It’s troubling that West Vancouver isn’t anywhere close to meeting its targets to build new homes, says Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s housing minister.
In a statement from the provincial housing ministry released Wednesday, several municipalities were named for not making as much progress as expected in a six-month interim report. West Van was among them, completing just 18 per cent of 220 new units outlined in a housing needs assessment.
“These municipalities are encouraged to expedite their processes and comply with the new requirements to ensure that housing is being built where it’s needed,” reads the ministry’s release. “Compliance measures may be taken if satisfactory progress is not made by the time annual progress reports are made, to ensure that municipalities are taking action to build homes for people as quickly as possible.”
Speaking to the North Shore News, Kahlon explained what those compliance measures could be.
“We have the ability to bring an independent advisor to find out what exactly is the challenge,” he said. “I suspect from having watched many of the council meetings, that it’s not staff – staff have made recommendations for them to take steps to comply with small-scale, multi-unit housing.”
“It’s clearly a council that believes having housing options for families in their community is not something they’re interested in,” Kahlon said.
West Vancouver’s elected officials have made it clear that they’re against transit and housing, he continued.
“They believe that the housing crisis will be solved by others, and they don’t want a role in helping the province to address this challenge,” Kahlon said.
Market conditions out of district's control, mayor says
But the state of affairs is much different in the eyes of Mark Sager, the municipality’s mayor.
Earlier this week, West Van council approved a large-scale plan to build 3,700 housing units in the Cypress Village neighbourhood over the next 25 years.
“This has been in the works obviously for a long time with an enormous amount of very, very careful planning with enormous community input,” Sager said. “It would more than address all of the housing needs that West Vancouver could possibly be expected to [meet] for a very, very long time.”
The mayor pointed to the under-construction affordable rental building on Gordon Avenue and other recently approved projects, including a 34-unit duplex development in Eagle Harbour.
To the housing ministry, Sager said, “Please don’t portray us as a group of people who are opposed to housing.”
The district has also faced challenges with developers following through on plans to build new housing, he added.
“If you look at the project that we approved last year, which was going to bring in over 200 studio apartments in the Park Royal area, the owners decided to stop the proposal,” Sager said. “They filed for a building permit. Now they told us they’re not going to proceed.”
The market isn’t great right now, he said. “Interest rates are high, labour, everything is high. That’s outside of our control.”
'They want meetings where they just explain to us why they can’t do anything,' says housing minister
Sager said he’s been trying to set up a meeting with Kahlon for the past several months, to discuss funding for projects like a seniors care facility in Inglewood. But he hasn’t had success.
Kahlon said his staff has met with West Vancouver staff multiple times this year on how they can advance housing opportunities.
“I’ve met with the mayor multiple times last year, but at some point you’ve got to stop talking about how we get housing and start making some decisions to get housing built,” he said.
“What our message to the mayor has always been is if you want information about legislation, or pathways, we’re open to talk ... but they want meetings where they just explain to us why they can’t do anything,” Kahlon said. “It just doesn’t serve anyone’s time.”
The housing minister said there are similar economic conditions across the North Shore, yet the City of North Vancouver continuously creates housing opportunities, and the District of North Van is making progress.
To address a lack of rental in West Vancouver, Sager said he’s looking at creative solutions to house teachers and district staff. For example, he imagines putting them in homes where owners are paying the empty homes tax – a scheme that he said is blocked by provincial legislation that requires those homes to be rented at fair market value.
Sager said, “I’d like to talk to the minister about amending the legislation, which would give power to the municipality to help find housing for our staff. Does that make sense?”
“It doesn’t,” Kahlon said.
The minister said that a real solution would be to allow multi-unit housing on single-family lots, a type of zoning that West Van council recently rejected.
“Having the ability to have small-scale multi units, fourplexes within the community gives more affordable options for people to rent or to buy,” Kahlon said. “Instead of having a complicated scheme, they could start with the very basics. Just allow some more housing to be built in the community that’s more attainable for families.”
