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The North Shuswap Kicker
Wills & Estates Conveyancing * Family Law Chase office is open Thursdays by appointment only #4 - 834 Shuswap Ave
250-679-3180 www.cfselaw.ca info@cfselaw.ca
CSRD Receives Area F Housing Study By Jo Anne Malpass Lack of serviced land for community supported projects and denser development was cited as a frequent concern by stakeholders, Urbanics Consultants reported in its housing needs assessment for Area F North Shuswap. The report, presented by Brendan Dawe, Urbanics Associate, to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District Board in March said “Extension of servicing, especially community water systems, is required for the extension of complete communities, however, is also a highly expensive undertaking with the potential for long term financial burden from ongoing maintenance
April 2022
and replacement.” “It may be prudent to attempt to steer development towards denser development which can make use of a given amount of infrastructure more intensively.” Completion of a housing report is a provincial prerequisite before the area’s master plan can be updated. “Using data drawn from the CSRD, Statistics Canada, as well as BC Stats, we were able to form a statistical picture of the housing situation in the Area. This, combined with interviews with stakeholders, local governments, and surveys of local residents, shows a picture of a rural region that has seen housing costs expand along with population growth,” says the report. North Shuswap is a highly attractive vacation destination along the north shore of Shuswap Lake. As such, it has come to be a place where there are more dwellings than residents. This leads to a scenario where the movement of housing in and out of the stock of temporary or non-permanent accommodation is the dominant motion in the housing market. Furthermore, the highly seasonal nature of the North Shuswap economy presents challenges for local employers, renters as well as would-be residents. The Consultants have found that residents face difficulties with affordability of the existing dwelling stock due to the cost of real estate and of rents. As well, the consultants have found that Area F is running against the limitations of the single-family dwell(continued to page 13
