two types of housing: social housing and luxury housing.



#2128 Nparker

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 10:09 AM

"workforce housing" is a byproduct of the current housing discourse that has rendered only two types of housing: social housing and luxury housing.

You mean the myth that there are only two types of housing.



#2129 PPPdev

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 10:18 AM

No, there is social housing (good) and luxury housing (everything else and bad)  :squint:



#2130 aastra

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 10:28 AM

 

You mean the myth that there are only two types of housing.

 

You're suggesting there's a significant difference between your $300,000 luxury condo and a $3 million luxury house down the street and a $30 million luxury mansion on the waterfront and a billionaire's $300 million luxury estate?

 

Surely our noble politicians would have advised us if this were the case?


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#2131 sebberry

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 11:16 AM

I checked out a condo the other day.  It's listed at $350,000 and hovers around 520 sq-ft.  I'd hardly call that luxury.  

 

We're building homes that are really just a temporary place for someone to hang their hat at the end of the day and take a shower in the morning.  To me, that's workforce housing.  It's not family housing, it's not somewhere you can picture yourself in 10 years.  You're not raising a family there, so it's a form of permanent transient accommodation.  


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#2132 Nparker

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 11:29 AM

Although this article is specifically about a proposed well-above-inflation increase to the City of Vancouver's property taxes for the coming year, it could just as well be about Victoria.

Vancouver homeowners will be hit by an 8.2 per cent property tax hike next year if city council approves its $1.6 billion 2020 draft budget...A total of $23.8 million is earmarked for “council priorities,” which include $4.1 million to address the affordability and housing crisis...


https://vancouversun...ty-tax-increase

Am I the only one to see the ironic correlation between increasing property taxes and housing affordability?


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#2133 Jackerbie

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 11:47 AM

Although this article is specifically about a proposed well-above-inflation increase to the City of Vancouver's property taxes for the coming year, it could just as well be about Victoria.

Am I the only one to see the ironic correlation between increasing property taxes and housing affordability?

 

Yah, that's the cost of "preserving the character" of single-family neighbourhoods. Also, the Affordable Housing component accounts for 4% of the budget increase, an average of $8.50 per residence.



#2134 Nparker

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 11:51 AM

...the Affordable Housing component accounts for 4% of the budget increase, an average of $8.50 per residence.

While the Affordable Housing component is a tiny portion of the proposed budget, it's still an odd message to send: Greater affordability through higher taxes.



#2135 aastra

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 11:52 AM

 

it's not somewhere you can picture yourself in 10 years.

 

Ouch. Way to rub it in.



#2136 aastra

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 11:59 AM

 

it's still an odd message to send: Greater affordability through higher taxes.

 

What next? Freedom through surveillance? Peace through war? Truth through lies? I hope officialdom never stoops to sending such contradictory messages.

 

Odd messages have been the bread-and-butter of the housing affordability/availability issue since day one. Decades worth of odd messages.



#2137 Mike K.

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 12:14 PM

How about this: Governance through absence.

50% of Victoria’s elected officials do not live in Victoria. Their impact on taxation does not directly impact them financially.
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Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#2138 aastra

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 12:17 PM

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Everybody knows that.

 

Can we not assume that equally large numbers of elected officials in Saanich, Oak Bay, Langford, etc. live in Victoria?

 

Can we not assume that?


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#2139 aastra

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 12:19 PM

 

How about this: Governance through absence.

 

Message boards about development without pictures of buildings under construction.*

 

*clever ploy to inspire somebody to do a photo roundup



#2140 aastra

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Posted 26 November 2019 - 12:24 PM

Whatever happened to Marko J.'s weekly snapshots of the various sites around town? Really enjoyed those.*

 

*another clever ploy



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