A ordable Housing Solutions Begin at Home

Itwas encouraging to hear in the last election how many candidates campaigned for more housing and won seats last election. It’s now time we all should expect to start seeing dramatic changes in the way that municipalities plan and approve housing. Recent Provincial announcements and focus on housing won’t make a di erence unless we make changes at the local level of government.

e housing crisis has a lot to do with inadequate municipal urban planning, lack of political action, the disintegration of Globalization, and easy access to cheap credit which have driven up asset values. ese factors have led to a signi cant increase in home prices making home ownership unattainable for most Canadians.

To achieve a ordable housing in Canada, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) estimates that over 3.5 million new homes must be built by 2030. In British Columbia, CMHC ags 570,000 new homes required by 2030, however this calculation is based on no additional immigration to the province over that time.

What can be done? Build a lot more housing. At a high level, more supply means lower prices and therefore a ordability. It requires a new contract in the relationship between existing and potential future residents who need a voice and seat at the planning table. It requires acknowledging the shi from a static, holiday destination, never changing Sunshine Coast, to a region that is growing, evolving, changing.

To increase housing supply in B.C., the recommendations of the 2021 joint BCCanada Expert Panel report “Opening Doors” can be implemented. Changing municipal (Regional Districts, Districts, Cities, and Towns) and planning practices and removing regulations that increase the cost of new housing will also help. e Province should set clear new housing targets for the municipalities and be prepared to take over the planning functions from municipalities are politically unwilling to provide an adequate supply of new housing. A study by the C.D. Howe Institute in 2020 found that housing supply restrictions in B.C. increases home prices by an average of $230,000. e good news is that our municipalities also have the tools to address the housing crisis. Immediate actions and solutions that they can undertaken include:

Modernize municipal planning by amending o cial plans to increase permitted densities by a signi cant amount to meet future demand, then ensure zoning by-laws are updated to match. is means ensuring that missing middle and all forms of housing are included.

Mandate development approval timelines to ensure the process is e cient. Alberta and Ontario have strong systems for this that can be easily implemented where approvals are talked about in weeks, not years. Municipal leaders should also prioritize a ordable housing projects over concerns of NIMBYism (Not in my backyard), as research conducted by Habitat for Humanity the 2022 A ordable Housing in Canada Survey, shows that 63% of Canadians believe municipalities need to do more to combat this issue. To counteract NIMBYism, municipalities need to engage the whole community in a positive process of integrating a ordable housing solutions into the realities of their speci c locale.

Minimum density requirements should be established to increase housing supply and reduce problematic development standards such as minimum lot size, setback, landscape areas, parking, and building height. It is also important to restrict the municipality’s ability to comment on architectural matters, such as building design, to only quali ed advisors.

Fees and charges need to be lower, clear, and pre-established. Growth should pay for growth, but no more. Government fees, costs, and taxes add 20-30% to the cost of a new home, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Building Permit Fees levied on all new construction should be based on cost recovery and not used as a source of unearned municipal revenue. Fees and charges should be directly and transparently tied to growth-related infrastructure improvements. is article is based on the work of Scott Dutchak. Scott is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Victoria and a professional urban planner. His previous roles include the head of real estate, sustainability, and environment for TELUS as well as heading BCIMC’s real estate development investment portfolio.

Community Amenity Contributions should be restricted or eliminated. Community Amenity Contributions (“CAC’s”), which involve municipalities negotiating and granting extra density to developers in exchange for nancial compensation or community amenities, may lead to con icts of interest such as arti cially low planning density to gain greater CAC payouts. Housing density should be properly planned from the Regional Growth Plans down to zoning bylaws. Research indicates that levying CAC’s reduce land available for development, restricting supply and increasing housing costs.

Municipalities need to prioritize housing a ordability by removing requirements that increase building costs. is includes avoiding costly decisions and requires, such as banning natural gas from new construction, or requiring extra parking, or having bylaws that restrict e cient use of land and higher housing density, such as onerous tree preservation bylaws that are weaponized to obstruct housing.

While this list is not exhaustive, if municipalities enacted these along with recommendations in the Opening Doors report, we’d be o to a good start. As advocates for a ordable housing on the Sunshine Coast, we can work towards solutions by encouraging our elected o cials to act as promised.

Douglas Dunn is Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast and a business and non-pro t development expert. He has been involved in high-tech, social services, and charitable sectors for over 40 years.