Final Report and Staff Recommendations

October 2012

MAYOR’S TASK FORCE ON HOUSING

AFFORDABILITY MAYOR’S TASK FORCE ON HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

Final Report and Staff Recommendations

October 2, 2012

OVERVIEW

1. Task Force – Focus and Process

2. Task Force - Recommendations

3. City Action Plan for Implementation

– Priority Actions for Immediate Implementation

– Additional Implementation Actions

4. Next Steps

Task Force Focus and Process

Vancouver’s Affordable Housing Challenge

• Vancouver has the highest house prices in Canada

– well beyond the ability of most households to

afford even a modest condo

• Vancouver households paying more than 30% of

their income on housing:

– 40% of all households

– 50% of households headed by people under 34

• The challenge continues to grow – August 2012

RBC report indicates that:

– affordability measures further deteriorated for all

housing types in Vancouver

– affordability levels are now very close to the worst on

record.

Vancouver’s Affordable Housing Challenge

Housing Affordability challenges threaten the City’s:

– Diversity

– Livability

– Economic Competitiveness

“Vancouver’s economy depends

on attracting and retaining

talent. Affordable housing of all

types, including market rentals,

is essential to the City’s current

and future competitiveness.”

John Tylee, Director of Policy and Research

Vancouver Economic Development Commission

Target Groups in Need of Affordable Housing

• Lower income singles and couples with critical needs for

suitable rental accommodation;

• Singles and couples struggling to buy their first home;

• Families with children who want to live in the city rather

than have to move to more suburban locations; and,

• Empty nesters and seniors wishing to downsize without

having to leave their neighbourhood.

Who is the Task Force?

Mayor’s Task Force launched in

December 2011

Co-Chaired by Mayor Robertson

and Olga Ilich (property developer &

former provincial Cabinet Minister)

17 members representing a range

of stakeholders & expertise

• Non-profit housing providers

• Real Estate and Development industry

• Planners and Architects

• First Nations

• Members of City Council

Task Force Purpose

1. Develop innovative recommendations from an evidence

base that will help Vancouver become a more

sustainable, diverse and affordable city

2. Focus on affordability solutions for households with

moderate incomes (in the range of $21,500 to $86,500)

Affordable Rent/Mortgage at 30% of income:

Affordable

Monthly

Rent/Mortgage

Payment

Affordable Home

Price

$21,500 $540 n/a

$86,500 $2,160 $450,000*

*Assumptions: 10% down, 4% interest, 25 year amortization

Task Force Process

Task force organized itself into four working groups

Finance Form

Flows Partnerships

Working Groups

10

Two Task Force Round Tables reported back on key issues:

Task Force Process

(led by Architect Michael Geller)

reported on built form and

regulatory improvements that

could improve housing affordability

Academic Building Form and Design

(led by UBC professor Erick

Villagomez) reported on economic

conditions contributing to

affordability challenges

Task Force Process

Public Engagement

• Presentations to Council advisory committees

(Seniors Advisory Committee, Vancouver

Planning Commission)

• Re:THINK HOUSING Ideas Jam with the

Vancouver Design Nerds Society

• “No Place Like Home” Story Telling Sessions

in Community Plan areas (e.g. Marpole, West

End, Grandview-Woodland)

• Re:THINK HOUSING ideas competition

• Place Speak Survey – to ask for public

feedback on the Task Force Interim Report

recommendations

Task Force Process

re:THINK HOUSING – an open ideas competition to

broaden the discussion on possible solutions to

Vancouver’s affordability challenges

Task Force Process

re:THINK HOUSING

• 70 applications submitted – locally and

from diverse countries around the

world

• Task Force Jury reviewed applications

and selected winners

• Public voted on Peoples’ Choice

winners – 8,000 votes cast in 2 weeks

Task Force Process

re:THINK HOUSING – Winning Submissions

• $8,000 prizes awarded to 3 winning submissions,

selected by the Task Force jury

• Bridge Housing – density bonus to build over

existing buildings and infrastructure

• Thin Streets – transforming streets in housing sites

• Human Space – using side lots to create shared

equity and enable additions to single-family homes

• Co-Housing emerged as strong theme in Peoples Choice

awards

Final Task Force Recommendations

Shelters Non-marketRental(SocialHousing)

CondosSROs Purpose-builtRental

OtherOwnership

SupportiveHousing

SecondarySuites

RentedCondos

Ending homelessness Rental housing Ownership

Mayor’s Task Force on Housing Affordability

1. Increase supply & diversity of affordable housing

2. Enhance the City’s and the community’s capacity to deliver

affordable rental & social housing

3. Protect existing social & affordable rental housing & explore

opportunities to renew & expand the stock

4. Streamline & create more certainty & clarity in the

regulatory process, & improve public engagement

City Action Plan for

Implementation

City Approach

• Public & Stakeholder engagement

• Talk Housing With Us – Spring/Summer 2011

• Input to Housing & Homelessness Strategy

• Council approved strategy – July 2011

• Staff support to Task Force – 2012

• Council report including Priority Actions for

Implementation

• Building on previous engagement and

approved strategy

Talk Housing With Us Engagement

• Public & stakeholder input into Housing & Homelessness

Strategy through Talk Housing With Us:

- Stakeholder Workshop – April 27, 2011

- Renter’s Round Table – May 26, 2011

- Housing Un-conference – June 4, 2011

- Community dialogues

• Key Themes:

- More affordable & social housing needed

- Concern over decreasing affordability and lack of rental

supply

- Need for low-cost housing for seniors & working families

- Clear leadership from the City needed

Priority Actions for Immediate

Implementation

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 1: Implement an Interim Rezoning Policy that

increases affordable housing choices across Vancouver’s

neighbourhoods

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Location and Form based Criteria

Review after 20 applications

Affordability Criteria

Connected City Housing Form:

On Arterial Focused

Connected City Housing Form:

Off Arterial Focused

Action 2: Implement the Thin Streets concept identified

through the re:THINK HOUSING competition

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Identify Thin

Street Pilot

Project in

Grandview

Woodland and

Marpole

Identify Thin

Street Pilot

Project in West

End using lanes

rather than

streets

Identify process

for additional

Thin Streets

projects in

other parts of

the City

What is the Thin Streets concept?

Thin Streets: Turning Asphalt into Affordable Housing

Christina DeMarco, Vancouver

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 3: Develop an operational and organizational model for

a new Housing Authority, including a business plan.

The model and business plan will address:

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Guiding Principles

Mandate Governance

Assets & Financing

Leadership & Staffing

Action 3: Develop an operational and organizational model for

a new Housing Authority, including a business plan.

Advantages of a Housing Authority model include ability to:

• Respond nimbly to partnership opportunities with the non-profit and

private sectors, as well as senior levels of government

• Rely on the skills of an experienced Board of Directors to optimize

the City’s investments in affordable housing

• Consolidate City’s non-market portfolio for administrative efficiency

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 4: Use the current Community Planning programs in the

West End, Marpole (including Phase 3 Cambie Corridor),

Grandview Woodland & the DTES to:

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Identify areas appropriate for

growth and enable those areas to

generate affordable housing

through density increases

Maximize opportunities to create

transition zones between arterials

and single family neighbourhoods to

enable more affordable ground

oriented housing forms

Action 5: Revise and clarify Council’s inclusionary housing

policies to emphasize a flexible and creative approach to

achieving affordable housing in large developments

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Emphasize

delivery of units

affordable

housing units

rather than sites

Prioritize

achievement of

at least 20%

social housing

when funding is

available

Add flexibility

to ensure

affordable units

are built even

in absence of

funding

Action 6: Identify additional City-owned lands that may be

underused and undertake planning work to bring them forward

for affordable housing development

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Current

RFEOI/RFP

process

underway on 6

City-owned

Sites

Site

identification

for additional

site is already

underway

Examples could

include sites

served by

transit, False

Creek North

option-to-

purchase sites,

etc.

Action 6: Identify additional City-owned lands that may be

underused and undertake planning work to bring them forward

for affordable housing development

• Long history of using City land for affordable housing

– 9,600 units of affordable housing on City land

– Primarily mixed income - rents range from Income Assistance

($375) to low end of market rent

• Innovation needed in absence of government housing programs:

– Arbutus Centre – City secured 100 social housing units through

rezoning

– Alex Gair – 70 units social housing proposed through rezoning

– Current RFEOI – non-profit partner critical to long-term

affordability

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Additional Implementation Actions

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 7: Increase housing supply and options in strategic

locations throughout the city

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Develop and initiate

planning programs

that have greatest

potential for

contributions to

affordable housing

supply (e.g. station

areas, key transit

corridors)

Action 8: Increase the supply of additional secondary rental

units

• Expand laneway house initiative to allow laneway houses in additional

single family zones

• Explore feasibility of laneway houses in duplex zones

• Expand the zoning districts and housing forms for secondary suites (e.g.

duplexes, row houses, etc.)

• Consult with industry on revisions to BBL requiring all new ground

oriented development to be built “suite ready”

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 9: Create opportunities for the development of more

co-housing projects

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 10: Enhance the City’s family housing requirements to

encourage more 3+ bedroom units in new development

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 11: Support the development of Community Land Trusts & new

social financing mechanisms for affordable housing

• Work with key financial and community partners explore new financing

mechanisms and support the development of new Community Land Trusts

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 12: Evaluate the Impact

of expiring federal operating

agreements and expiring City

leases and develop options to:

• Preserve affordability of existing

affordable housing

• Take advantage of opportunities

to renew and expand the stock

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Action 13: Evaluate the City’s rental

protection regulations with goal of

preserving housing stability and

affordability while identifying

opportunities to renew and expand

the private market rental stock

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Additional Implementation Actions

Action 14: Develop and implement rezoning and development permit

process improvements that recognize the priority nature of the City’s

affordable housing goals

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Additional

Implementation Actions

Action 15: Take steps to provide

applicants with more certainty in

the City’s approach to financing

the infrastructure and amenities

needed to accommodate growth

City of Vancouver Action Plan

Next Steps

Work is already underway on housing initiatives:

– Community Plans (underway in four communities)

– Laneway house and secondary suites initiatives

– Achieving housing through rezoning (e.g. Arbutus Centre)

– STIR/Rental 100 – significant increase in rental housing

development

– Vancouver Services Review project to improve permits

and licensing processes

– REFOI for affordable housing on 6 City-owned sites

Building on City Actions

Integrating Task Force Recommendations

Task Force

Actions

City

Priority Actions

1. Increase

supply and

diversity

2. Enhance

City and

Community

capacity

3. Protect

existing

affordable

housing stock

4. Streamline

processes and

create

certainty

1. Interim rezoning

policy

2. Thin Streets

3. Housing

Authority

4. Community

Plans

5. Inclusionary

Housing Policy

6. City-owned

lands

2,900

units 5,000

units

5,000

units

6,000

units

20,000

units Ensure

capacity to

meet needs of

street

homeless

Delivering on Housing & Homelessness Strategy

Mayor’s Task Force on Housing Affordability

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