Families throughout the community are facing growing affordable housing challenges, and thousands of new units proposed for Squamish won't help, according to a district-commissioned report presented during a council strategy meeting Tuesday (Feb. 27).
"There is clear evidence that low to moderate income households have little choice in the homeownership market," states the report. "Single person [low to moderate income] households would be essentially priced out of the homeownership market since no units were listed in 2005 and 2006 that were within their purchase price threshold."
As of January 2007, 42 residential development applications were under review, which could bring a minimum of 5,726 new housing units to the market. But the new housing won't help the town's thousands of children, adults and seniors who fit into the moderate to low-income family status.
"For couple-family households [earning low to moderate income], none of the new single detached housing or new townhouse product will be affordable," states the City Spaces report. "Many apartment units will have higher prices and will not be affordable as unit sizes will be larger, projects will be located on the waterfront, or projects will be constructed using concrete or steel (not wood)."
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale said that the issue is grave for the town's economy because Squamish sees itself as the future service centre of the corridor.
"We're full steam ahead on development, but we forget the people that live here," said Lonsdale. "Where do we have a policy for affordability meshing with our economic outlook? There are a whole lot of jobs that might put people into that 80 per cent of median [low to moderate] category. If we can't provide the housing for them, then the economic strategy doesn't work very well."
Moderate to low-income status is defined as 80 per cent of the $26,217 median - the midway point between Squamish's highest and lowest incomes.
Approximately 45 per cent of the town's single parents, 50 per cent of lone-person households and 11 per cent of couples - with or without children - fit the category, according to the City Spaces.
The affordable housing shortage leaves rentals as the only option, states the report. But the rental option is also being squeezed out with housing demands growing faster than the population, and the increasingly unbalanced ratio of owner-occupied residences to rental unit, which has now reached three to one.
Planning staff brought forward a recommendation to develop a policy around property owners' requests to stratify multi-unit buildings. The process allows building owners to sell off individual units, thus possibly removing housing from the rental stock. District staff requested direction in negotiating a balance of rental and owned dwellings with property owners.
The City Space affordable housing report is the second phase of the District of Squamish Affordable Housing Policy, which has already implemented strategies to address the housing problems. New developments are now requested to price a portion of units affordably or pay into the Housing Reserve Fund, and council passed a bylaw allowing for secondary rental suites above garages.
The affordable housing strategy will continue with a second City Spaces report listing comparable municipalities' strategies, options for implementation of reserve funds, and negotiations with the Squamish Landowners' Association that may include incentives such as eased parking requirements or variances on setbacks in exchange for a commitment of 10 to 15 per cent of affordable units.
Sedky said a public open house will be held on the topic by early May.
