Mixed reaction to proposed new ‘social housing initiative’
LOS ANGELES: A public feedback exercise on a proposed policy that would allow social housing towers of up to 20 storeys in some neighbourhoods has found there is mixed reaction to the plan.
The purpose of the city’s “social housing initiative” is to simplify and change zoning regulations to allow for mixed-income social, supportive and co-operative housing to be built without a rezoning in all Vancouver neighbourhoods.
The initiative would permit non-profit and government organizations to build social housing buildings from six to 20 storeys in some locations, depending on neighbourhood type, with a focus on areas close to transit and commercial centres.
What city staff heard this summer from the public via open houses, online comments and other information gathering channels is approximately 20 per cent are supportive, 23 per cent are mixed/neutral and 57 per cent are opposed.
The findings were in contrast to a public feedback exercise in 2024, where 60 per cent of respondents were supportive, 22 per cent mixed/neutral and 18 per cent negative, or opposed.
“Public feedback submitted through the comment form was largely negative,” said a staff report that goes before city council Nov. 4. “Concerns were raised about the city-wide scope of the proposal, the high-density tower forms, the capacity of existing infrastructure, and safety issues.”
In contrast, the report said, non-profit housing providers expressed strong support, highlighting that the initiative could improve project timelines, enhance financial feasibility, and accelerate the delivery of social housing.
The controversy around the tower form was also recognized, but many stated that the proposed maximum density is practical and needed, said the report, noting certain neighbourhoods in Vancouver have little or no social housing.
About 45 per cent of all social housing units in Vancouver are in the downtown peninsula, Downtown Eastside and Strathcona neighbourhoods. Kerrisdale has no social housing and West Point Grey has only 0.16 per cent of all social housing units in Vancouver, the report said.
Half of the respondents (53.3 per cent) who participated in the city’s public feedback exercise this summer said they owned their homes. The next largest group were renters in market (non-subsidized) housing at 17 per cent, followed by co-op residents at six per cent.
A smaller number, about 1.4 per cent, live in subsidized rental housing, and one per cent said they were experiencing homelessness, or are in unstable housing situations, the report said.
City advisory committees also provided input and were generally supportive but also raised concerns, including school capacity, importance of accessible transportation, tenant protections and special housing needs for seniors.
In making the case for the social housing initiative to be approved, staff provided data showing the state of the housing crisis in Vancouver.
Between 2014 and 2024, the price of a condominium apartment on the east side of Vancouver increased by 119 per cent and city-wide average rent by 67 per cent, while median household incomes increased by 45 per cent between 2014 and 2023.
“These pressures impact many households but fall disproportionately on households earning lower incomes and equity-denied groups who face a higher risk of displacement and housing insecurity or homelessness,” the report said.
“These groups include Indigenous and racialized households, renting seniors, lone-parent families, individuals seeking to exit homelessness, youth aging out of care and people with accessibility needs.”
The report said there is a significant need for new social, supportive and co-operative homes in Vancouver: approximately 6,340 households are currently on the B.C. social housing waitlist and 2,715 individuals were found to be homelessness in a homeless count this year.
The report said 53,965 renter households pay more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.
City staff analysis has demonstrated that half of recent social housing developments have required rezoning through a public hearing process, compared to less than a third of market condominium development.
Single detached homes do not require a public hearing, even when a new detached home is significantly larger and more expensive than the one it is replacing.
The report said the added time and cost of requiring a public hearing impacts what type of housing gets built, and it is currently not aligned with what type of housing is most needed; rezoning for a non-profit typically takes a year or longer, and can add approximately $500,000 to $1 million onto the cost of a project, as well as requiring significant municipal staff time.
“This results in rents that are higher at occupancy and/or means that limited capital subsidies from senior levels of government get expended more quickly, meaning less housing overall,” the report said.
“Reducing the cost, time and risk required to build non-profit and co-op housing will result in savings for Vancouver residents and deeper affordability in the new housing created.”
Council will decide Tuesday whether the report and recommendations will be forwarded to a public hearing.