OfCo-OpsAndGarbageMen
GreasyPhilVilleThere's an old adage in hockey.
"It's not how, it's how many."
That refers to goals, often of the 'garbage' variety, scored from right in front of the net.
But when it comes to housing, the
'how' can be just as, if not more, important than the
'how many'.To wit, check out the following, just in from
Dan Fumano in the Vancouver Sun:
An “inclusionary housing policy” essentially lets developers to build larger residential developments than they would be otherwise be allowed. In exchange, they must provide a certain percentage of below-market rental homes.
Details vary between jurisdictions, but typically require between five and 20 per cent of a project’s units be secured at below-market rates, with the rest made up of market rental or strata homes.
About 9,200 below-market homes in Metro Vancouver have been approved or completed through these policies in recent years, the report says.
No one suggests that is sufficient to meet the region’s demand for affordable housing. But it seems likely the rental housing crunch would be worse today without those homes.
For context, there are about 34,000 independent social housing units currently in existence across all of Metro Vancouver — so 9,200 units, most approved just within the past few years, represents a significant number.
These homes, geared toward moderate-income renters, are no replacement for the more deeply affordable social housing that government agencies like B.C. Housing build and operate...
And, dare I suggest it, there are also the issues of long term stability and community involvement to consider as well.
OK?
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And, just to be absolutely clear here, the super-fine developers in our midst are not doing this out of the goodness of their hearts...essentially it is the cost of doing business so that they, as Mr. Fumano points out, can go big.
.