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The new Housing Vancouver strategy launched this week on the eve of the federal government's own national housing strategy, and it envisions a sweeping transformation of low-density, single-family neighbourhoods. The City of Vancouver is setting a target of 72,000 new homes over the next ten years, including 10,000 new ground-level homes like townhouses, rowhouses and infills to be developed in single-family neighbourhoods.
Mayor Gregor Robertson says the Housing Vancouver strategy will increase the supply, affordability and variety of housing options across the city. "We've heard loud and clear that Vancouverites expect us to address the fact that vast areas of low-density neighbourhoods are unaffordable for all but the very wealthy — with many of them seeing a decline in families and kids," said Robertson. "With the new Housing Vancouver strategy, we can transform our low-density, single-family neighbourhoods with more duplexes and triplexes, more townhouses and rowhouses, and more low-rise apartments — and make sure every neighbourhood across Vancouver is filled with families and kids."
The City will identify areas close to parks, schools, public amenities and main streets as candidates for denser housing developments, including townhomes and low-rise apartment buildings. Shopping areas and other neighbourhood hubs will be earmarked as nodes for affordable housing, while regulatory changes for diverse new developments through parking reductions and car sharing will also be investigated.
The City is even exploring a design competition to "create a new form of housing" that would pack more units into a property, instead of the current limit of three units per single-family lot. A laneway competition launching in early 2018 looks to explore creative ways for infill housing to meet the City's target of 5,000 new laneway and coach homes over the next ten years.
Additional protections for renters grappling with a near-zero rental vacancy market form a major part of the Housing Vancouver Strategy. A city-wide Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program aims to deliver rental housing through density bonusing, with eligible developments — 100 percent rental with at least 20 percent of the units classified as permanently affordable — granted extra height and density. The program will tie targeted rents to average household income, offering units ranging from $950 for a studio to $2,000 for a three-bedroom.
Legislative changes include a lowering of the threshold that triggers the one-for-one rental replacement mechanism. The current law stipulates replacement of six or more demolished rentals. The new law eases the rules by applying rental replacement to buildings with more than three units. Zoning and development bylaws would also be amended to permit collective housing — shared living arrangements for six or more unrelated roommates in single-family areas. Dedicating certain areas as "rental only zones" is another proposal that could be coming to the city.
Additional measures include setting up a Social Purpose Real Estate Incentive Program to entice non-profits and co-ops who own their land to redevelop and expand affordable housing. Renters will also have a dedicated channel to the municipal government through a renters protection manager, who will help navigate residents through permit processes and tenant rights.
The suite of actions are complementary to Canada's first empty homes tax — which attempts to curb speculation by incentivizing occupancy of empty units — and short-term rental regulations that would impact Airbnb. The 72,000-home target would mark a 50 percent increase in supply from current trends, and two-thirds of those new homes would be built as rentals. Half would serve households earning less than $80,000 annually, and 40 percent would be large enough for families.
