Affordable Housing Strategies - CivicWeb Ho… · plans to provide the required operating dollars to expand Lilac Terrace. [Workbook Ref: p. 42] 25.25 – Give priority to low-income

The District of Sparwood

Affordable Housing Strategies

District Goals, Objectives and Priorities January 2013

prepared by

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Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Housing Goals & Strategic Objectives ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 3.0 Identified Strategies for the District of Sparwood to Implement in Order of Priority ................................................................................. 5 4.0 Completed and Parked Strategies ......................................................................................................................................................... 17 5.0 Next Steps .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 23

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1.0 Introduction On Thursday, January 10, 2013, Council and Senior Staff of the District of Sparwood met during an all-day facilitated session to prioritize the Draft Affordable Housing Strategies formally presented to Council in April 2012 as part of a joint Housing Need and Demand Assessment with the District of Elkford. The purpose of the all-day session was threefold:

1. To generate a goal statement regarding housing in Sparwood; 2. To score and rank each of the proposed strategies included in the Draft Affordable Housing Strategies final report prepared by

Housing Strategies Inc.; and 3. To assign roles and responsibilities for the District and to identify appropriate community stakeholders to participate in each of the

supported strategies. The first two outcomes were achieved. The third outcome was tabled as it was felt that this exercise was best undertaken by Senior Staff and then presented to Council at a later date for approval. The following report summarizes the results from the January 10, 2013 session.

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2.0 Housing Goals & Objectives The Importance of Housing for Sparwood:

Appropriate housing that meets the needs of all residents of Sparwood within their individual means is the foundation upon which the District of Sparwood will achieve its strategic goals and objectives.

Goal:

To ensure that all residents of Sparwood have access to appropriate housing that meets their individual needs within their individual means throughout their lifetime.

Strategic Objectives:

• To prevent the loss of existing affordable housing; • To make better use of existing affordable housing assets and resources; • To encourage the development of new affordable housing; and • To build additional community capacity to promote affordable housing.

The order in which the District of Sparwood pursues each of these objectives will be determined based on the opportunities that are available to us at any given time and the degree to which we can achieve economically viable and sustainable solutions.

Target Groups (in Alphabetical Order):

• First-Time Homebuyers • Low-Income Renters • Modest-Income Renters • Seasonal and Temporary Contract Workers • Seniors • Special Needs Populations

Any of these groups can be at risk of homelessness if their housing needs are not being met.

The number of individuals and households deemed to be in need and the opportunities that are available to assist then in an economically viable and sustainable manner will ultimately determine the priority level assigned to each of these target groups.

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District Responsibilities:

• To implement housing-related strategies and initiatives that fall within the legislated mandate of the District; • To lead and coordinate the implementation of housing-related strategies and initiatives that fall outside the legislated mandate of the

District but meet the strategic goals and objectives established by Council; • To facilitate and/or participate in community-based housing strategies and initiatives that will lead to the development of appropriate

housing options for household types whose needs are not currently being met; and • To observe the implementation of housing-related strategies and initiatives that do not require active or direct assistance from the

District in order to identify when and where opportunities may exist for the District to offer strategic interventions.

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3.0 Identified Strategies for the District of Sparwood to Implement in Order of Priority What follows are the strategies Council and Senior Staff have identified as being appropriate for the District to pursue as a means of promoting greater housing affordability and choice in Sparwood ranked in order of priority. The decision matrix used to rank these strategies focused on a combination of factors including:

• The degree to which each strategy was deemed critical to achieving the District’s housing goals and objectives; • The relative ease in which each strategy could be implemented given the District’s existing resources (both the municipality and

other community stakeholders); • The availability of external opportunities and resources; • The knowledge and expertise required to implement the strategy; • The time and effort required to implement the strategy; • The anticipated benefits of implementing the strategy compared to other strategies being considered; and • The anticipated return on investment (of District and community time, energy and resources) compared to other strategies being

considered. In some cases, the original strategy was reworded to make the strategy more appropriate for Sparwood and, thereby, more likely to succeed.

Strategy Rank/Score Comments, Caveats & Considerations

Promote barrier-free design in future residential, commercial and institutional

development, redevelopment and/or upgrades where appropriate as well as in all future municipal infrastructure upgrades where

appropriate.

[Workbook Ref: p. 44]

26.00

• We may look at some incentives in terms of building permit fee reductions.

• This is really important - not only for seniors but also for families with strollers, etc.. I almost wonder if we shouldn't be mandating all new builds to be at least "visitable".

• Other communities have mandated it on properties being sold by the municipality possibly through a restrictive/performance covenant.

• This should be sent out for legal review. • A 36" door doesn't cost any more than a 34" door. If you build

these features in at the beginning, it isn't that much more expensive (and significantly cheaper than renovating/retrofitting after the fact).

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Continue advocating with and on behalf of Elk Valley Seniors Housing Society to encourage

the Interior Health Authority to expedite its plans to provide the required operating

dollars to expand Lilac Terrace.


25.25 –

Give priority to low-income renters as the

preferred target population in any affordable housing project developed on land offered by

the municipality through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process.


24.75 –

Actively recruit recognized, quality non-profit and for-profit affordable housing developers

to build a new housing project in the community.


24.00 –

Assist non-profit and for-profit developers of affordable housing with taking full advantage

of available grants and subsidies for affordable housing.


23.88 • We could put together an information package of grants that are

available and then communicate any changes to those programs or any new opportunities that emerge.

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Work with existing non-profit and for-profit

providers of affordable housing in the community to conduct a thorough review and inventory of their existing land and building

assets to determine if and where the community has available surplus affordable

housing development capacity.


23.75 –

Seek opportunities where the District could

potentially partner or provide planning assistance to the owners of existing

affordable housing projects interested in moving forward with the development of

additional affordable housing units on their properties.


23.75 • This is something the District already does. • I support doing as much as we can to interact with our existing

landowners and encourage them to start thinking that way.

Explore opportunities to promote

FlexHousing™ and sustainable/green building techniques and designs.


23.63 –

Provide information and assistance to help local seniors access available funding and program supports through Provincial and

Federal government agencies.


23.50 –

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Incorporate a policy statement in the OCP that

discourages approving variances or rezonings where affordable housing units are

lost and not replaced.


23.38

• This strategy needs to be reworked. There are situations where requiring than all existing affordable housing units be replaced at the same level of affordability following redevelopment might not be appropriate.

• It may also serve as a disincentive to redevelopment that would otherwise have a positive impact on our community.

• Instead of requiring replacement of all affordable housing units lost during redevelopment, we could incorporate a policy statement in the OCP that discourages the approval of variances or rezonings where affordable housing units are lost and not replaced.

Upon completion of the land inventory, offer

at least one (1) viable property to the community for development either as a stand-

alone affordable housing project or as a mixed-used development through a Request

for Proposal (RFP) process.


23.38 • We may not need the feasibility study component of this strategy. • The feasibility study component of this strategy should be removed

or put aside until there is a real opportunity to develop something.

Conduct a thorough review and inventory of

existing municipal land and building assets to determine if and where the District has

available municipal land that could potentially be used to support an affordable housing

development.


23.25 –

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Develop a Community Guide to the Planning and Development Process that will explain

each stage of the planning and development permit process and clearly articulate the

specific information requirements and fees for each stage.


23.13

• This is already underway (we are creating a series of brochures through our communications department).

• It should stay on the list as something that we need to follow through on.

Explore the viability of using the tax

exemptions provisions provided under Section 226 of the Community Charter to

encourage affordable housing development in and around the downtown core and other

areas of the community where appropriate.


22.50

• This is something that will likely be part of our Downtown Revitalization Strategy.

• I foresee us creating two zones: the commercial core and a transition area.

• Would this strategy also apply to Lower Sparwood? • We recently took that area back under our option and are looking

for other opportunities for the private sector to develop the area. • We could use this strategy in the Mountain Ash area.

Work with industry to survey local temporary

and seasonal contract workers in order to more clearly identify and understand their housing needs, preferences, issues and

barriers.


22.25

• This has been undertaken with Teck and it continues to be part of that Committee's work (e.g., finding out what the plans are among the local businesses that provide support services to Teck to expand their operations so we can understand our future employment forecasts).

• The survey that was done showed that over the next five years, local businesses are planning on doubling their staffing levels.

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Explore the viability of using the tax

exemptions provisions provided under Section 226 of the Community Charter to

encourage owners of unsightly and/or unsafe rental properties located in what could

reasonably be considered a “Revitalization Area” to upgrade their units while maintaining

affordability.


22.18

• How do we prove out that the 50:50 matching contribution as suggested in the explanation to this strategy is actually incorporated into the final project?

• The 50:50 matching is just a guideline. • We could consider different ratios depending on circumstances.

Continue exploring opportunities to develop

new and innovative residential zoning options to encourage affordable housing.


21.63

• This will be addressed through our Land Use Bylaw Amendment process.

• I see it as removing barriers to developers meeting market demand.

Advocate with the Interior Health Authority to

increase the level of healthcare services available in the community.


21.63

• I see us doing this with Lilac Terrace. • There are still services being offered through the hospital. • There may also be changes to Home Care but who knows where

that is going.

Develop and publish annual housing

priorities, goals, and targets.


21.25 • Getting this together will give guidance to developers looking to

come into the area. • Putting our goals together will also help guide investors.

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Establish policy placing a moratorium on Strata Title conversions of existing rental

units as a means of preventing the future loss of those units to the community.


21.13 –

Establish a Housing Registry either

individually or in partnership with the District of Elkford.


20.00 • We actually started this work with Teck just before Corinne left. • We're actually lobbying Teck for them to hire someone to do this

type of work and we are having some success.

Develop and implement a Perpetually

Affordable Housing Program.


19.50

• I can't find any examples of housing projects that have been put in place using resale restrictions that have been successful for any amount of time.

• The units that I have seen are not selling because the resale restrictions serve as a real disincentive - plus there are ways of getting around those resale restrictions.

• This is very staff intensive to develop and enforce. There are other strategies that can achieve the same results (e.g., Saskatoon).

• There is so much work involved and we don't have the dire problems that these measures seek to address (we don't have problems to this degree that needs this much work).

• Would Teck consider advancing their production bonuses as a downpayment?

• I think we should have a PAH program - just not Langford's program.

• Let's remove the reference to the City of Langford from this strategy.

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Encourage industry to provide temporary and seasonal contract workers with shower and changing facilities as well as truck washing

facilities (for all mine workers and contractors).


19.50

• This is industry's responsibility - not the District's. • We should remove the statement "work with industry to identify

appropriate solutions". • We should put this on this list for our meeting with Teck. • We should also add trucks to the strategy - there are

environmental concerns with the coal dust on vehicles being washed down into the District's storm sewers.

• What about coming up with a fee for violations?

Make information about BC Housing’s

Homeless Outreach Program widely available to the community.


19.50 • We have supported the homeless shelter in Cranbrook financially so I think we should support this strategy as well.

Develop a package of incentives to encourage developers to build more affordable housing.


19.38

• This is likely to be a very staff intensive program to implement with maybe limited benefit.

• The way our Zoning Bylaw frames density, it has no requirement for amenity space, playgrounds, balconies, etc., and the density is only limited by the minimum size of the unit - so we've really got nothing to bonus.

• We could use this option when we are looking at variances to leverage.

• Also, our Zoning Bylaw is coming to Council to be changed. In a community like ours, nobody is going to take advantage of it. Maybe in the Lower Mainland, but not here.

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Explore the viability of allowing non-owner-

occupied properties to incorporate secondary suites in single-family dwellings where those

properties are owned and/or managed by professional, quality property managers.


19.00

• I don't like the idea of leaving it to property managers to monitor. You're relying on others for accountability.

• There is a lack of accountability with the property manager component when you have a non-owner-occupied rental property - so even with a professional property manager, who knows what problems might arise when the property manager starts having to deal with two different tenants.

• Having property managers isn't really required because we have Bylaws, etc. to deal with any issues that arise.

• If we wanted to, we could introduce this as a pilot project and allow say 20 units to be built and then see what happens over the course of a year (i.e., see if there are any problems).

Actively identify and recruit an experienced quality developer of adult communities (e.g., +50 Villas) to build an appropriate housing

project for independent seniors in the community.


18.50

• As much as we already try to recruit developers, it can be a challenge providing them with the business case to build it.

• It is something Whiskey Jack is considering - and if they can build the business case, they may do it.

• We really need to know if there is a true and genuine demand for this type of development before we proceed.

Work with smaller businesses to explore and

identify opportunities to establish an employer-owned housing co-operative.


17.88 • This is something we could talk to Teck about taking a lead on in

getting the smaller employers together. • The District could gain some tax revenues from the building.

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Deal more proactively and assertively with the owners of unsightly and/or unsafe properties (i.e., “slum" landowners) to compel them to

upgrade their units.


17.00

• We may need to consider tax or other incentives to avoid landlords jacking up the rent (you get further with a carrot and a stick than you do with just a carrot or just a stick).

• We'll also need a Bylaw to enforce this - which can be extremely labour intensive from a staffing and building Bylaw perspective.

• The type of incentives that will work best and be legal will have to be identified through research.

• Tax incentives can also be difficult to justify. For example, when rents are extremely high, some landlords will let their properties go - and you risk a great deal of community backlash when start giving those landlords tax incentives.

• Tax incentives should be considered in neighbourhoods where that's the only way to encourage investment.

• We shouldn't be targeting just "slum landlords" - there are homeowners who have unsightly/unsafe properties as well.

• Unsafe is the most important thing to consider. • We don't get a lot of calls/complaints on this anymore. Any tenant

has the ability to call the Rentalsman with a complaint.

Explore opportunities to support the creation

of a housing co-operative for low-income renters.


16.88 • We have a Credit Union in the community and because a credit

union is a financial co-operative, if we wanted to move this forward, we could ask them to research and take the lead on implementing this strategy.

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Develop and implement an Inclusionary

Zoning policy that requires 10% of all new housing units be affordable and barrier-free to

one or more of the community’s affordable housing target populations.


13.88

• There are Building Code requirements for buildings generally. • I somewhat disagree with this strategy because we already have to

do a lot to attract builders in the first place so we don't want to discourage them.

• We could do something like this if they need variances (i.e., require/encourage affordable housing as a condition of the variance) but not as an overall policy in all new developments.

• I want to position Sparwood as a developer-friendly community. • The cost to implement the requirements (e.g., barrier-free sliding

doors, etc.) can be prohibitive and those costs would likely be passed on to the other units.

• We can always try to negotiate these things since developers are often interested in making their units more attractive to a broader range of potential buyers/tenants.

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4.0 Completed and Parked Strategies The following strategies were identified Council and Senior Staff as either having been completed already or were “parked” because they were deemed to be either inappropriate for Sparwood at the present time or so resource intensive that they risked preventing the implantation of more appropriate and more achievable strategies (i.e., those identified in section 3.0 above). NOTE: although each of the strategies listed below are associated with a score or ranking, many of them were not fully scored (i.e., issued scores by everyone present). As a result, the score associated with each strategy and its relative ranking is preliminary only. 4.1 Completed Strategies


Post the Affordable Housing Need and

Demand Assessment final report on the District’s website.


26.83 • This has already been done - and for some time now.

Provide information and assistance to help

low-income renters access available funding and program supports through government

agencies.


18.14

• We have information brochures and we send people to Service BC when we don't have brochures.

• Under an earlier program, we visited every senior in the community and provided them with every brochure we could find on all the programs that are available to them.

Provide information and assistance to help

local residents with disabilities access available funding and program supports

through Provincial and Federal government agencies.


16.33 –

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4.2 Parked Strategies


Explore opportunities for offering low- and

modest-income senior homeowners property tax deferrals.


20.25 • There is already a Provincial program that does this. • We try and try to sell it at the front counter but seniors don't want to

take on any debt.

Seek opportunities to streamline and expedite the planning and development process for all residential properties (i.e., not just affordable

housing).


19.83

• Everybody's application is already streamlined. Plus we don't have that many applications to begin with and we've made a commitment to have Richard more available.

• Our turnaround time is probably between 7-12 working days. • A lot of the delays come from incomplete applications rather than

the time it takes the District to review them. • This strategy would make sense in the bigger centres but not

necessarily here.

Explore opportunities to more fully engage

seniors in community development activities that may help to address other identified

housing and support needs, including socialization.


19.63

• Some of this is already happening (e.g. the Seniors Independence Program that we implemented a few years ago).

• Is this our job as the District? • I think this is the Lilac Terrace Board's job.

Explore opportunities for offering low- and modest-income homeowners property tax

deferrals.


19.00 • If they qualify, they can get the deferral through the Province. I don't think we as the District can do this legally.

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Establish policy whereby amendments to the

Official Community Plan (i.e., land use re-designations) are discouraged unless those

amendments are designed to meet an identified need for land, development priority

and/or target population.


17.86

• This strategy needs to be softened. It is the legislated right of every landowner to seek to rezone their land if they so choose - and there is a standard public process through which people can go to achieve that.

• We should not be denying landowners that right by saying "no amendments to the OCP are permitted".

• We can let people know that we discourage rezoning if it doesn't meet an identified need but we shouldn't ban it outright.

• I spoke with Invermere and they told me that they really haven't had the chance to test this policy out because of how the economy and development pressures have changed recently.

Explore opportunities for private individuals

to introduce Family Care Homes into the community for persons with disabilities.


17.33 • See the comments re: Family Care Homes for seniors (page. 48 – following “parked” strategy)

Explore opportunities for private individuals to introduce Family Care Homes for seniors.


17.14

• I don't know what that legislation looks like for Family Care Homes. • This is a common model in the States - health care professionals

use this model when they are in a semi-retirement stage. • The problem with this model is that if you put alternatives out there,

IHA and BC Housing may pull back from providing the supports they are supposed to offer. This may be an appropriate strategy for semi-retired professionals to consider on their own but I would prefer we focus our efforts on Lilac Terrace.

Take a Housing First approach to addressing the needs of families and individuals at risk of

becoming homeless.


16.83

• Why would we be involved in this? • Where would we approach the implementation of this strategy? • We are already dealing with homelessness using a Housing First

model. • We also have the strategy to make information available re: BC

Housing’s Homeless Outreach Program. If someone is homeless, we should be directing them to the Province for assistance.

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Explore Public-Private-Partnerships (P3) for

the development of affordable housing where feasible and appropriate.


16.67

• P3s are very labour intensive, costly, and difficult for the folks getting into it to understand the full implications beforehand.

• It is very difficult to write the agreements that aren't one-sided. The only ones that really benefit are the lawyers.

• All the ones that I have seen have just never worked. Sparwood has been able to achieve much better success using other strategies.

Establish a Housing Reserve Fund to support a variety of affordable housing initiatives in

the community.


16.60 • We have to recognize our resources - purely on a resource level, this strategy needs to fall low on the priority list.

Explore opportunities to incorporate

affordable housing into future municipal buildings through mixed-use developments.


16.38

• I don't see this strategy achieving much. We really don't have any new buildings planned for municipal purposes.

• We also considered the implications of having secondary suites in industrial developments (e.g., no access to playgrounds, etc.).

• We feel this may be a good way to get housing for workers but not for families (e.g., on Sparwood Drive we zoned those properties to allow secondary suites for owners and/or employees only).

• I too like allowing it for workers but not for families. • Again, we just don't have any appropriate opportunities at this time

to take advantage of this strategy. I think we should "park" it.

Explore opportunities for a local non-profit society to introduce Group Homes into the

community for persons with disabilities.


16.17 • There are so many other projects - e.g., Lilac Terrace - and our current lack of support services doesn't justify this strategy.

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Explore through Pilot Projects the viability of permitting small-scale Work Camps and RV

Parks to house temporary and seasonal contract workers.


15.71

• I am not in favor of Work Camps but I recognize that there are some benefits to providing seasonal workers with nice RV sites.

• We are currently working on a couple titled RV sites that could meet some of this demand.

• If they are located off beyond services, Work Camps are fine - but having a Work Camp anywhere in or near a community is not a good idea.

• You need to have Bylaws and regulations in place to avoid problems.

• If they end up being like the Hostels, I'm okay with them because there is an afterlife for the buildings that benefits the community.

Explore opportunities to support the creation of a housing co-operative for modest-income

first-time homebuyers.


15.67 • This is something for the Credit Union to explore and promote.

Work with local industry to explore the

viability of permitting modular, dormitory-style multi-residential housing for temporary

and seasonal contract workers.


15.17 • I have the same issues with this strategy as I do with the Work

Camps strategy - I only support them if they can be done in a way that has a long-term/permanent benefit to the community (i.e., if they can be repurposed later on like the Hostels).

Work with industry and the non-profit sector to facilitate the development of a Revolving

Downpayment Loan Fund.


14.57 • This strategy would be very staff intensive to administer.

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Explore opportunities to support the creation

of a life skills training programs for low-income renters.


14.33

• There have been some programs done through CBT and the Rec Centre that were offered through the Fernie Families Society (and the seniors as well).

• Providing training is not a local government responsibility - it is the responsibility of the Provincial government and local societies.

Explore and consider the eventual creation of

a Municipal Housing Authority either individually or in partnership with the District

of Elkford.


13.57

• I like the idea of partnering with Elkford. • There is an opportunity to get some mentoring assistance from

Deb Friesen (EVSHS). • I think this is overkill for where we are.

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5.0 Next Steps As mentioned in the introduction, the next step is to assign roles and responsibilities for the District and to identify appropriate community stakeholders to participate in each of the supported strategies identified in section 3.0 and then take that to Council for approval. Following Council approval, the recommended next steps are:

1. To develop a formal implementation plan for each of the approved District strategies; and 2. To share the results of this exercise with the broader community as a means of encouraging key community stakeholders:

• To consider their participation in future/pending District initiatives to promote affordable housing; and • To consider taking a lead role themselves in implementing any of the strategies that were “parked” as a

result of this exercise either because they were deemed to not be a District responsibility or because they were deemed to be too labour intensive for the District to undertake.

Documents

Affordable Housing Strategies - CivicWeb Ho… · plans to provide the required operating dollars to expand Lilac Terrace. [Workbook Ref: p. 42] 25.25 – Give priority to low-income