Saying it91裸聊视频檚 already gone over and above what was expected in streamlining the housing process, Victoria is calling on the federal government to pony up promised funds.
But the request for tens of millions of dollars comes as council is still slowing down some applications in the approval pipeline and as the city faces the prospect of no housing funds under Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre91裸聊视频檚 plan.
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said Monday that she wrote to federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser last week, asking that the capital gets its 91裸聊视频渇air share91裸聊视频� of federal housing funding. A monetary infusion to the tune of $28 million 91裸聊视频� through the federal Liberals91裸聊视频� Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) 91裸聊视频� is in order after the city executed what the mayor called the 91裸聊视频渘ation-leading91裸聊视频� Victoria Housing Strategy.
91裸聊视频淎s Victorians know, we live in a small city with a big city91裸聊视频檚 housing crisis. Victoria is a vibrant, growing city with a strong economy and a skilled workforce but our municipality91裸聊视频檚 capacity to support further growth is challenged by a very constrained housing market that is no longer tied to local incomes,91裸聊视频� Alto said in a statement.
91裸聊视频淰ictoria simply cannot wait any longer for the necessary federal funding to help fix our housing challenges 91裸聊视频� funding in an amount that matches the scale of those challenges and reflects our city91裸聊视频檚 role in the regional rental, affordable and urban Indigenous housing systems.91裸聊视频�
Alto91裸聊视频檚 predecessor Lisa Helps, now the premier91裸聊视频檚 housing solutions advisor, frequently lobbied her council to support housing projects under the guise of being eligible for the $4 billion accelerator fund. The program 91裸聊视频� which dished out $74 million to London, Ont. earlier this month 91裸聊视频� provides incentives to communities that increase their housing supply by cutting red tape, fixing outdated local zoning policies and building homes faster.
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But as recently as July, Victoria council said a project in James Bay 91裸聊视频� that would transform a parking lot into a mixed-use site with 112 new one-to-three-bedroom strata units 91裸聊视频� should go back to the drawing board. That was despite the developer providing public amenities, a rent-free daycare and situating a 17-storey tower across from existing apartments to the north while using smaller townhouses as a transition from mostly single-family neighbourhoods to the south.
City staff had reservations over the project91裸聊视频檚 height, mass and how it would fit into future uses of the area.
91裸聊视频淥ur council has obviously been and will continue to be very pro-housing, but it doesn91裸聊视频檛 mean that anything goes all the time,91裸聊视频� Coun. Jeremy Caradonna said as he moved to refer the project so it could be adjusted.
Philip MacKellar, a member of the advocacy group Homes For Living, said delays 91裸聊视频� whether well thought out or not 91裸聊视频� will always increase the costs of units when they reach the rental or ownership market.
91裸聊视频�(Delays) are problematic, if a council is in a housing crisis, which we are, the capacity or bandwidth to be nit-picky to specific details should be lower than if we were not in a housing crisis,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淭his was a bit disappointing for sure, but I think that this project will eventually come back to council and they91裸聊视频檒l pass it.91裸聊视频�
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While he notes it delayed approving the Harris Green Village project, MacKellar said he91裸聊视频檚 encouraged that this group at City Hall likely greenlit more units than any council has during a first year in office. He noted surrounding communities have done less on housing, while Oak Bay has created a regulatory environment where projects are barely pitched now.
Speaking with media outside city hall on Monday, Alto refuted that the city isn91裸聊视频檛 doing enough to streamline the housing process when asked about the James Bay project. The mayor said city processes that simplify and speed up building different forms of housing are working, but she acknowledged there91裸聊视频檚 always more to do. Alto noted council will be updated with proposed changes to the Missing Middle Initiative this week.
The mayor said Fraser confirmed Victoria has been approved for accelerator funding, but the feds have not confirmed a dollar amount as she requested.
91裸聊视频淥ur position 91裸聊视频� is that based on our housing strategies and based on the criteria of the (housing accelerator), we not only meet but dramatically exceed their criteria,91裸聊视频� Alto said.
A request for comment from the federal housing minister went unanswered Monday (Sept. 25).
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The accelerator fund91裸聊视频檚 structure is also being debated in Ottawa as the Conservative Party of Canada91裸聊视频檚 Poilievre unveiled his own housing plan last week.
It91裸聊视频檚 unclear whether Poilievre91裸聊视频檚 private member91裸聊视频檚 bill 91裸聊视频� which would reward cities that boost housing while cutting funding for ones that don91裸聊视频檛 hit targets 91裸聊视频� would see Victoria be eligible for any money. The bill91裸聊视频檚 infrastructure-funding bonuses and holdbacks would apply to 22 91裸聊视频渉igh-cost cities91裸聊视频� that don91裸聊视频檛 include Victoria, Nanaimo or any other Island communities.
91裸聊视频淚 can91裸聊视频檛 speak on Mr. Poilievre91裸聊视频檚 policies but I know that the city is now the fourth-most expensive in Canada and so it would be peculiar to see that we weren91裸聊视频檛 on a list like that,91裸聊视频� Alto said.
Black Press Media reached out to Poilievre91裸聊视频檚 parliamentary email for comment but received no response about what data informed the 91裸聊视频渉igh-cost cities91裸聊视频� or if his bill would withhold funding from Victoria.
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