Time is nigh for single-family home zones

If there’s one thing that has been sacrosanct in Richmond over the years, it is the single-family home neighbourhood

While local politicians passionately pledge their commitment to building more affordable housing, they quickly fly into reverse when someone mentions densifying those precious neighbourhoods

So, it’s not surprising that first out of the gate to challenge the NDP’s latest housing policy is Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie

The NDP is proposing legislation that would allow owners in single-family home neighbourhoods to build a total of four housing units on their property

This is not the kind of densification Richmond has pursued thus far Our council has been firmly committed to building multi-family (less expensive but hardly affordable) units along arterial roads and in the city centre

The rationale is to have condos along transit corridors, which makes sense However, there’s also a feeling of “containment” to this strategy keep all those lower-income folks on the busy roads and in the congested city centre while our spacious, tree-lined neighbourhoods stay intact

It should be noted, these multi-family units are often pitched at young families So, are we saying we want kids learning to ride their bikes along No 3 Road?

To those who want to preserve our older-style neighbourhoods, I’d say two things

1) That horse bolted when we allowed for mega homes that nearly touch the property line and driveways that cover the front lawn.

2) Having these kinds of rental units tucked into single-family home neighbourhoods, in fact, is old-style

When I moved here 20-odd years ago, I moved into exactly that kind of unit It was a duplex converted into a fourplex on a cul de sac with a massive back yard. On average, 14 people were living in that one building, still there were trees to climb and a backyard big enough for a soccer game.

We were all renting, we all had young kids It was exactly the kind of place young families today are desperately seeking

Beside us was an identical duplex, also converted into multiple units However, it was sold and subdivided, and two huge homes were built on the property. One housed a family of four, the other a couple In other words, the green space was gone, and the number of people housed was cut in half hardly a sustainable direction

It could be argued that areas currently zoned for single family homes don’t have the infrastructure (water, sewage, and garbage pickup) to handle significantly more people. Maybe, but I find it hard to believe that’s an insurmountable problem It wasn’t a problem when we were there In fact, our bustling little fourplex was a boon for nearby schools, which were operating under capacity, as is the case for many schools in these neighbourhoods.

This policy may not be perfect, and I’m sure the devil will be in the details, but urban planners regularly tell us that a diversity of housing is what makes a healthy community. Different neighbourhoods can and should have their own unique character, but concentrating one type of housing in one area doesn’t create that It just fosters inequality

About the new look...

No, you’re not imagining things The paper does look a little different this week and will so in the weeks to come We have made a few changes as we adapt to changing times.

Redesigns are nothing new In fact, the news media has basically had to redesign itself in the most fundamental ways in the past 20 years, creating websites, social media pages, even TikTok videos

Butwhilechangesinformathavebeenconstant,it’swhathasnotchangedthatmatters

People still want to know what’s happening down the street, at city hall and throughout the community. They still want connection, a sense of who makes up their neighbourhood and what their stories are

And people on this side still want to deliver just that Regardless of format or design, at its heart, local journalism is about taking calls from residents, showing up for council meetings, following court cases, talking to business owners and their workers, checking out the Cherry Blossom Festival

And that’s what we will continue to do.