EcoDensity: making Vancouver sustainable, livable, affordable

[Feathered Friend]

Originally Posted by Changing City

The multiplex policy has been introduced everywhere, with no pilot. There are supposedly over 500 inquiries already. It would be a relatively easy move for Council to come back in a couple of years and change 1.0 FSR to 1.2 FSR if it turns out that's what it takes to get more activity, because the current proposals aren't attractive enough.

Peter Waldkirch 華彼德 @pwaldkirch · Sep 14
LOOOL Teresa O'Donnell, the city's chief planner, earlier said there's 500 applications waiting to go. Now admits that's not quite true, that's total house applications, only some of those (maybe 100-200) will go forward as multiplexes

YEAH I'M GETTING JOKERFIED

https://x.com/pwaldkirch/status/1702428753706803434?s=20

Maybe I could have found a more serious source for this, but it's a Friday night, and Peter's public hearing live tweeting is a bonafied community service.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

https://x.com/pwaldkirch/status/1702428753706803434?s=20

Maybe I could have found a more serious source for this, but it's a Friday night, and Peter's public hearing live tweeting is a bonafied community service.

Thanks for spotting that. Because it was the City Planner quoted (rather than me hearing her say it) I stuck in a 'supposedly'. I guess we'll see what the take-up is over the next few years. Laneway applications started slowly, and within 3 years were at 400+ a year. And of course there's still another report to come this year on allowing four to six storey rental anywhere in RS. We'll see what Council make of that idea. I can see 4 storey c1.5 FSR (similar to West End / Mount Pleasant RM massing) not being too scarey, and adding a fair bit more capacity. And they could go to higher FSR and height for affordable rental.

[logan5]

There's a massive difference between building a house with 2 secondary rental units and building a 6 plex with 6 units for sale. There's an immediate and substantial return on those 6 (or 4 on a smaller lot) units. If I owned a house on a 50 foot lot, I would want to build immediately and reap a massive profit. That's me though. The City expects that 200 multi plexes will be built per year, which is not nearly enough.

I'm guessing a loan to build a multi-plex would be relatively easy given that there wouldn't be much risk to the bank.

[FarmerHaight]

Gentle densification: Laneway houses and secondary suites now permitted in Burnaby

Wait, I thought Burnaby was already doing the most in the region to help with the housing shortage? /s

But in all seriousness, this is good news. However, I kinda wish Burnaby and all the other suburbs would skip the laneway house and secondary suite step and cut straight to multiplexes. They will have to get there eventually, anyways

There are some neighbourhoods (South Slope, the 'hoods around Deer Lake) that could really use an injection of residents and some corner stores to go along with them. These are places well within a 30-minute drive of DT Vancouver and under an hour by transit that don't have sidewalks or streetlights, and have zero - I mean that literally - pedestrians and only a couple vehicles after 9pm.

[FarmerHaight]

British Columbia is planning to start its own program to build housing for middle-income residents, a response to the escalating housing crisis in the province and a rare move for a government because they tend to focus on affordable housing for lower-income residents.

Provinces in Canada, including B.C., usually fund subsidized housing that includes some non-subsidized units to help create a better social mix and revenue stream. The province already has a $3.3-billion fund dedicated to helping finance new housing, but it has been geared to projects built by non-profits, First Nations and municipalities, where typically about two-thirds of apartments are subsidized and a third are rented at close to market rates.

But Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, at a convention last week of city councillors and mayors, referred repeatedly to an impending provincial plan to move into developing housing that is aimed directly at middle-income households.

“We’re still landing on what the mechanism will look like. The plans are still being finalized,” said Mr. Kahlon in an interview with The Globe and Mail at the end of one of the two sessions on housing that drew hundreds of anxious attendees at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention. He did not provide details of what is planned, saying that he didn’t want to pre-empt a future formal announcement.

“The government needs to step into a space beyond housing for low-income earners,” he said at another point at the convention.

Mr. Kahlon repeatedly invited city officials at the two sessions to help his ministry compile a list of available properties for a land bank. He said they’ve already started researching what vacant or under-utilized land is available that’s owned by the province, Crown corporations and cities.

“If you’ve got vacant land, please do reach out to us,” he urged the officials.

Mr. Kahlon’s promise of that initiative and promises of action on several other housing hotspots were greeted with keen interest by the hundreds of mayors, councillors and regional directors who painted vivid pictures of the extreme level of housing stress in their cities when they had their chance to speak at the housing sessions.

They listed a myriad of housing problems they are facing, from basic supply shortages and problems with the proliferation of vacation rentals to concerns about safety and crime related to supportive-housing projects.

Castlegar chief administrative officer Chris Barlow said the city is so desperate to get new housing that they are thinking of building it themselves, because it’s been so hard to convince developers to come to a smaller city when they’ve got work piled up in bigger cities.

“We are almost at the point of paying developers to develop,” he said.

Prince George councillor Cori Ramsay said her council has estimated they need 1,000 additional homes a year to absorb the new population in their rapidly growing city. They’ve only ever managed 780 at the most in previous years and now construction is slowing down because of high financing and construction costs.

She, like some other city officials, said the city is doing everything it can to encourage more home-building – speeding up permitting times, legalizing secondary suites and cutting development-cost charges, even though that then leaves the city with less money for the sewer, water, and roads needed for the new housing.

“We’re doing everything we can in Prince George to build fast,” she said.

New Denver councillor Danika Hammond said something needs to change because half the houses in her small east Kootenay town “go dark” during the winter, as owners leave their vacation homes vacant. In the meantime, residents who live there year-round are stuck in trailers on the edge of town because that’s all that’s available.

And councillors in suburban cities like Coquitlam and Langley said that although they’re churning out massive amounts of housing, they’re starting to see backlash from residents who say services like hospitals and schools are not keeping up with the growth.

The provincial plan to start building housing for middle-income earners is the latest in a series of announcements about new programs and legislation aimed at trying to deal with problems at every level of the housing system and to create massive amounts of new housing.

The hope is that building a lot will lower costs – or at least slow down the increase – for buyers and renters, as well as taking away some of the incentive landlords now have to kick out long-term tenants paying lower rents in order to bring in new higher-paying ones.

Faced with the kinds of stories that emerged at the municipal convention last week, along with the knowledge that B.C. has seen an unprecedented surge in population the last two years, Premier David Eby has been driving hard on the housing file since he took over leadership of the government last year.

At the beginning of the week, Mr. Eby announced a new program to provide about 3,000 homeowners with forgivable loans of up to $40,000 apiece to build basement suites or laneway homes.

For months, he has been talking about the legislation the province plans to bring in this fall to legalize townhomes, multiplex projects and secondary suites in every residential zone in the province, as well as bring in new regulations to deal with problems created by short-term rentals.

In the spring, Mr. Eby also announced a new half-billion-dollar fund to help non-profit housing groups buy private apartment buildings that come onto the market.

Finance Minister Katrine Conroy said during the convention that the province is expanding the areas where a speculation tax will be charged on homes owned by non-residents of that region.

Mr. Kahlon said the province is also looking at changes to the Residential Tenancy Act to deal with increasing concerns from both landlords and tenants. Tenants are filing more complaints than ever with the Residential Tenancy Branch, as evictions soar.

Source: Globe and Mail

[Sheba]

This is the closest I can find to post this interesting read on sustainability.

How are ancient Roman and Mayan buildings still standing? Scientists are unlocking their secrets

In the quest to build better for the future, some are looking for answers in the long-ago past.

Ancient builders across the world created structures that are still standing today, thousands of years later -- from Roman engineers who poured thick concrete sea barriers, to Maya masons who crafted plaster sculptures to their gods, to Chinese builders who raised walls against invaders.

Yet scores of more recent structures are already staring down their expiration dates: The concrete that makes up much of our modern world has a lifespan of around 50 to 100 years.

...

[GenWhy?]

Great to see continued interest for the Secured Rental Program and hunger for rental with a 20% below-market component in the City in general, but more-so the West Side. As well as some areas in the S-E that don't contain apartments at all on great transit corridors, close to abundant amenities.

https://council.vancouver.ca/20231017/phea20231017ag.htm

- 2005-2045 West 49th Avenue
- 5504-5536 Victoria Drive (site to the south is a-go as well. 1 whole block of new rental in the pipe with SRP)
- 2821-2869 East 49th Avenue
- 2753-2769 East 49th Avenue
- 6081-6083 Collingwood Place

[Forager]

Not sure if anyone is interested, but here's a petition to ask the City to consider opening up the PNE grounds for housing development. While ultimately unlikely to happen come of it, it does spark the conversation. Sign if you wish!

Petition: Unlock Housing Potential: Develop PNE Grounds for New Housing

Petition Link: https://chng.it/DJtbBBBqbn

Petition text:
As a concerned resident of Vancouver, I am deeply troubled by the pressing issue of affordable housing that plagues our city. The lack of accessible and affordable homes has become a significant barrier for many Vancouverites, forcing them to struggle with skyrocketing prices and limited options. It is time to take action and explore innovative solutions to address this crisis.

The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) grounds, located in the heart of Vancouver, present an incredible opportunity to unlock the housing potential that our city desperately needs. By repurposing this vast area for housing development, we can significantly increase housing supply, expand options for residents at all income levels, and ultimately lower prices.

According to recent reports from reputable sources such as The Globe and Mail and CBC News, Vancouver's real estate market continues to be one of the most unaffordable in North America. The average price of a detached home in our city has reached unprecedented heights, making it nearly impossible for many hardworking individuals and families to secure stable housing.

By opening up the PNE grounds for responsible development projects focused on creating affordable homes, we can alleviate some of these burdens. This initiative would not only benefit low-income families but also provide opportunities for middle-income earners who are often overlooked by existing affordability programs.

Moreover, developing the PNE grounds would contribute significantly towards meeting Vancouver's ambitious targets set under its Housing Strategy Plan. This plan aims to create 72,000 new homes across various income levels by 2027. Utilizing this prime location will expedite progress towards achieving these goals while preserving other valuable green spaces within our city limits.

It is crucial that we prioritize sustainable urban planning practices throughout this process. By incorporating green building techniques and ensuring adequate infrastructure support such as public transportation access or community facilities within any proposed development plans on the PNE grounds – we can create a vibrant, inclusive, and environmentally friendly neighborhood.

I urge you to join me in signing this petition to call upon the City of Vancouver and relevant stakeholders to seriously consider unlocking the housing potential of the PNE grounds. Together, we can make a difference in addressing the affordable housing crisis that affects countless Vancouverites.

Let's seize this opportunity for positive change and provide our fellow residents with safe, affordable homes they deserve. Sign now and help us transform the PNE grounds into a thriving community that benefits all!

[seamusmcduff]

There's far more we could do to address affordability before we should be considering this. Having cultural and recreational amenities is essential to a city. Vancouver already has a shortage of event spaces

[Migrant_Coconut]

That said, most of us can agree that the racetrack and parking lots (possibly also the Agrodome and several other parts of the fair) are not being used to their maximum potential as event space.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

That said, most of us can agree that the racetrack and parking lots (possibly also the Agrodome and several other parts of the fair) are not being used to their maximum potential as event space.

Unless I'm missing somewhere obvious, once the Plaza of Nations and Concord parking lots get developed, the only place Cirque du Soleil will be able to set up will be on the PNE site. That may not be sufficient reason to retain large paved areas, but it would be a shame not to have somewhere for those types of event. (They're currently setting up for the third visit of 'Kooza'). I assume that there will be more use of the parking once the new amphitheatre is completed in a couple of years.

[seamusmcduff]

Even if they're not being used for those types of events currently, it's good to future proof and have that space for when you need it (pavilions, larger festivals, soccer stadiums etc.). Once it's developed its gone and we basically won't have anywhere in the City we can put those types of things. With a growing population demand for events will only go up.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Forager

Let's seize this opportunity for positive change and provide our fellow residents with safe, affordable homes they deserve. Sign now and help us transform the PNE grounds into a thriving community that benefits all!

Most PNE lands are slated to be developed as park or expanded event space, which unfortunately has no alternative plots of land to expand to. The only "developable" lands on the grounds are the racetrack and the surface lots on the N-W corner, which is kind of isolated - not to mention the nightly noise from the fairgrounds. Building an underground parkade, as the plan states, under the racetrack is a great use of space and gets rid of most of the surface lots.

[GenWhy?]

Guess I should provide the link for reference:

https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/HastingsParkPNE-doco-MasterPlan.pdf

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Sheba

This is the closest I can find to post this interesting read on sustainability.

How are ancient Roman and Mayan buildings still standing? Scientists are unlocking their secrets

Just don't build with so much wood, especially for multi-family dwellings. That is the secret.

[djmk]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Guess I should provide the link for reference:

https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/HastingsParkPNE-doco-MasterPlan.pdf

I had no idea that Hastings actually goes through the park.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Vin

Just don't build with so much wood, especially for multi-family dwellings. That is the secret.

(laughs dismissively in Japanese)

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by djmk

I had no idea that Hastings actually goes through the park.

Honestly, the south side might as well not exist - the only truly busy part is the parking lot (which everybody only uses to get to the PNE).

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

(laughs dismissively in Japanese)

So many Japanese buildings are built in wood precisely because of its impermanence. When an earthquake knocks it down you scrap it and start again.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Yet those ones were obviously built to last. As were the Norse ones half a world away where earthquakes were much less of a thing.