3489 replies to this topic

[Barrrister]

All I have heard for the last ten years is that every project for higher density must be approved because we have a housing crisis. What no one seems to ever say is precisely at what point does the city of Victoria reach an optimum density. The answer for the developers and real estate shills is nothing is ever enough. 

 

The city is simply less livable than it was ten years ago. Perhaps it is time to pause and rethink what is being done.

[Victoria Watcher]

How do you mean by less livable?

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria / BC where 330 units of housing takes 20 years.




https://www.timescol...funding-5657171




A major reimagining of a lower-cost seniors’ enclave in Victoria will make a dent in the need for affordable housing in the city, but it will still be years before the first new unit will invite its first tenant through the door.

Victoria council has given enthusiastic approval to a 313-unit master-planned housing project in the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood. The massive project, which could take up to 20 years to fully build out, will replace Chown Place, a 108-unit low-rise seniors complex set on nearly six acres.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 August 2022 - 04:07 AM.

[Nparker]

313 units of housing is "massive "?

[Victoria Watcher]

I guess. It replaces 108. So you can see why it takes 20 years.

[Victoria Watcher]

After publicly thanking Ramsey for his 26 years in the post on Wednesday, Horgan voiced empathy for his situation.

“I do well understand his frustration with vocal minorities who are running afoul of or using, I should say, municipal meetings to stop developments … different communities address those in different ways,” the premier said.

“I’m not quibbling with the rights of citizens to have their say at public hearings. That’s why we have public hearings. But we also have to acknowledge that we have a societal challenge that’s going to require us all making sacrifices to meet the challenges going forward.”

Horgan said collaboration is important to achieving such goals as adding more complex care housing, and tackling issues such as climate change and healthcare shortages.


https://www.vicnews....housing-issues/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 August 2022 - 10:17 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Applications are now open for Langford’s attainable home ownership program.

An email was sent out to residents who had expressed interest in the program via the city’s online portal, inviting them to apply. Applications are being accepted for all unit types, but one-bedroom and one-bedroom plus den configurations are being prioritized, according to the city, “as this is what we currently have ready to release into the program.”

_____________

The plan, announced in October, will use funding collected from developers through the rezoning process to pay up to 75 per cent of first-time homeowners’ down payments. It was originally earmarked to help qualifying two-person households purchase a two-bedroom condominium, but Langford council in January directed staff to expand the program to individuals, and to allow the money to be used to purchase one-, two- or three-bedroom units.

https://www.vicnews....ership-program/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 August 2022 - 10:31 AM.

[LJ]

Maybe the Queen who owns 6.6 billion acres of land could pony up a few acres somewhere outside Victoria for some affordable housing.

[Victoria Watcher]

June home sales were down 24 per cent year over year, the CREA said last month, following a trend that has seen housing activity slow drastically since April after the central bank began hiking its key interest rate in March.

 

Meanwhile, the average home price declined 1.9 per cent month over month in June — but was still up 14.9 per cent from the same time last year.

 

The development has, however, put pressure on renters. The rental market continues to swell amid demand from those opting not to buy due to rising inflation.

 

The average rent for all Canadian properties was $1,885 monthly in June, according to Rentals.ca, an increase of 9.5 per cent annually.

 

 

https://globalnews.c...rce=@globalnews

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 August 2022 - 12:16 PM.

[spanky123]

How is the rental market swelling because people are holding off buying? Wouldn't they already be renting?! 

[Victoria Watcher]

Yes that doesn’t make a ton of sense. I thought the same when I read it.

I suppose it could mean the 400,000 immigrants continue to arrive, and not enough people move out of rentals and into owned homes to make way.

I suspect in-person university and college this fall has as much to do with rental price increases.

[spanky123]

Well the good news is that a lot of the people who come to UVIC as international students are having their parents buy them houses and not rent them. Avoids the spec and foreigner purchaser taxes!

Edited by spanky123, 06 August 2022 - 04:24 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Well the good news is that a lot of the people who come to UVIC as international students are having their parents buy them houses and not rent them. Avoids the spec and foreigner purchaser taxes!

 

It can't be all negative though, having the smartest, richest internationals coming here and buying real estate, from India, China, Iran, Mexico etc.

[Victoria Watcher]

Capital Daily:

 

 

 

Stricter local requirements for new buildings’ emissions could be on the way

Saanich looks at using upcoming BC Building Code changes

At Saanich’s Committee of the Whole meeting tomorrow, Sharon Hvozdanski, the municipality’s Director of Planning, will present a report about the need to adopt stricter energy requirements for new buildings in order to meet emissions targets. The report focuses on an upcoming legislation expected to be added to the BC Building Code in December that could enable local governments to regulate the allowable amount of greenhouse gas emissions from new buildings..

Municipalities could then choose from a range of requirements for developers, from "measure-only" (requires them to measure the amount of emissions, without committing to reductions) up to "zero-carbon" (a fully-electric build). In between are steps that require new buildings to have either or both space heating and hot water systems run on electricity.

Hvozdanski’s report presents an analysis of the impact of these building codes, the results of engagement with community stakeholders (primarily targeted towards the building industry), and proposals for bylaw amendments to make sure all new residential and commercial buildings meet zero carbon requirements by summer 2025.

The provincial government aims to adopt zero carbon pollution standards across the board five years later, by Dec. 2030.

Saanich has lagged well behind its building efficiency targets

The district’s second annual update on progress toward its climate goals—which covers 2021 and was received early this year—had Saanich below targets in several areas including building emissions. The amount of new buildings that meet the higher steps of the BC Energy Step Code, and that have net zero carbon, are supposed to hit 100% by 2025 and 2030 respectively. But as of the 2021 report, both were below 1%. Heat pump replacements of oil and natural gas heating were also well behind 2030 goals.

When the Climate Plan was first approved, the recent report says, there was not a mechanism for municipalities to regulate GHG emissions of buildings. Saanich worked via the Step Code for that reason, but now expects to be able to regulate more directly via the December legislation. The staff report advises that if this provincial change does not go through, there are still ways to pursue current Saanich targets through the Step Code.

Aligning with other local municipalities is also a priority; Saanich staff expect Victoria and Central Saanich to pass similar bylaw changes. Central Saanich recently attempted to break from the CRD climate service and make its climate shifts on its own, but was denied by CRD board vote.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 August 2022 - 06:12 AM.

[dasmo]

I had passive house as the target when I built our house. Cost overruns nearly sank me. I’m still digging out. Our house doesn’t even meet the net zero standards. These regulations will be the death of SFH except for the extremely wealthy. One reason previous generations could afford a home was because they had hollow walls, 4 electrical outlets and single pane windows. That describes my first house even.

[Victoria Watcher]

I had passive house as the target when I built our house. Cost overruns nearly sank me. I’m still digging out. Our house doesn’t even meet the net zero standards. These regulations will be the death of SFH except for the extremely wealthy. One reason previous generations could afford a home was because they had hollow walls, 4 electrical outlets and single pane windows. That describes my first house even.

 

Can't a person build, say 15% less house, and meet the target?

 

15% smaller than they'd normally like, to account for the increased cost?

 

Allowed on lot:  3,100 sq. ft.

 

Instead, build a 2,635 sq. ft. passive house.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 August 2022 - 06:37 AM.

[dasmo]

My house is 2000 sq plus 400 garage/studio

[dasmo]

Triple pane widows will take more energy to manufacture and ship than the energy they will save probably. They also can’t be repaired like a single pane. My first house had 80 year old Windows. Once the seal goes on the triple pane they fill with mold. Same with double. So the life cycle has an impact as well.

One reason I didn’t push all the way to passive standard is because we would have needed to cut all the trees down to get the solar gain needed. That would have made our outside environment less livable. This it the problem with these narrowly focused dogmas. They don’t take the broader picture into account.

[Victoria Watcher]

One reason I didn’t push all the way to passive standard is because we would have needed to cut all the trees down to get the solar gain needed. That would have made our outside environment less livable. This it the problem with these narrowly focused dogmas. They don’t take the broader picture into account.

 

I agree.  One of the problems is that we have the mildest climate in BC/Canada.  6+ months of the year we are not using heating or cooling during waking hours.

 

If the regulations instead said that your house can only (on average and using some type of standard) use X amount of energy per square foot for heating and cooling per year, then the regulations here would be very easy to attain, compared to other regions.  But instead the regulations say that your house must have some type of energy-saving value, regardless of the exterior weather.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 August 2022 - 07:08 AM.

[Nparker]

How not to create affordable housing.