EcoDensity: making Vancouver sustainable, livable, affordable

[ssiguy]

This is a VERY good start and one that was needed 30 years ago but better late than never.

As far as this being an overriding of municipalities, well the reality is that it is and that's a good thing. City Halls across the province have shown themselves over the last 50 years to be completely incompetent in introducing any form of urban zoning that would create a city for all income levels which starts with housing. The problem I have with the legislation is that it assumes the cities are willing to play ball. The legislation ALLOWS for higher density but doesn't FORCE it which we all know means the lower income areas with increase density and the higher incomes won't.

It also doesn't mention the massive problem we have in Surrey where literally thousands of SFH home have been torn down to be replaced with other monster SFHs. Within just a 10 block walk of myself in Cloverdale there are dozens of homes that have had this happen and it is continuing at a dizzying pace. In South Surrey, the number of housing pull downs for monster homes is numbing. This sends housing prices soaring as once potentially affordable homes are destroyed and the house for sale has absolutely no relevance as it is the land that matters. There should be a Metro-wide banning of selling a property that does not automatically require the new owner to, if they choice to tear down and replace, must have a density of at least quadruple of what it is now.