Vote Vancouver: five city land parcels in a month, rents at 30% of income
Vote Vancouver would build affordable housing on unused city-owned land, naming five parcels with a timeline within one month of taking office. New public housing would target no more than 30% of household income, use the DASH program for faster building and be run by non-profits.
HOUSING AND BELONGING · PAGE 10
Build Affordable Housing on Public Land: what the Policy Priorities says
Vote Vancouver starts its housing plan with the land the city already owns. The party says the city cannot fix the price of materials, labour or land, but it can remove the cost of land by building on sites it holds. It would find underused or unused city-owned sites and use them for affordable housing, working with other governments, non-profit housing providers and community partners.
The party sets a deadline and a price target. Five parcels of public land would be chosen, named and announced with a timeline within one month of entering City Hall. New public housing would aim to cost no more than 30% of a household's income. Projects would mix towers, mid-rise and low-rise buildings, townhomes and prefabricated modular housing, depending on the site.
To build faster, the platform names DASH, which stands for Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing: a program of pre-approved building designs and sustainable materials. Non-profit or community groups would run the finished buildings. The party also wants to change how the city plans neighbourhoods. It would take the city's Communications Group out of community planning and give that work back to the Planning Department. City Council controls city-owned land, zoning and the permit process, and it directs city staff, so it can act alone on the land, the designs and the planning changes. Building and running the homes depends on non-profit partners, and the party says it would work with all orders of government.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
Parcels of public land the party would name, with a timeline, for affordable housing
The party's figure, page 10Time after entering City Hall by which the party says the five parcels would be announced
The party's figure, page 10Largest share of household income the party says new public housing would cost
The party's figure, page 108 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Affordable housing on underused city-owned sites
Vote Vancouver would identify underused or unused City-owned sites and use them to build affordable housing, working with all orders of government, non-profit housing providers and community partners so new communities have the infrastructure they need.
- Who has the power
- City Council The city owns this land, so Council decides what is built on it and on what terms.
Five parcels named within one month
The party says five parcels of public land would be chosen, named and announced with a timeline within one month of entering City Hall.
- Who has the power
- City Council Choosing which city-owned parcels to offer for housing is a decision Council can make on its own.
Rents at no more than 30% of household income
New public housing would target no more than 30% of household income, because the party says housing costs should be affordable for the people who live there.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Council can set this target for homes on its land, but the platform relies on non-profit operators and other governments to build and run them.
A mix of building types
New projects would include a mix of towers, mid-rise and low-rise buildings, townhomes and prefabricated modular housing, depending on the neighbourhood and the site. The party says this would add homes without sacrificing the neighbourhood.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets zoning, which decides the size and type of buildings allowed on each site.
DASH for faster building
The city would use programs such as DASH (Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing) to build homes faster with pre-approved models and sustainable materials, in particular for modular housing.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council controls the city's own permit process and can approve standard designs in advance.
Non-profit and community operators
Non-profit or community organizations would run the new developments, which the party says would reduce the strain on City Hall and keep the buildings connected to the communities they serve.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The city can choose operators for buildings on its land, but the work depends on non-profit groups agreeing to run them.
Community-based neighbourhood planning
The party would re-establish what it calls meaningful, genuine and transparent community-based neighbourhood planning, working with each community to decide what it needs.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets how the city consults residents on neighbourhood plans.
Planning returned to the Planning Department
Vote Vancouver would remove the city's Communications Group from community-based planning processes and give that work back to the Planning Department, as the party says it used to be done.
- Who has the power
- City Council How city departments share work is set through Council's direction to staff and its budget.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about build affordable housing on public land
What would Vote Vancouver do with city-owned land?
Vote Vancouver would find underused or unused city-owned sites and build affordable housing on them. The party says five parcels would be chosen, named and announced with a timeline within one month of entering City Hall (Policy Priorities, page 10).
How affordable would Vote Vancouver's public housing be?
The party says new public housing would target no more than 30% of household income, because housing costs should be affordable for the people who live there (Policy Priorities, page 10).
What is DASH in Vote Vancouver's housing plan?
DASH stands for Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing. Vote Vancouver says the city would use programs like it to build homes faster, with pre-approved designs and sustainable materials, in particular for modular housing (Policy Priorities, page 10).
Who would run Vote Vancouver's new public housing?
Non-profit or community organizations would run the developments. The party says this would reduce the strain on City Hall and keep the buildings connected to the communities they serve (Policy Priorities, page 10).
Would Vote Vancouver build towers on public land?
The platform says new projects would mix towers, mid-rise and low-rise buildings, townhomes and prefabricated modular housing, depending on the neighbourhood and the site (Policy Priorities, page 10).
What does Vote Vancouver want to change about neighbourhood planning?
Vote Vancouver would bring back community-based neighbourhood planning. It would take the city's Communications Group out of those planning processes and give the work back to the Planning Department (Policy Priorities, page 10).
Can Vancouver City Council build housing on city land without the Province?
Council controls city-owned land, zoning and permits, so it can choose the sites and approve the buildings. Vote Vancouver's plan still relies on non-profit operators and says it would work with all orders of government on the housing (Policy Priorities, page 10).
ON THE BALLOT
The Vote Vancouver candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Vote Vancouver Policy Priorities SAYS SO ITSELFVote Vancouver · pages 10 · checked