Close X
Thursday, October 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

'New wave of building' in Vancouver comes as mayor makes plans to focus on more homes

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Oct, 2023 08:33 PM
  • 'New wave of building' in Vancouver comes as mayor makes plans to focus on more homes

The mayor of Vancouver set out a foundation on Wednesday to address the housing crisis in the city, while reducing barriers to building and streamlining regulations. 

Ken Sim released a seven-point motion going before council that would direct city staff to prioritize new housing construction, allow for increased density around transit hubs, speed up a plan for 26 villages in the city and increase enforcement of short-term rental regulations. 

"There's an affordability crisis going on in the city of Vancouver," he said. "And we have a supply and demand imbalance in the city of Vancouver, and how we address that over the longer term is we build more housing."

The mayor said residents should expect to see more "bold motions" coming from council in the upcoming weeks to cut delays for building more homes. 

He said his team is completing a deep dive into redundant bylaws and guidelines with the goal of cutting the red tape that is holding up the delivery of homes. 

While there's no estimate of how many homes could be built with the changes, Sim said accelerating the implementation of the villages from the Vancouver Plan will bring more homes, ranging from single-family townhomes to multiplexes and three- to six-storey apartment buildings. 

"This will allow residents who want to downsize to stay in their neighbourhoods, while also ensuring that young families can build a future in the city of Vancouver," he added. 

The city will also look into housing density near transit hubs, which the mayor said is lacking in some areas. 

"And so when we think about it, it makes a lot of sense, more homes attached and surrounding a SkyTrain station means a smaller carbon footprint for the area. And it also means a more interconnected city,” said Sim.

The announcement came on the same day the city released a digital process that helps applicants navigate the construction of laneway homes, and helps homeowners fast track the permit process if their projects are under $95,000. 

Coun. Mike Klassen said when the original Expo Line was built in the 1980s, a lot of the neighbourhoods along the line didn't have the housing density. 

He said stations, such as Renfrew, Rupert, 29th Avenue and VCC-Clark, have "great opportunities" to build more housing. 

The motion will go before council next week and is expected to pass as Sim's ABC Vancouver party has the majority on council. 

Also within the proposal is a plan to increase enforcement of short-term rentals. Coun. Lenny Zhou said he's had conversations with provincial government officials and believes legislation will be coming soon to further enforce the short-term rental restrictions. 

Zhou said the city is also committed to cracking down on illegal short-term rental units.

"I'm really optimistic that all levels of government are taking this issue very seriously. As I mentioned before, every single unit matters," said Zhou. 

Coun. Adriane Carr, a Vancouver Green Party member, said the city was already on track to increase housing, but there isn’t consideration of housing affordability in Sim's plan. 

"So I'm very worried about the fact that our plan has been to date to prioritize the housing that is most desperately needed, which is for people who are lower incomes. And I'm not hearing that, not seeing that in the information that I have received today,” she said.

On the question of affordability, Sim said the city don't control macro economic issues or interest rate hikes, "you have to talk to the Bank of Canada about that. But what we can control is creating an environment where more homes can be built."

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Sikh activist and President of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, shot dead

Sikh activist and President of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, shot dead
Canada-based Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen at the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey.  He was the president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.

Sikh activist and President of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, shot dead

Canada passes 40 million population milestone amid immigration push

Canada passes 40 million population milestone amid immigration push
The 40-million mark came faster than expected, Statistics Canada said, as the country added 1.1 million people in 2022, most of them permanent and temporary immigrants. That's more than twice the federal government's plan to welcome more than 430,000 new permanent residents last year.

Canada passes 40 million population milestone amid immigration push

Home and camper on the wish list for Victoria, B.C., couple after $35M lotto win

Home and camper on the wish list for Victoria, B.C., couple after $35M lotto win
Lahsen Rezrazi says he stopped at a grocery store for milk and cream on his way to pick up Ramsay from work where he checked his lottery tickets. He says he initially won a modest $10 dollar prize and a free play before scanning the jackpot-winning ticket, and then called his wife with the news. 

Home and camper on the wish list for Victoria, B.C., couple after $35M lotto win

Renewable diesel refinery is first in Canada, completed in B.C.

Renewable diesel refinery is first in Canada, completed in B.C.
Officials, including Premier David Eby, were in Prince George to celebrate the milestone for the $380-million facility run by Tidewater Renewables. A government statement says the process involves blending feedstocks, such as canola and tallow, with transportation fuels to lower their carbon intensity.

Renewable diesel refinery is first in Canada, completed in B.C.

RCMP say no critical injuries in crash of B.C. bus carrying pipeline camp workers

RCMP say no critical injuries in crash of B.C. bus carrying pipeline camp workers
Prince George RCMP say no critical injuries have been reported among the 30 people on the bus that went off a forest service road and crashed 120 kilometres north of Prince George, B.C.

RCMP say no critical injuries in crash of B.C. bus carrying pipeline camp workers

Pregnant woman at Surrey Memorial Hospital told to go home and wait, delivered baby in car

Pregnant woman at Surrey Memorial Hospital told to go home and wait, delivered baby in car
According to media reports, on Sunday, a pregnant woman gave birth to her baby in her car after being turned away from the hospital on the pretext that what she was experiencing wasn't labour pain. Doctors at the SMH gave her morphine and told her to go home and wait.

Pregnant woman at Surrey Memorial Hospital told to go home and wait, delivered baby in car