Action will be taken to address affordable housing in New Westminster.
In 2011, New Westminster city council approved an affordable housing strategy that included a number of directions to take regarding affordable housing. As part of this year's budget process, staff are planning to work on two of the initiatives this year - a pilot affordable housing project using city-owned land, and an investigation of opportunities to permit secondary suites in duplexes, townhouses and apartment buildings.
"I think it's creative and smart to identify some existing sources of funding to bring it forward," said Coun. Jaimie McEvoy of affordable housing.
Although city council considered the matter as part of its 2013 to 2017 financial plan, staff noted that the initiatives would be funded through the development services department's 2013 consultant services budget and/or the special projects budget.
McEvoy said he is pleased to see the item included in this year's budget. Noting that commitments have been made to address affordable housing in New Westminster, he said it's in the budget where politicians' promises are made or broken.
A staff report states that the proposed affordable housing pilot project would include technological exploration of developing an affordable housing pilot project on a city-owned site with gov-ernment/nonprofit society partners. It's estimated that consulting services for the initiative would cost about $50,000.
According to the report, staff has conducted an analysis of the suitability of city-owned lands for the development of nonprofit housing.
"The first step involves the selection of a short list of potential sites suitable for affordable housing for council consideration," said the report. "Once a site is selected, staff proposes to retain consultant services to develop a model for the affordable housing pilot project."
The second initiative proposes to study the potential of allowing secondary rental units in duplex, townhouse and apartment units.
"These secondary suites (often called lock-off suites) would be self-contained dwelling units designed within larger primary units," the report states. "They would have the ability to be locked off from the larger unit with a lockable connecting door and would be connected to the hallway or outside by a separate door."
The concept has been successfully introduced in some apartment and townhouse units in UniverCity (on Burnaby Mountain).
This project requires about $20,000 in funding for a technical analysis of the building code and $15,000 for the development of design guidelines.
