The city says it’s doing everything it can to add more rental units, as quickly as possible, with a plan to build 1,200 in the next three years.
Campbell River has $10 million from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund to make it happen, and Andy Gaylor, city Director of Community Planning and Livability, says the need is urgent.
“I know our housing stock right now is about 70% single-family [homes], and what we’re really missing is what’s called that ‘missing middle,’” he says. “We don’t have a lot of entry-level for people looking to get into the market, things like duplexes, triplexes.”
Recent provincial legislation encourages municipalities to add more housing through densification, adding secondary suites or redeveloping properties into multi-family dwellings. Gaylor says the city is now working to allow more homes in existing neighbourhoods, while also considering long-term effects.
“It’s a bit of a balancing act. We’re trying to densify to meet those needs, and provide housing across the spectrum, but do it in a way that’s not disrupting neighbourhood character,” he says.
The city has come up with a plan to start expanding the ‘missing middle’ by pre-zoning lots along Dogwood Street that could host new apartments and condos, saving developers months of preparation time. Gaylor says the federal funding will help the city process the zoning changes quickly. The money will also be used to purchase suitable properties, and make them attractive for development.
Mayor Kermit Dahl says the city would also like to encourage new construction of stand-alone homes with smaller square footage that attract first-time home buyers or downsizing seniors, allowing for more movement in the local housing market. He adds it would also help local young people be able to stay in town, instead of needing to move away to find an affordable place to live.
Province causing delays
Campbell River has seen a large spike in home prices during the last five years, along with vacancy rates at less than 1%, some of the lowest in BC.
Dahl says provincial bureaucrats are partly to blame for that lack of housing. He points out there are developments around town that could be under construction already, except for provincial delays processing requirements such as environmental and traffic assessments.
“If we don’t make it, it won’t be the city that held everything up, he says. “There are several hundred units just sitting, waiting for nothing but the province to complete their process. The city won’t be the ones holding us back.”
For example, one townhouse project has been delayed for months while the city waits for the province to approve a culvert, connecting two pre-existing pipes across two properties.
