Saying it香蕉视频直播檚 already gone over and above what was expected in streamlining the housing process, Victoria is calling on the federal government to pony up promised funds.
But the request for tens of millions of dollars comes as council is still slowing down some applications in the approval pipeline and as the city faces the prospect of no housing funds under Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre香蕉视频直播檚 plan.
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said Monday that she wrote to federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser last week, asking that the capital gets its 香蕉视频直播渇air share香蕉视频直播� of federal housing funding. A monetary infusion to the tune of $28 million 香蕉视频直播� through the federal Liberals香蕉视频直播� Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) 香蕉视频直播� is in order after the city executed what the mayor called the 香蕉视频直播渘ation-leading香蕉视频直播� Victoria Housing Strategy.
香蕉视频直播淎s Victorians know, we live in a small city with a big city香蕉视频直播檚 housing crisis. Victoria is a vibrant, growing city with a strong economy and a skilled workforce but our municipality香蕉视频直播檚 capacity to support further growth is challenged by a very constrained housing market that is no longer tied to local incomes,香蕉视频直播� Alto said in a statement.
香蕉视频直播淰ictoria simply cannot wait any longer for the necessary federal funding to help fix our housing challenges 香蕉视频直播� funding in an amount that matches the scale of those challenges and reflects our city香蕉视频直播檚 role in the regional rental, affordable and urban Indigenous housing systems.香蕉视频直播�
Alto香蕉视频直播檚 predecessor Lisa Helps, now the premier香蕉视频直播檚 housing solutions advisor, frequently lobbied her council to support housing projects under the guise of being eligible for the $4 billion accelerator fund. The program 香蕉视频直播� which dished out $74 million to London, Ont. earlier this month 香蕉视频直播� provides incentives to communities that increase their housing supply by cutting red tape, fixing outdated local zoning policies and building homes faster.
[gps-image name="34016044_web1_2023081617080-64dd38de76623ae006f357dfjpeg.jpg"]
But as recently as July, Victoria council said a project in James Bay 香蕉视频直播� that would transform a parking lot into a mixed-use site with 112 new one-to-three-bedroom strata units 香蕉视频直播� should go back to the drawing board. That was despite the developer providing public amenities, a rent-free daycare and situating a 17-storey tower across from existing apartments to the north while using smaller townhouses as a transition from mostly single-family neighbourhoods to the south.
City staff had reservations over the project香蕉视频直播檚 height, mass and how it would fit into future uses of the area.
香蕉视频直播淥ur council has obviously been and will continue to be very pro-housing, but it doesn香蕉视频直播檛 mean that anything goes all the time,香蕉视频直播� Coun. Jeremy Caradonna said as he moved to refer the project so it could be adjusted.
Philip MacKellar, a member of the advocacy group Homes For Living, said delays 香蕉视频直播� whether well thought out or not 香蕉视频直播� will always increase the costs of units when they reach the rental or ownership market.
香蕉视频直播�(Delays) are problematic, if a council is in a housing crisis, which we are, the capacity or bandwidth to be nit-picky to specific details should be lower than if we were not in a housing crisis,香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播淭his was a bit disappointing for sure, but I think that this project will eventually come back to council and they香蕉视频直播檒l pass it.香蕉视频直播�
[gps-image name="34016044_web1_230925-vne-federal-housing-victoria--_2.jpg"]
While he notes it delayed approving the Harris Green Village project, MacKellar said he香蕉视频直播檚 encouraged that this group at City Hall likely greenlit more units than any council has during a first year in office. He noted surrounding communities have done less on housing, while Oak Bay has created a regulatory environment where projects are barely pitched now.
Speaking with media outside city hall on Monday, Alto refuted that the city isn香蕉视频直播檛 doing enough to streamline the housing process when asked about the James Bay project. The mayor said city processes that simplify and speed up building different forms of housing are working, but she acknowledged there香蕉视频直播檚 always more to do. Alto noted council will be updated with proposed changes to the Missing Middle Initiative this week.
The mayor said Fraser confirmed Victoria has been approved for accelerator funding, but the feds have not confirmed a dollar amount as she requested.
香蕉视频直播淥ur position 香蕉视频直播� is that based on our housing strategies and based on the criteria of the (housing accelerator), we not only meet but dramatically exceed their criteria,香蕉视频直播� Alto said.
A request for comment from the federal housing minister went unanswered Monday (Sept. 25).
[gps-image name="34016044_web1_20230616170620-648cd2bf6b698802b1fdb4f1jpeg.jpg"]
The accelerator fund香蕉视频直播檚 structure is also being debated in Ottawa as the Conservative Party of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Poilievre unveiled his own housing plan last week.
It香蕉视频直播檚 unclear whether Poilievre香蕉视频直播檚 private member香蕉视频直播檚 bill 香蕉视频直播� which would reward cities that boost housing while cutting funding for ones that don香蕉视频直播檛 hit targets 香蕉视频直播� would see Victoria be eligible for any money. The bill香蕉视频直播檚 infrastructure-funding bonuses and holdbacks would apply to 22 香蕉视频直播渉igh-cost cities香蕉视频直播� that don香蕉视频直播檛 include Victoria, Nanaimo or any other Island communities.
香蕉视频直播淚 can香蕉视频直播檛 speak on Mr. Poilievre香蕉视频直播檚 policies but I know that the city is now the fourth-most expensive in Canada and so it would be peculiar to see that we weren香蕉视频直播檛 on a list like that,香蕉视频直播� Alto said.
Black Press Media reached out to Poilievre香蕉视频直播檚 parliamentary email for comment but received no response about what data informed the 香蕉视频直播渉igh-cost cities香蕉视频直播� or if his bill would withhold funding from Victoria.
READ:
