BC's naughty list

Municipalities getting enforceable housing targets

From Order Without Design, by Alain Bertaud

Yesterday the BC government released its initial list of municipalities that will be getting enforceable housing targets. Press release.

Lower Mainland / Fraser Valley:

• City of Vancouver

• West Vancouver

• District of North Vancouver

• Delta

• Port Moody

• Abbotsford

Vancouver Island:

• Victoria

• Saanich

• Oak Bay

Interior:

• Kamloops

In the Lower Mainland, the city of Vancouver is particularly important because it’s geographically central with easy access to jobs, so more people want to live there and land values are high. In an unconstrained market, buildings would be tallest there, so that each household can economize on expensive land. When political opposition in the city of Vancouver restricts building heights, it’s like pushing down on a balloon - people get pushed out to Burnaby and Surrey, where there’s less opposition.

More

• These 10 B.C. municipalities are now required to hit housing targets. Katie DeRosa in the Vancouver Sun.

• B.C. setting housing targets for 10 municipalities in effort to build more homes, faster. Xiao Xu in the Globe and Mail.

• Earlier posts: Setting enforceable housing targets for municipalities. Options for the BC government.