City of Vancouver announces affordable housing projects, asks for more money
Mayor Gregor Robertson says Vancouver has already committed 20 parcels of land to low-cost housing
The City of Vancouver is asking the provincial and federal governments for more funding to build affordable homes.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson says Vancouver has already committed 20 parcels of land to low-cost housing.
"The city has put forward lots of land to get projects like this going. We do need the provincial and federal governments to contribute if we are going to get more affordability," said Robertson, at a housing announcement Wednesday morning.
"We are seeing some contributions. There are some hopeful signs. We need it in Vancouver. There is a lot of demand for affordable housing."
Residential density
On Wednesday, Robertson joined the Co-operative Housing Federation of B.C. and the Vancouver Community Land Trust Foundation to announce the construction of 358 affordable housing units on four city sites.
The first 48 homes are scheduled to be completed next March with the remaining homes to be built in early 2018.
The projects are located at 1700 Kingsway Ave, and at 2780 SE Marine Drive, 2800 SE Marine Drive and 2910 E Kent Avenue South.
In addition, the first phase development of the River District, the city's last and potentially most significant waterfront neighbourhood, is set to transform former industrial land into residential.
But even in the midst of a housing crisis, the city does not yet have plans to increase density in single-family-home neighbourhoods.
"That is the next big step that would need a lot of community consultation," said Robertson.
"We do have a fair bit of resistance to density as it is proposed, and we generally put it on arterial roads and close to transit — that is where we focus our development — and closer to the downtown core."
Provincial money on the table
The provincial government, through B.C. Housing, has provided around $4 million in project development funding and $90.4 million in construction costs.
Housing Minister Rich Coleman says the provincial government is willing to finance even more affordable housing in Metro Vancouver.
"There is a proposal call out to municipalities, non-profits across B.C. for $355 million in matching funds that could go on land in any community," said Coleman.