Mayor Gregor Robertson is urging City Council to support an innovative proposal for 355 new units of affordable rental housing on four City-owned sites, which would deliver on a key recommendation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing Affordability.

The proposed new affordable housing will include a minimum of 273 units with rents significantly below market rates, with priority for all 355 units going first to those who currently live in Vancouver. 48 units will also primarily serve persons living with mental illness.

“Vancouver has an urgent need for more affordable housing that fits with our neighbourhoods and makes our city more livable for seniors, students, and young families,” said Mayor Robertson. “With 355 new units of secure and affordable rental housing, this proposal represents a significant step toward meeting that need. It’s encouraging to see such strong and early progress after the work we’ve done to enable innovative affordable housing solutions throughout Vancouver.”

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Help spread the word: The recent report card on the City’s Housing and Homelessness strategy shows Vancouver is currently exceeding all of its short-term targets for protecting and expanding affordable rental housing, building new supportive housing, and ending street homelessness.

Many highlights are included in the infographic below —  click here to read the full story

After an extensive public hearing process and over two years of review and public input, City Council has approved 133 new units of rental housing in Vancouver’s West End. The project will be only the second new purpose-built West End rental building in a decade, underscoring the pressing need for new rental housing in a neighbourhood with Vancouver’s lowest average rental vacancy rate (0.85%).

Council also moved to implement a special housing agreement that will lock-in the proposed rents of the building to ensure that they do not increase between the time the project is approved and the final construction.

“With 133 new rental units, this project is another important step toward meeting the urgent need for new rental housing in the West End and across Vancouver,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Over half of Vancouver’s population are renters and yet Vancouver’s rental stock has been in decline for decades. The City of Vancouver is committed to the creation of significant new rental housing in Vancouver to ensure we’re building a city that is more affordable and accessible for residents of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds.”

58% of the project consists of two bedroom units that are geared toward families. Based on community feedback, the project is a mix of low and mid-rise buildings – the tallest of which is just nine storeys in height.

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The City of Vancouver today launched a new online searchable database of rental buildings to assist renters to make more informed decisions about their housing.

“The City’s new Rental Standards Database is our latest step to help Vancouver renters and motivate property owners and landlords to keep their properties in good condition,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The overwhelming majority of landlords in Vancouver are responsible and treat their tenants with respect, and many of the properties included in the database are for minor infractions.

“We’re putting this information out there in an easily accessible way, empowering renters to make more informed decisions on where to live.”

The Rental Standards Database includes information about all licensed rental buildings in Vancouver with five or more residential units that have any open bylaw issues, or issues that have been addressed and resolved within the past 12 months.

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New statistics on the creation of rental housing in Vancouver show that 2012 was a record year, after a decade of limited rental construction and very low vacancy rates.

“These new stats show that Vancouver is leading the way when it comes to producing new rental housing, in a city where over 52% of our households rent and much of our rental stock is aging and in need of repair,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “We know from the low vacancy rates that there is huge demand for new rentals, which is why City Hall is focused on getting new rental housing built as a way to address our city’s affordable housing challenge.”

Year-end statistics for 2012 show that 1,021 new rental units were approved in 2012, after zero in 2008 and 2009, and an average of 328 in 2010 and 2011.

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Op-ed by Mayor Gregor Robertson, published in the Vancouver Sun

For most of us, housing is our biggest expense. One out of every five dollars we earn goes to build, buy, rent and run our homes. Facing high home prices, large personal debts, and an uncertain economy, fewer Canadians can buy a new home today than in the past, and they are choosing to rent instead.

Unfortunately, in many cities, finding an affordable place to rent is nearly impossible.

The most immediate problem is supply. Vacancy rates under three per cent push rents up; here in Vancouver it’s 1.4 per cent.

Vacancy rates this low force our young people to move out of the city, threaten seniors on fixed incomes, and have a negative impact on local businesses.

That’s why this spring’s federal budget must put Canada’s rental housing market on solid ground, by pursuing low-cost, high-leverage policies that get jobs on the ground and build housing Canadians can afford.

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