3683 replies to this topic

[Sparky]

^ Great idea. Let's find a location where now there is nothing. I'm thinking up by Leechtown. Hell the name alone is a fantastic drawing card. 

 

We then build a community of 20-30K people in respectful detached housing where the kids have a place to play in their backyards.

[Victoria Watcher]

I like the area around Lake Cowichan.

 

Take a spin around here:

 

https://www.google.c...0!7i8192!8i4096

 

 

Imagine how spectacular housing in these hills would be.

 

 

You can fit a million people there no problem.

 

 

 

Same scale as above:

 

 

Port Alice / Quatsino same scale:

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 March 2023 - 05:16 AM.

[spanky123]

On the supply and demand topic, I can't help but feeling that areas that are experiencing a high degree of migration are facing the brunt of this problem. 

 

It is the problem.

 

BC had about 105K people immigrate to the Province last year. We built housing for 45K and added family doctors for about 20K. Anyone who even attended a grade 10 economics class could figure out what the impact would be.

[Victoria Watcher]

Revealing that he was commissioning such a probe would have raised even more questions about how he oversaw his portfolio. So he sat on the news until he was safely installed as premier. Around the same time in November he divulged the forensic audit had been underway for months, Liberals leaked yet another audit of a B.C. Housing contractor agency. Atira Women’s Resource Centre, run by Ramsay’s wife, was heavily criticized in a review that was started by the previous government and ran through the change of power.

 

Sloppy accounting and questionable management were cited in numerous instances, but the agency got more than $100 million from the government even through the audit period.

 

So that’s two damning audits of agencies under Eby’s watch that were conducted on the down low.

 

All of which leads to Monday’s question period. After Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon disclosed on Friday that the forensic audit has been completed and submitted, opposition Liberals demanded that it be released.

 

Another game of dodge ball ensued.

 

Eby said it’s a serious issue — perhaps a clue there is more bad news coming — and he’s working on releasing “as much of the report as the law allows.”

 

The law cited is the freedom-of-information and privacy protection law that requires close scrutiny of all findings to do with individuals.

 

“We’ll do it as soon as possible,” he said.

 

Whatever version of the audit is finally released, it’s an open question whether it will address the fundamental concern:

Are taxpayers getting full value for the astronomical sums of money being poured into housing?

 

B.C. Housing’s annual reports — all of which were blessed by independent auditors, by the way — show it got $513 million in provincial funding in 2017-18.

This year it’s $1.9 billion. B.C. Housing is producing 3,000 to 4,000 new units a year, but some targets are not being met.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...gencies-6768666

[Nparker]

Don't worry, special ambassador to housing, Lisa Helps, will get this all straightened out.

[dasmo]

Imagine getting paid $80k to say we need more housing

[Victoria Watcher]

Housing starts could fall 30% this year as higher interest rates curb demand

 

https://financialpos...tes-curb-demand

[Victoria Watcher]

Squamish Nation plans to develop 350 acres, most of it in North Vancouver and West Vancouver

 

The ancestral lands in North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Squamish and Sunshine Coast will be for housing and industry, but details are scarce.

 

https://vancouversun...-west-vancouver

 

 

“Squamish real estate on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet is some of the most important real estate opportunities in the Lower Mainland, if not in the entire country. Just one of these sites that we call Xwmélch’sten at the mouth of the Capilano River represents an area that is the size of a small municipality,” he said.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 March 2023 - 05:36 PM.

[LJ]

Imagine getting paid $80k to say we need more housing

Hey, I would take that job.

[Mike K.]

Just one of these sites that we call Xwmélch’sten at the mouth of the Capilano River represents an area that is the size of a small municipality,” he said.

For reference, Sidney is 1,260 acres in size. Victoria is around 4,800.

[Nparker]

Xwmélch’sten has such a lovely ring to it.

[Victoria Watcher]

Sidney council rejects controversial rental apartments after outcry

 

The move comes after two public hearings and much debate on council

 

https://www.vicnews....s-after-outcry/

[grantpalin]

https://www.reddit.c...canada_without/

 

Points out how the housing shortage has been a slowly building issue over decades. Even before the market got superheated the last few years, it was already a problem.

[spanky123]

^ Sorry but he doesn't point out anything sensible.

 

Lets say CMHC started building 15-20K affordable housing units every year again, what impact will that have on affordability when 1M new immigrants (work, study and residence) will come to Canada this year!

[Victoria Watcher]

‘What a waste’: Victoria building toppled for self-storage instead of housing

 

Area residents called it a wasted opportunity to add density

 

Neighbours of a Victoria industrial building that was recently torn down are lamenting that its future use won’t be “much-needed” housing.

 

The old Paynes Marine Group building at 2120 Quadra St. has been demolished, with equipment hauling away the remnants this week.

 

The property will now be turned into a self-storage business, but neighbours said it was a prime location for housing – something that had previously been under consideration by the City of Victoria in the area.

 

 

 

https://www.vicnews....ead-of-housing/

 

 

Other area residents tweeted about the demolition, lamenting a “wasted” opportunity.

 

“Located across the street from Crystal Pool, a block from the arena and less than a 10-minute walk to downtown,” tweeted Thomas Guerrero. “I am truly looking forward to this much-needed … Um self-storage building? … Just seems to me that you couldn’t have a better location for homes in the city … Sigh.”

 

That tweet brought a swift response from other local residents.

 

“What a waste,” tweeted @marrkstep.

 

“What a disappointing outcome,” tweeted Marilyn Kay. “The city needs more housing and community spaces – not more self-storage.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So many tweets, so little real action.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 01 April 2023 - 04:07 PM.

[Nparker]

The self-storage building project at 2120 Quadra was proposed back in July of 2021 and approved during a public hearing on September 8, 2022,

I am not sure why its construction is coming as a surprise to anyone now.

[Mike K.]

From the province:

The Province’s new housing plan will speed up delivery of new homes, increase the supply of middle-income housing, fight speculation and help those who need it the most.

The Homes for People plan will deliver more homes people need in a shorter timeframe and build more vibrant communities throughout B.C.

“If you’ve scrolled through rental listings or seen the prices of homes in your community, you know how tough it is to find an affordable, decent place to live,” said Premier David Eby. “Even though our province is currently building more housing than ever before, it’s just not enough to meet the need. This plan will take us to the next level with unprecedented actions to tackle the challenges head on, delivering even more homes for people, faster.”

Focused on four priorities – unlocking more homes faster; delivering better, more affordable homes; helping those with the greatest housing need; and creating a housing market for people, not speculators – the actions in Homes for People include:

delivering more middle-income small-scale, multi-unit housing that people can afford, including town homes, duplexes and triplexes through zoning changes and proactive partnerships;
offering forgivable loans for homeowners to build and rent secondary suites below market rates to increase affordable rental supply quickly;
building thousands more affordable homes for renters, Indigenous Peoples on and off reserve, women and children leaving violence, and building thousands more on-campus student housing units;
delivering thousands of new homes near public transit, and launching BC Builds to use public land to deliver affordable homes for people;
introducing a flipping tax to discourage short-term speculation;
providing an annual income-tested tax credit of up to $400 per year for renters;
providing more homes and supports for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness;
streamlining and modernizing permitting to reduce costs and speed up approvals to get homes built faster; and
strengthening enforcement of short-term rentals.
“We are in urgent need of more housing throughout British Columbia, which is why we are taking strong steps through our Homes for People strategy to close the gap between supply and demand,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “We are working with our partners to unlock more homes across the spectrum of housing faster than ever, so everyone in our province can have a safe, secure and stable place to call home.”

Building on major new investments to build affordable housing in the past five years and measures to reduce speculation and protect people in an overheated housing market, Homes for People tackles persistent permitting and zoning challenges, facilitating the delivery of the housing people need, faster. The plan unlocks more homes by creating the conditions to encourage faster housing construction and reduce development costs, including changes in regulations and zoning, less red tape, more incentives, and a focus on targeted types of housing.

Homes for People also delivers more housing people can afford to rent or buy, including more homes within reach for first-time homebuyers, and protects renters. It supports those who need it the most with more housing for those experiencing homelessness and helps more people afford to find a place to call home. Actions in the plan also aim to build a housing market that puts people ahead of profit with measures to crack down on speculators and profiteers and get the proceeds of crime out of the real estate market.

Alongside Homes for People, government is implementing Belonging in BC, a plan to prevent and reduce homelessness. The plan adds 3,900 new supportive housing units and 240 complex-care spaces provincewide, and creates multidisciplinary regional response teams designed to rapidly respond to encampments to better support people sheltering outdoors to move inside.

Quick Facts:

Budget 2023 supports the Homes for People action plan, starting with more than $4 billion over three years and a commitment to invest $12 billion over the next 10 years to deliver more homes for people, faster.
This builds on the 2018 Homes for B.C. plan, which was the largest investment in housing affordability in B.C.’s history – $7 billion – and introduced effective tools to tackle speculation and increase the number of rentals.
The Province is on track to deliver a projected 108,000 homes completed or under active construction by 2027-28 with tens of thousands more homes to come through other avenues.
The Belonging in BC homelessness plan is delivered through initiatives across government and supported by investments of $1.18 billion in Budget 2023, and $633 million in Budget 2022.
More than 100,000 people moved to B.C. in 2021, and another 150,000 people in 2022, the most in 60 years.

[Nparker]

...More than 100,000 people moved to B.C. in 2021, and another 150,000 people in 2022, the most in 60 years...

Perhaps dealing with this is where the solutions need to start.

 

And again, zero benefits for those of us who are already homeowners; you know, the people whose property taxes, PTT etc. will be paying for all these marvelous housing initiatives. Remind me again why I would have any reason to vote for the NDP?

[Mike K.]

Homeownership is going to get more expensive, too, as the new “flipping” tax means you can’t decide not to move in to the unit you bought, and will pay a new tax if you sell it. That tax will be baked into the next guy’s purchase price, of course.

[aastra]

 

creating a housing market for people, not speculators

 

This is very timely. Real estate market analysts claim the rampant speculation will only worsen as we get closer to the 2010 Olympics.