HOUSING GAPS AND NEEDS STUDY
A preliminary report on the first stage of the Housing Gaps and Needs Study, establishing a baseline for analysis.
TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL
Development Services Report
TO: Committee of the Whole DATE: November 5, 2019 FROM: L. Chase, Director of Development Services MEETING: November 12, 2019
HOUSING GAPS AND NEEDS STUDY
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT Committee receive the ‘Housing Gaps and Needs Study’ report from the Director of Development Services.
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS:
I concur with the recommendation.
PURPOSE OF REPORT:
To provide Committee with project information and preliminary data about the Housing Gaps and Needs Study.
TIME CRITICAL:
No.
BACKGROUND DISCUSSION:
A review of the Official Community Plan is scheduled to being in 2020 and in support of that, data gathering on a variety of topics is occurring. Housing is one of those topics. The completion of a Housing Gaps and Needs Study is a new Local Government Act requirement that the Town must report on every five years. It provides essential data about housing and the types of housing the Town is likely to need over the coming 5-10 years.
PROJECT INFORMATION:
The first stage of the project was designed to compile a set of indicators about housing in the Town so that we have a baseline for our analysis and future policy development. This information has been put together in a short document titled View Royal Housing Indicators Summary which is attached to this report (Attachment 1).
The first page of the indicators summary includes an infographic outlining the ‘Housing Wheelhouse’. This concept is usually represented as a linear continuum (on a straight line). This revised version highlights that over our lives we may move back and forth between various types of housing. The use of a wheelhouse eliminates the impression of a hierarchy with respect to housing.
Part of this work on indicators is to explore the incomes for both rental and ownership that are related to affordability in the Town. Page 3 highlights the household income that is necessary to support various rent or mortgage payments.
The final page (page 4) highlights four key issues that the indicators have brought to light—the cost of housing, the diversity of our housing stock and affordability, the lack of purpose built rental, and the need for non-market units.
This is the first stage in this project and additional information will be coming to Committee in the coming months. The next phase of the project involves focus groups and some interviews with housing providers, builders, not-for-profit agencies and others involved in the housing industry.
BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:
This project is included in the 2019 budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT Committee receive the ‘Housing Gaps and Needs Study’ report from the Director of Development Services.
SUBMITTED BY: L. Chase, Director of Development Services
REVIEWED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer
Attachments:
- Housing Indicators Summary
Document Images
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