Social Housing in Vancouver - The 14 Sites

[WarrenC12]

Relevant to the topic, I took this last week, the housing on west 1st. They put on about a layer every day or two. It's probably topped out by now.

[misher]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

The homeless would have better representation in politics, and City Hall would have a new labour pool! Genius!

Yep! I'm a huge supporter of the free market and cooperation. Instead of building government buildings we should just give developers extra density in return for the first few floors as government offices.

And if we're going to build a government building economies of scale dictate that its cheaper to build 1 building rather than 2, especially with the cost of land. It doesn't make sense that were building lowrise government buildings when we could be having towers ontop.

And if we're going to be building a department to look after modular housing and modular housing, why not build them together instead of separate?

On the bright side if we every reduce homelessness, we can convert the modular housing to offices.

As you'll see from Warren's post, modular housing is built like legos. We should be building buildings with a set core and units we attach. That way we can just swap them out.

[Vin]

I like this: an integral but often missing component of housing the homeless:

http://www.vch.ca/about-us/news/improved...k-of-homelessness-in-new-housing-project

Also read somewhere that they Larwill Park modular housing would come with job skills training for the homeless: that's going in the right direction, as I believe that simply providing free housing is never a good solution, especially in the long term, not to mention that is isn't sustainable.

[misher]

Originally Posted by Vin

I like this: an integral but often missing component of housing the homeless:

http://www.vch.ca/about-us/news/improved...k-of-homelessness-in-new-housing-project

Also read somewhere that they Larwill Park modular housing would come with job skills training for the homeless: that's going in the right direction, as I believe that simply providing free housing is never a good solution, especially in the long term, not to mention that is isn't sustainable.

Agreed, though I think 144 units is too little. Economies of scale demand we house at least 300 people per complex.
Imagine how many people we need to employ to do these things, we need to cut down costs.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by misher

How about from now on we design government buildings with a social housing component?

After all aren't most strata condos required to have rental units? Why not put our housing where our mouths are.

I don't think the government will have problems upping the density on its land to accommodate. Unless, Christ forbid, government bureaucracy are NIMBYs and don't want modular housing nearby?

So somewhere in Shaughnessy or Point Grey I'm guessing?


How often do you really think we rebuild our civic buildings in this manner? City hall has been where it is since the mid 30's, nor is it practical to mix the two.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

So somewhere in Shaughnessy or Point Grey I'm guessing?


How often do you really think we rebuild our civic buildings in this manner? City hall has been where it is since the mid 30's, nor is it practical to mix the two.

the CoV hasnt built a new civic building since 1936, the current city hall.

they are either in other buildings such as Crossroads, or old buildings such as the block next to Broadway-City Hall.

not sure if you are aware of this, but here is social housing on-top of a fire hall. not sure how well it'll work out, time will tell.

[officedweller]

They did add the east wing, but it was condemned and demolished.

[Sheba]

My friend just got a notice as he lives in the area: Notice of Rezoning Application and Open House for 3279 - 3297 Vanness Ave.

The proposal is for a six-storey residential building that includes: 102 social housing units, a FSR of 3.49, a building height of 22.7m, and 27 vehicle parking spaces and 208 bicycle spaces.

[SpongeG]

I just found out last week, there is a seniors care home and residence, and next to it is also a place for seniors that closed down 5 years ago and just sits there empty. It could be used to house some. I wonder how many other places in the metro area have similar empty housing.

[Sheba]

Delayed construction, a secret sales deal, and blacked-out pages: the Little Mountain saga continues (long article)

Construction could finally begin by the end of this year at Little Mountain, which has become Vancouver’s most contentious expanse of mostly empty land.

But even if the developer’s schedule is met — a big “if,” skeptics say, after a decade of delays — many activists still want to know more about the secret 2008 deal that transformed Little Mountain from a bustling low-income community to today’s fenced-in lot that holds little more than broken promises.

When the then B.C. Liberal government sold the property to developer Holborn, it was both a tragedy and a betrayal, argued Norm Dooley of the Riley Park-South Cambie Community Visions group.

“The tragedy comes in the lost opportunity that has gone on with regard to the housing there,” Dooley said. “The betrayal is, I think that governments have failed us in looking out for the public’s interest with regards to that piece of property.”

Construction of two social housing buildings could start in the next six months, Holborn says, and be completed by 2022. That is 14 years after the company first struck a deal with the province to buy the large property and replace the 224 low-cost homes that would be torn down.

...

A Postmedia investigation last year revealed that while the sale was announced in 2008, Holborn didn’t close the deal until 2013, when a $40-million deposit was made. The agreement allows Holborn to pay for individual pieces of the property only when city hall issues development permits for each of the 17 planned buildings. So far, only one development permit has been issued.

Postmedia also discovered that because of the uncertainty of when the development permits would be issued, the deal also allows Holborn to discount the amount of each dollar paid by between 2.5 and 3.25 per cent a year. This led to millions of dollars being deducted from Holborn’s tab in 2016 and 2017.

The Liberals have maintained that selling Little Mountain gave them the money to build social housing in other locations, but Postmedia discovered that — because Holborn hasn’t yet paid for the bulk of the land — the Liberals instead borrowed the money from the Treasury Board and promised to pay it back once Holborn settled its debt.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Delayed construction, a secret sales deal, and blacked-out pages: the Little Mountain saga continues (long article)

Globalization at it's best. (read: worst) Not that i'm into isolationism, we need more control over our own country and what happens in it. For nonsense like crooked and inept real estate deals by previous governments, we should be able to take back the land.

For the irresponsibility of the government, the land should be automatically transferred to a conglomerate of local First Nations' to redevelop it as high density rental, they seem to be much more on board for helping fellow Canadians.

[whatnext]

Little Mountain - another sketchy fiasco of a deal brought to you courtesy of the BC Liberals.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Little Mountain - another sketchy fiasco of a deal brought to you courtesy of the BC Liberals.

Yes what a corrupt mess. I'd like to know where the payback was. What did the Liberals get out of this? Probably specific individuals made off like bandits. We need some names.

[cov]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

Globalization at it's best. (read: worst) Not that i'm into isolationism, we need more control over our own country and what happens in it. For nonsense like crooked and inept real estate deals by previous governments, we should be able to take back the land.

For the irresponsibility of the government, the land should be automatically transferred to a conglomerate of local First Nations' to redevelop it as high density rental, they seem to be much more on board for helping fellow Canadians.

Whenever something goes wrong, first blame where these people are from. Classic bigotry

[misher]

Originally Posted by cov

Whenever something goes wrong, first blame where these people are from. Classic bigotry

In the end it seems sketchy but we really need to see the actual deal.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by cov

Whenever something goes wrong, first blame where these people are from. Classic bigotry

Lol, spin it however you like, I blamed our government for making a bad deal. And despicable me for wanting to give the First Nations' a chance at a better redevelopment proposal after our previous corrupt government sold their land. Awful.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by cov

Whenever something goes wrong, first blame where these people are from. Classic bigotry

Canadians are just way too naive.

Other nations, and business' do not have our best interest at heart, I'm confounded that Canadians seem to think they wont be lied to or deceived when dealing with for profit corporations from abroad. Our options for recourse are also very limited by complex international law.

This was a terrible deal for the BC people. That's simply fact. Compounded by the fact the company is essentially an investment arm for wealthy foreign government family.

[misher]

Originally Posted by rofina

Canadians are just way too naive.

Other nations, and business' do not have our best interest at heart, I'm confounded that Canadians seem to think they wont be lied to or deceived when dealing with for profit corporations from abroad. Our options for recourse are also very limited by complex international law.

This was a terrible deal for the BC people. That's simply fact. Compounded by the fact the company is essentially an investment arm for wealthy foreign government family.

Whoa hold on here. Your saying the buyer is responsible for the seller making a bad deal, a deal you haven't seen for yourself?

Seriously its a crime to make money in this nation.

As long as they haven't violated the deal, and we have no proof of such, the buyer appears innocent?

[rofina]

Originally Posted by misher

Whoa hold on here. Your saying the buyer is responsible for the seller making a bad deal, a deal you haven't seen for yourself?

Seriously its a crime to make money in this nation.

As long as they haven't violated the deal, and we have no proof of such, the buyer appears innocent?

Not at all.

I do think the buyers were deceptive in their intentions based on the facts that have been made available through FOM requests from activists.

The Liberal Govt got played, and rolled by foreign interest. Its really that simple. They are ultimately responsible for making awful deals, and this is one of many.

[cov]

Originally Posted by rofina

Canadians are just way too naive.

Other nations, and business' do not have our best interest at heart, I'm confounded that Canadians seem to think they wont be lied to or deceived when dealing with for profit corporations from abroad. Our options for recourse are also very limited by complex international law.

This was a terrible deal for the BC people. That's simply fact. Compounded by the fact the company is essentially an investment arm for wealthy foreign government family.

It doesn't matter where these people are from. If it is a bad deal then it will play out badly regardless of where people are from. Pretending that this situation is going badly because where people are born is simply bigotry.

Stop your "Canadian interest" dog whistles. Only you have your best interest at heart. Well housed boomers don't have Millenials' best interest. Swanson doesn't have renter's best interest. We align our interest and cooperate through the mutually consenting agreements we sign.

The democratically elected government signed a bad deal. The developer could have been from anywhere. Believing that this deal would have been fine had the developer been born in Canada is whats truly naive