BC sets new five -year housing goals for 10 more municipalities
British Columbia Sets New Housing Goals for 10 Municipalities
The Ministry of Housing says that every municipality has received five-year goals, which start on 1 September and reflect 75 percent of their estimated housing needs.
Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press
British Columbia has set new housing goals for a group of 10 more municipalities with the aim of complying with housing needs in the province.
The Ministry of Housing says that these orders will stimulate the housing stock by around 40,000 houses in the next five years.
The fourth group of communities in the extensive program for Woon-Targets includes Burnaby, Coquitlam, Courtenay, The Township of Langley, Langford, Penticton, Pitt Meadows, Richmond, Squamish, and Vernon.
Each municipality has received five-year goals, starting on 1 September, reflecting 75 percent of their estimated housing needs.
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Guidelines have been provided to each municipality recommending the number of units by size and the distribution between ownership and rental properties.
More than 14,000 houses will be priced below market value to increase affordability.
The ministry reports that more than 16,000 new houses have already been built in the initial 30 communities selected for housing goals.
The largest housing order in the newest group is for 10,240 houses in Burnaby, with Coquitlam, Richmond, and the Township of Langley also tasked with providing over 6,000 houses each.
Some communities have raised concerns about the housing orders.
Pitt Meadows, for example, has requested a reduction in the target of 727 new units over the next five years to account for unique local conditions.
The city cites limitations such as a significant portion of land within the provincial agricultural reserve, floodplain restrictions, high groundwater levels, limited transit access, frequent railway blockages, and federal airport regulations.
Mayor Nicole Macdonald expressed understanding of the need for affordable housing but emphasized the need for realistic targets based on the city’s constraints.
The city hopes to work collaboratively with the province to develop more suitable housing goals that align with Pitt Meadows’ unique challenges.
