Social Housing in Vancouver - The 14 Sites

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

well i dont know what they were thinking when they released that statement in support of themselves and her. it was insanity.

My guess is a knee jerk reaction of women being supportive of each other.

[officedweller]

990 Beatty
The Beatty & Nelson site...

New renderings of a 28-storey social housing tower with a fire hall in downtown Vancouver
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/990-...sing-fire-hall


https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/990-...sing-fire-hall

[Changing City]

...

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by officedweller

990 Beatty
The Beatty & Nelson site...
New renderings of a 28-storey social housing tower with a fire hall in downtown Vancouver

The DP for 990 Beatty is here

And 1050 Expo and 450 Pacific have also been submitted.

[madog222]

New social housing proposal with 158 units for the city own lots on the NE corner of Powell & Jackson, across the street from the under construction 508 Powell.


https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/525-powell-st

[Feathered Friend]

Did you know that #Development Permit Board meetings are now posted on Youtube? This means you no longer need us to explain why they unanimously approved 3 buildings that'll add 673 social housing apartments & 44 daycare spaces to Yaletown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmtdTksSOJE

https://x.com/City_Duo/status/1751400204220424195?s=20

[officedweller]

Three sites transferred to City of Vancouver for social housing in False Creek North

A land transfer agreement giving the City of Vancouver three out of six undeveloped sites in False Creek North is now complete, said the city on Tuesday, paving the way for the city to move forward with B.C. Housing and housing providers to build non-market housing, as well as a firehall and a child-care facility.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-...se-creek-north

[Sheba]

B.C. law change will let City of Vancouver enact SRO vacancy control

The province has introduced law amendments that will allow the City of Vancouver to enact vacancy control on single-room occupancy (SRO) units in the Downtown Eastside.

Vacancy control refers to a policy where rent increases are tied to a unit, and not a tenancy, a move that many housing advocates have pushed for amid a housing affordability crisis.

In December 2021, Vancouver passed bylaws that enacted vacancy control for SRO units in the Downtown Eastside, with the units often geared toward low-income people who could not afford housing elsewhere.

However, those bylaws were struck down in 2022 after a lawsuit from two private SRO owners, with the courts ruling that the city's bylaws constituted an overreach of its authority, given that property owners were already regulated by the provincial Residential Tenancy Act.

Now, the province has stepped in to introduce amendments to its Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act, after a request from the city, which would allow Vancouver to go ahead with its bylaws.

...

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Sheba

B.C. law change will let City of Vancouver enact SRO vacancy control

Welp, I sure hope this isn't the BCNDP trying to start normalizing vacancy controls (rent control ) in BC... I haven't looked into the legislative changes, but couldn't this give Vancouver the ability to implement their own rent control on rentals other than SROs? Scary.

At the very least, expect more SROs to start burning down.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Welp, I sure hope this isn't the BCNDP trying to start normalizing vacancy controls (rent control ) in BC... I haven't looked into the legislative changes, but couldn't this give Vancouver the ability to implement their own rent control on rentals other than SROs? Scary.

At the very least, expect more SROs to start burning down.

I have to say it is classic NDP to not get the connection between people not wanting to be landlords or build rental when they know you are going to limit the amount they can increase prices to cover costs. And not to make the linkage between outrageously high rents for new buildings and the fact landlords have to protect themselves against future rental rate interference.

This is why I continue to say the only way out of the mess is Vienna-style public housing. Only a senior level of government can afford to be a landlord that offers affordable housing.

[GenWhy?]

If I understand correctly the Province is not enacting changes, but allowing cities to apply on their own?

ABC won't enact this.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

If I understand correctly the Province is not enacting changes, but allowing cities to apply on their own?

ABC won't enact this.

From the article:

"We want to ensure Vancouver remains a place where everyone can find a sense of belonging, regardless of their income," said Mayor Ken Sim in a statement. "This bylaw is an important step in addressing the urgent need for low-income housing and protecting vulnerable Vancouver residents."

-Ken Sim

Take from that what you will.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Welp, I sure hope this isn't the BCNDP trying to start normalizing vacancy controls (rent control ) in BC... I haven't looked into the legislative changes, but couldn't this give Vancouver the ability to implement their own rent control on rentals other than SROs? Scary.

At the very least, expect more SROs to start burning down.

No, it's a specific (retroactive) addition to the Municipalities Enabling legislation that says the by-law that Vancouver adopted in December 2021 is legal. It only applies to designated Single Room Occupancy rooms.

That's the ones that some landlords charge $1,100 for a 130 sq ft room with a shared bathroom, when the welfare rate is $500. Which is partly how we end up with a homelessness problem.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Changing City

No, it's a specific (retroactive) addition to the Municipalities Enabling legislation that says the by-law that Vancouver adopted in December 2021 is legal. It only applies to designated Single Room Occupancy rooms.

That's the ones that some landlords charge $1,100 for a 130 sq ft room with a shared bathroom, when the welfare rate is $500. Which is partly how we end up with a homelessness problem.

So in other words, Vancouver could conceivably pass a bylaw implementing vacancy control city wide, and all it takes is the provincial government to A-OK it for it to be legal.

Price controls do not fix homelessness and it's extremely disingenous to pretend that vacancy controls will have any impact on homelessness. It's not as though the SROs are all vacant.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by chowhou

So in other words, Vancouver could conceivably pass a bylaw implementing vacancy control city wide, and all it takes is the provincial government to A-OK it for it to be legal.

Price controls do not fix homelessness and it's extremely disingenous to pretend that vacancy controls will have any impact on homelessness. It's not as though the SROs are all vacant.

"Housing advocate says rules could help prevent homelessness"

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Changing City

"Housing advocate says rules could help prevent homelessness"

And Hitler said eradicating the Jews could solve Germany's problems.

Being an "advocate for X" does not make you an expert in the X.

And yes, I am comparing Jean Swanson to Hitler.

[WarrenC12]

Total free market means rents spike as there is far more demand than supply.

Controlled economy means prices are set low but scarcity still exists so many people just go without (see: lineups for bread in the USSR).

[FarmerHaight]

This quote from a Globe and Mail article pointed to the actual solution:

The cheap hotel rooms that house some of the city’s poorest are frequently run down and sometimes squalid, but advocates for the tenants acknowledge they are better than tents on the street. But SRO rooms have been steadily lost over the years as owners tried to force out existing tenants so they could re-rent them at much higher rates, particularly to international students.

So what Vancouver really needs is a much larger supply of small and cheap, but slightly higher quality boarding house rooms to meet the demands of international students so that these hotel rooms can stay on the market for those who truly need them.

I am a big fan of building more missing middle housing with a mix of unit sizes all across the city. But what about the construction of buildings akin to hostels, with small private rooms and shared kitchens and bathrooms aimed at students?

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

So what Vancouver really needs is a much larger supply of small and cheap, but slightly higher quality boarding house rooms to meet the demands of international students so that these hotel rooms can stay on the market for those who truly need them.

I am a big fan of building more missing middle housing with a mix of unit sizes all across the city. But what about the construction of buildings akin to hostels, with small private rooms and shared kitchens and bathrooms aimed at students?

"Advocates" are already mad that developers build "too many" studios and 1brs and don't build more 2+ bedroom units that are "suitable for families". For some reason people think that developers hate building 2+ bedroom units, but the reality is that the demand for 1br and suites is extremely high.

I'm sure new SROs would under typical circumstances be extremely easy investments to make for developers but with these new bylaws from the City, why would you ever handicap yourself by building SROs when you can build studios and 1brs?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

So what Vancouver really needs is a much larger supply of small and cheap, but slightly higher quality boarding house rooms to meet the demands of international students so that these hotel rooms can stay on the market for those who truly need them.

I am a big fan of building more missing middle housing with a mix of unit sizes all across the city. But what about the construction of buildings akin to hostels, with small private rooms and shared kitchens and bathrooms aimed at students?

As there seems to be an acknowledgement that there have been too many international students attending both public and private educational institutions, and a reduction in the number of new student visas, the demand from that source should drop in future.

UBC has been adding a lot of student housing, which they describe as leasing at 'below market' with a studio renting at $1,380 a month, and $1,142 for a bedroom in a 4-bed suite.

I don't think any of the SRO replacement social housing projects under construction have communal bathrooms, and neither do the studios at UBC. They do have communal kitchens. Without heavy subsidies, nobody can build units that rent at welfare rates, or replace SRO rooms with social housing (the topic of this thread). During the Vancouver City Council meeting about housing targets, City staff suggested there might be a big move coming on SROs. We know BC Housing have recently been buying some, and that a few are already being replaced (like the Shaldon, and the Balmoral). The replacements will probably like all the other new non-market housing buildings, with all units having a bathroom.

I'm not sure what the internal arrangements are in any of the GEC international student residences, but I think they also have suites or studios, like UBC.