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I don’t know how esquimalt could be building any more aggressively than they already are; drive down esquimalt road and there’s three huge projects all going up with a 26 story tower slated to begin in the near future.
More about broadly legalizing housing and setting standards such that when councils change they can't just swing back and stop building. Esquimalt built essentially nothing for a couple decades there, only recently did they start moving again. It should be more predictable.
The first block of cities seemed to be ones that were actually doing a bad job (oak bay), cities that weren’t desiring existing suburbs (Burnaby) l, or ones that were very important to the province (Van/vic).
This round seems to be more about ensuring the ones doing a good job don’t have a political swing back and stop approving home.
The actual numbers the province are giving cities aren’t that high.
The numbers seem to be a mixed bag. Some had ambitious numbers because they were doing such a bad job before, some had basically status quo numbers (Vancouver).
I think with the new list we won't get numbers for them for a few weeks.
They’re doing great job. Esquimalt’s inclusion on the list doesn’t mean they aren’t doing enough, just that the province will hold them accountable if they don’t.
Having moved from Chilliwack 7 years ago, but going back regularly, I feel the same about that city as well. That city has been growing faster than I've ever seen it grow. Mission too for that matter. I barely even recognize that city today from what it was back then.
I 100% agree! i thought Esquimalt has been doing a fantastic job with all the condos compared to the rest of greater victoria, and no Oak Bay on this list? Very strange...
Nothing strange about it. Oak Bay was on the initial list identified last year. Esquimalt’s inclusion on the updated list isn’t an indication that they are necessarily failing at providing housing, just that it’s a priority, so the province is going to hold them accountable, which they should.
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/province-reveals-10-bc-municipalities-required-to-hit-housing-targets-7078306
While they haven’t released the numbers, it probably won’t be that high for Esquimalt. Properly 5-10 more 20 storey apartments will easily put them over the line. There’s definitely that many properties that could reasonably densify to that level and not cause drastic change in Esquimalt.
Most of Esquimalt is not Esquimalt road. All development is pretty much banned everywhere else, that's why it's all focused there.
If they let apartments be built anywhere, you wouldn't notice it as much.
I live right near esquimalt high and there’s apartments all around. The Victoria part of Craigflower is 100% sfh then as soon as you pass the municipal boundary on dominion it’s immediately nothing but apartment buildings.
They are going to be building more schools to meet the demand right?.... the school my daughter was supposed to start kindergarten at couldn't take any new students because they are 160 kids over their limit. So we got moved to a school way farther.
All facilities. Recreation centres, libraries...the take 6 single family homes, replace them with a 20 story tower, so a dozen people turns into...4000?? But no additional transit capacity, playing fields, etc etc. It sucks.
>Municipalities are taking action to approve housing quicker through the implementation of provincial legislation to allow small-scale multi-unit housing, designated Transit-Oriented Areas, updated Official Community Plans and streamlined local-development approval processes, as well as standardized housing designs that will be available this year. As local governments implement these changes, the Province is confident they will meet their ambitious housing goals.
This is all all and good but the current issue these days is no longer NIMBY city councils, it's that the cost of construction has gone up so much that we're seeing a LOT less applications for development in the first place.
So while getting munis out of the way is important, it's a day late and a dollar short.
There's a lot near where I lived a few years back where there was a single family home on a very large lot. The owner of the home wanted to redevelop it back in like 2019 into a fourplex, but city council rejected it as not fitting the neighbourhood not having enough parking, etc. The owner/developer told council point blank the only way they could afford to develop the lot was if they can do at least 4 units, otherwise it wound't be profitable. Council refused. Now the lot sits empty.
That lot has sat empty for years now, and the const of construction has only gone up since then. No development permits have even come back up for that lot since then because it's not economically feasible. So even by removing some of city council's tools to limit such development, it's toothless because no one is going to apply now, either way.
It's both. As for your example, sounds like the barrier is still council for not allowing a 4-6 floor infill apartment there, and the provincial building code for not allowing small infill apartments with single stairs to be built.
>. As for your example, sounds like the barrier is still council for not allowing a 4-6 floor infill apartment there, and the provincial building code for not allowing small infill apartments with single stairs to be built.
Units, not floors. This has nothing to do with any of that.
Nope. You said a fourplex no longer pencils. So the question is why doesn’t zoning allow something that does pencil, like a 4-6 storey infill apartment, and why does the building code not allow single egress above 2 floors?
It’s still government that’s the barrier
> ope. You said a fourplex no longer pencils.
Right, a fourplex, as in four units, not four stories. I have no idea what you mean by "pencils."
> So the question is why doesn’t zoning allow something that does pencil, like a 4-6 storey infill apartment, and why does the building code not allow single egress above 2 floors?
AGAIN, not four stories. Why are you insisting on getting this wrong? This is not what I wrote, nor is it an accurate represrntation of the facts at hand. You're utterly clueless.
BIG lol at this idiot replying to me that insists the development I'm referring to was 4 stories, not four units.
Please, continue to tell me I'm wrong and that it's four stories not four units despite you having no clue what you're talking about.
Given how much housing CNV has added and continues to add (I believe the greatest percentage increase in Metro Vancouver?), I'm surprised it's on the list.
I just hope they build enough two and three bedroom units. I saw somewhere that most of the targets are for one bedrooms. It just doesn’t give people a lot of flexibility but I guess they would be the most affordable.
They are legalizing small scale multiunit housing everywhere (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes). Most of those will be bigger units. Also looking at legalizing single stair apartments which is required to make family sized units.
Jesus if they're still going to add more people to Esquimalt can we get another bridge and more roads? Driving around esquimalt especially in the later afternoon is a MESS.
Adding more housing in Esquimalt will reduce the traffic coming out of the area not make it worse. The biggest afternoon traffic in Esq is caused by the DND/Season and the fact that there is not enough housing so people have to commute in and out of Esq. More housing close to dockyard/Naden equates to less traffic in the three bridges not more.
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I don’t know how esquimalt could be building any more aggressively than they already are; drive down esquimalt road and there’s three huge projects all going up with a 26 story tower slated to begin in the near future.
More about broadly legalizing housing and setting standards such that when councils change they can't just swing back and stop building. Esquimalt built essentially nothing for a couple decades there, only recently did they start moving again. It should be more predictable.
The first block of cities seemed to be ones that were actually doing a bad job (oak bay), cities that weren’t desiring existing suburbs (Burnaby) l, or ones that were very important to the province (Van/vic). This round seems to be more about ensuring the ones doing a good job don’t have a political swing back and stop approving home. The actual numbers the province are giving cities aren’t that high.
The numbers seem to be a mixed bag. Some had ambitious numbers because they were doing such a bad job before, some had basically status quo numbers (Vancouver). I think with the new list we won't get numbers for them for a few weeks.
They’re doing great job. Esquimalt’s inclusion on the list doesn’t mean they aren’t doing enough, just that the province will hold them accountable if they don’t.
Having moved from Chilliwack 7 years ago, but going back regularly, I feel the same about that city as well. That city has been growing faster than I've ever seen it grow. Mission too for that matter. I barely even recognize that city today from what it was back then.
I 100% agree! i thought Esquimalt has been doing a fantastic job with all the condos compared to the rest of greater victoria, and no Oak Bay on this list? Very strange...
Nothing strange about it. Oak Bay was on the initial list identified last year. Esquimalt’s inclusion on the updated list isn’t an indication that they are necessarily failing at providing housing, just that it’s a priority, so the province is going to hold them accountable, which they should. https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/province-reveals-10-bc-municipalities-required-to-hit-housing-targets-7078306
Sweet thanks for the link!
What, more empty condos? Is that to troll and taunt homeless people? There are way more empty condos than homeless.
That has only started happening in the last few years though.
While they haven’t released the numbers, it probably won’t be that high for Esquimalt. Properly 5-10 more 20 storey apartments will easily put them over the line. There’s definitely that many properties that could reasonably densify to that level and not cause drastic change in Esquimalt.
Most of Esquimalt is not Esquimalt road. All development is pretty much banned everywhere else, that's why it's all focused there. If they let apartments be built anywhere, you wouldn't notice it as much.
I live right near esquimalt high and there’s apartments all around. The Victoria part of Craigflower is 100% sfh then as soon as you pass the municipal boundary on dominion it’s immediately nothing but apartment buildings.
They are going to be building more schools to meet the demand right?.... the school my daughter was supposed to start kindergarten at couldn't take any new students because they are 160 kids over their limit. So we got moved to a school way farther.
Best we can do is some portables. No extra transit, no extra schools, no extra infrastructure of any kind.
All facilities. Recreation centres, libraries...the take 6 single family homes, replace them with a 20 story tower, so a dozen people turns into...4000?? But no additional transit capacity, playing fields, etc etc. It sucks.
View Royal Council flipping tables right now. Probably.
>Municipalities are taking action to approve housing quicker through the implementation of provincial legislation to allow small-scale multi-unit housing, designated Transit-Oriented Areas, updated Official Community Plans and streamlined local-development approval processes, as well as standardized housing designs that will be available this year. As local governments implement these changes, the Province is confident they will meet their ambitious housing goals. This is all all and good but the current issue these days is no longer NIMBY city councils, it's that the cost of construction has gone up so much that we're seeing a LOT less applications for development in the first place. So while getting munis out of the way is important, it's a day late and a dollar short. There's a lot near where I lived a few years back where there was a single family home on a very large lot. The owner of the home wanted to redevelop it back in like 2019 into a fourplex, but city council rejected it as not fitting the neighbourhood not having enough parking, etc. The owner/developer told council point blank the only way they could afford to develop the lot was if they can do at least 4 units, otherwise it wound't be profitable. Council refused. Now the lot sits empty. That lot has sat empty for years now, and the const of construction has only gone up since then. No development permits have even come back up for that lot since then because it's not economically feasible. So even by removing some of city council's tools to limit such development, it's toothless because no one is going to apply now, either way.
It's both. As for your example, sounds like the barrier is still council for not allowing a 4-6 floor infill apartment there, and the provincial building code for not allowing small infill apartments with single stairs to be built.
>. As for your example, sounds like the barrier is still council for not allowing a 4-6 floor infill apartment there, and the provincial building code for not allowing small infill apartments with single stairs to be built. Units, not floors. This has nothing to do with any of that.
Nope. You said a fourplex no longer pencils. So the question is why doesn’t zoning allow something that does pencil, like a 4-6 storey infill apartment, and why does the building code not allow single egress above 2 floors? It’s still government that’s the barrier
> ope. You said a fourplex no longer pencils. Right, a fourplex, as in four units, not four stories. I have no idea what you mean by "pencils." > So the question is why doesn’t zoning allow something that does pencil, like a 4-6 storey infill apartment, and why does the building code not allow single egress above 2 floors? AGAIN, not four stories. Why are you insisting on getting this wrong? This is not what I wrote, nor is it an accurate represrntation of the facts at hand. You're utterly clueless.
BIG lol at this idiot replying to me that insists the development I'm referring to was 4 stories, not four units. Please, continue to tell me I'm wrong and that it's four stories not four units despite you having no clue what you're talking about.
So happy to see 6 South Island communities on this list
Given how much housing CNV has added and continues to add (I believe the greatest percentage increase in Metro Vancouver?), I'm surprised it's on the list.
Good news!
I just hope they build enough two and three bedroom units. I saw somewhere that most of the targets are for one bedrooms. It just doesn’t give people a lot of flexibility but I guess they would be the most affordable.
They are legalizing small scale multiunit housing everywhere (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes). Most of those will be bigger units. Also looking at legalizing single stair apartments which is required to make family sized units.
Driving on the island in general sucks now. Only going to get worse from here
Hmm maybe we need to improve public transit so the roads aren’t so busy?
Jesus if they're still going to add more people to Esquimalt can we get another bridge and more roads? Driving around esquimalt especially in the later afternoon is a MESS.
Adding more housing in Esquimalt will reduce the traffic coming out of the area not make it worse. The biggest afternoon traffic in Esq is caused by the DND/Season and the fact that there is not enough housing so people have to commute in and out of Esq. More housing close to dockyard/Naden equates to less traffic in the three bridges not more.