Housing is obviously necessary for any city to prosper. Workers, students, and families need stable shelter before they can begin to move forward in life. Similarly, street people who no longer require transitional or subsidized housing facilities need affordable, central living space in order to become fully independent. Affordable housing, rental stock, and efficient land use are all issues around housing in our city.
The most important things to consider in planning a community are the needs and desires of that community, how those fit with the needs and desires of the city, and whether the decisions made will be efficient and cost-effective for Council and potential developers. I feel that a re-assessment of our current practices is needed to bring these points into focus.
Ideally, a city plan should reflect not just the current needs of the city and of individual communities, but also the potential for future growth in each area. For instance, an area currently zoned for commercial activity and occupied by an unused pay parking lot could be preemptively zoned in the city plan for mixed-use commercial and residential, thereby creating an opportunity for the property owner to either maintain their current situation, or develop their property into an apartment building with shopping on the bottom floor.
Density and Mixed-use Development
Planning, zoning and policy can also be used to encourage mixed-use development, which will ensure that our limited space is managed in the most effective way possible. Mixed-use zoning would mean that a single building could potentially contain rentals, condos, offices, and retail space. Coupled with an increase in density, this type of zoning can help create a more vibrant city and a prosperous local economy.
Affordable Housing/ Inclusionary Zoning
This method has been proven to work very well to increase the number of affordable housing units in many cities in the U.S.. However, it is an option I would prefer to avoid in favour of an incentive-based system if possible.
Using inclusionary zoning, the city can require that a certain percentage of new development units be priced to fit the median income of the area. This system discourages segregation based on income, and guarantees that with each new development something is added to the pool of affordable housing in Victoria.
A full report on inclusionary zoning designed for the City of Calgary can be found here:
http://reducepoverty.ca/pdf/Inclusionary%20Zoning%20%20(Apr%2025%2007).pdf
… are currently used as a sort of amenity trading system. Extra density, faster processing, or some other incentive is granted to the developer in exchange for some public good resulting from their project. I believe that if this same practice were applied more frequently to affordable housing and mixed-use development, we could achieve the same effect as inclusionary zoning without imposing regulations on development.
Dockside Green is an example of a new Victoria development which has successfully incorporated a percentage of affordable housing into a luxury building:
http://docksidegreen.com/bottom/your-community-connections/affordable-housing.html
… will be determined by a full, detailed analysis of the need for affordable housing in Victoria, as well as the level of cooperation from local developers. While I would prefer to take the path of least resistance and work with developers via the incentive process, if cooperation is insufficient to meet Victoria's housing needs I believe that inclusionary zoning is still a perfectly viable option.
To move Victoria toward greater affordability, I would first take the time to meet with developers and city planners to discuss limiting factors such as the cost of construction materials and land, as well as any possible inefficiencies that may affect the cost of new housing. I would then consult organizations that deal directly with family and social issues around housing to assess the amount needed and an acceptable cost.
The Quality of Life Challenge has some useful information on affordable living in the Capital Regional District: http://www.qolchallenge.ca/index.php
If you have any questions about this page, or anything else on my website, please don't hesitate to email me at simonnattrass@gmail.com
