Housing Needs in Metro Vancouver

From the November 14 Delta Optimist.....

"We have all heard how our region is expected to grow significantly in the next 50 years. Some municipalities in Metro Vancouver are growing faster than others and some are trying to figure out how to accommodate and benefit from the growth.

Patrick Condon from the University of British Columbia’s Design Centre for Sustainability recently suggested that Metro Vancouver (former GVRD) will require 800,000 additional dwelling units by the year 2056.

Locally, the Corporation of Delta has been busy investigating our regions housing situation. The “Housing Task Force” has been at it for quite some time now and will be pouring over details of a recently completed survey.

We know some of the results already. For instance, we know that of the 600 responses to the questionnaire 49% came from residents of Tsawwassen. With about 24 % of the population this would tell you that housing is an important issue in Tsawwassen.

This could be because Tsawwassen has proportionally less housing choice than Ladner or North Delta. As was reported in this paper, respondents clearly cited the need for town-homes as a more prevalent housing option.

Sub communities in Tsawwassen are primarily single detached homes. We have more of them than in any region in Metro. The “core” of Tsawwassen has many condominium style housing choices but there is little or nothing in the way of town-homes or row houses.

The Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee (TAPC) will ponder zoning changes that may likely allow the core of Tsawwassen to become more dense but this does not mean that we will see town-homes or cottage housing in the core.

Developers need to make sound financial decisions before they consider taking on projects. I do not see how town-homes are going to find their way in to the town centre any time soon. Apartment style dwellings are the norm here.

Unfortunately, this still leaves a void for first time buyers and for people wishing to downsize but who are looking for a small yard or ground level private street entrance. The lack of choice can often lead to plan B which is move out of the community.

There is a certain amount of housing irony in Tsawwassen. The vocal few that seem to curse any mention of new housing choice or community building options seem to be dwarfed by the numbers from the housing task force survey that clearly indicates a desire for housing form that is beyond what is currently available.

There are many that say that housing choice can be found in Cloverdale or Langley and that those who don’t appreciate the status quo in Tsawwassen should move there.

Is that really a fair alternative? Can’t we hope to live our full life in our own community by having access to appropriate housing? I think that most reasonable people would say yes.

In the case of housing proposed for the area, the Southlands, TFN plans, Point Roberts initiative and the approved Tsawwassen Springs project add up to approximately 3400 units or .43 of one percent of the housing requirements for the region.

The housing variety in the proposals and approved projects serve to offer choice to our residents with respect to how and where they would like to live at various stages of their lives in their own community. How can that be a bad thing?"

Mike Schneider