The Bowen Community Housing Association, a not-for-profit, volunteer group of concerned citizens, was formed to address the affordable housing problem on Bowen Island to: “Foster and facilitate the maintenance of an economically and socially diverse community through the creation of affordable, accessible and attainable housing for all.”

The lack of affordable housing on Bowen Island has been well researched and documented.  Our ‘Housing Needs Assessment and Strategy’ identifies the scope of the problem. Every Bowen Island study over the past 15 years has highlighted this need. During the current OCP Update, affordable housing has been consistently recognized as the primary issue to address.

The social fabric of our community and the health and well being of families and individuals is jeopardized by this lack of affordable housing. If a family (or individual) is spending too much on housing (anything over one third of their income is considered unhealthy) then not enough is being spent on food, clothing, medical care and education.  Many of the low income earners on Bowen are in the service sector. Without affordable housing these services will either disappear or the workers will be forced to commute. We need affordable housing to ensure a diverse population.

BCHA has been very successful in addressing many of these issues:

• • The ‘Housing Needs Assessment & Strategy’ was initiated by the BCHA and funded by BCHA members & the public
  • We have established a ‘Neighbours Housing Neighbours’ fund to assist those who need emergency or temporary housing that they could not otherwise afford
  • The BCHA was instrumental and successful in lobbying for legalizing ‘Secondary Suites’ in order to provide more affordable rental housing
  • We successfully petitioned the Bowen Island Municipality to create policy that would require all new subdivisions or re-zonings to provide at least 15 % of the units as affordable housing that would remain affordable in perpetuity.

We are now planning a 20 unit housing community for those who are most in need, modeled after projects already completed and funded by ‘BC Housing’.  Our Mayor has indicated that land, within the Community Lands, will be made available for affordable housing.

Sincerely;

Robin Burger, Chair

Bowen Community Housing Association

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Below is the BCHA’s 5 page submission for the OCP Ideas Forum.  Join us on October 22nd, 2009 at the Bowen Island Community School at 7 p.m. to share your thoughts and ideas. The BCHA wants to see Bowen flourish, not just as a community, but as a model community. Let your voice be heard!

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Bowen Community Housing Association

(BCHA) submission to

OCP Ideas Forum

Needs:

Bowen needs diversity of housing. The average cost of a dwelling on Bowen is $725,000. With a 20% down payment, an annual household income of over $120,000 is still required to qualify for a mortgage, and only 32.5% of households have income in that range. A household income of just under $78,000 annually is required to buy the least expensive dwelling on Bowen. This means 67.5% of households on Bowen earn less than the income required to buy the average house—36% earn less than needed to buy the least expensive house. If you do not already own a home on Bowen, chances 3 to1 that you could not afford to buy one; however, only 19% of dwellings are available to rent and some are summer homes only available for off-season rental (only 10% of all dwellings are not single-detached houses).[i] Already we have anecdotal evidence of young families leaving the island to find affordable homes, the elderly leaving to find supportive housing, and employers struggling to find dwellings for the personnel they need to operate their businesses.

Diversity of housing is essential to a healthy community. Without it we cannot hope to achieve “… a population with varying income levels, lifestyles and age groups … a healthy community with residents working together to improve the quality of life … [or the capacity to] provide the basic needs of full time residents, seasonal residents and visitors.”[ii]

We need dwellings for the single employees and the employees with families of Island businesses, for seniors who are downsizing, as starter homes for young families, for single parents, persons with disabilities, and young single adults. We need a diversity of dwelling types: not just secondary suites but accessory buildings, rental units, attached housing (row housing, duplexes), accessible housing for seniors and those with disabilities, and alternative housing (supportive housing, cohousing and co-op housing). We also need diversity of affordability: to provide options to for both ownership at market rates in a range of price brackets, as well as “below market” opportunities.

We shouldn’t tolerate a housing situation that results in 1% of our population homeless, single mothers “couch surfing,” and those employed on-island forced to commute from the mainland.

Diversity of housing is not possible without density and developers. Bowen must move beyond considering both of these an anathema and recognize that they are essential to growing into a healthy and vital community.

With respect to the OCP itself, the need is to remove or reword the clauses in the document that impede the provision of diversity of housing and achieving the “Broad Objectives.”(See Schedule A attached.)

Ambitions:

The BCHA wants to see Bowen flourish, not just as a community, but as a model community: “a complete, vibrant, mixed-use community that offers its residents the opportunity to work, live, play, shop, learn and pray within a convenient walking or transit distance. The community should be structured to protect key riparian areas and keep other important natural features stable while respecting the challenges of developing on any particular site. The community should offer a diversity of housing for a range of incomes, family sizes and ages. Commercial areas should offer office, retail, commercial space, in addition to residential and community amenities. For new communities, the issue of providing land use structures that can offer “real jobs” (not just retail) is critical for the long term prosperity of the community. The landscape in the community also needs to offer a wide range of recreational opportunities to provide a great quality of life to residents and visitors.”[iii]

Our ambition is for Bowen Island to offer every one of its citizens an appropriate and affordable home; whether rented or owned; whether priced at or below market. Coincidentally, the densities, clustering, and style of housing needed to accomplish this is in lock step with best practices for green building and environmental stewardship.

Our ambition is to give everyone on Bowen choices of housing type and location and some security of tenure in this choice.

Thoughts about Bowen’s Future:

Diversity of housing types for a wide range of incomes is essential to Bowen’s future as a healthy community. Without this we continue to move towards a future as a wealthy gated suburb within a private park. Diversity of housing is not an end, but rather a means to ensuring the vibrancy, vitality, and diversity in the community. By making the cost of housing appropriate, diversity allows everyone to thrive regardless of their level of income. Snug Cove should remain the Island’s cultural, economic, and social centre and; therefore, the area of greatest density; however, income should not force one to live in the Cove or preclude them from living on the west side of the island.

Diversity of housing will allow choice in all things: ownership or rental, long term or short term tenure, location, to stay or to go, and by giving the opportunity for the individual to thrive, will allow the community to thrive—without it there is no future on Bowen for many.

BCHA submission to OCP Ideas Forum

SCHEDULE A

The following is specific language in the existing (1995) Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 139 that the BCHA feels impedes the provision of the diversity of housing types needed to “encourage maintenance of a population with varying income levels, lifestyles and age groups.”

2.2 Principles

Bullet 3 “…there shall be no net increase in overall island lot density…”

3.1.2.1 “…cluster housing may be permitted provided it does not detract from the rural character…and the overall building density is maintained”.

3.1.4 Affordable Housing, Rental Housing, Special Needs Housing

3.1.4.4 “Affordable and special needs housing shall be considered one form of community amenity that may be considered in exchange for slightly higher density…”

3.1.4.7 “Zoning for multi-family or attached housing shall require the following amenities as a minimum for the development to proceed:

a) Any residual land not used for access, parking, or the building footprint shall be permanent green space.

b) Strategically located green space dedicated for public ownership shall be part of the permanent green space;”

3.1.4.8 Multi-family or attached housing shall be designed as garden apartments or row housing and shall be limited in density to approximately four (4) units per development.

3.1.4.9 “There shall be no overall increase in dwelling unity density through the provision of multi-dwelling unit housing on any parcel above that allowed for other forms of residential housing…”.

Bowen Island Municipal Bylaw No. 137, 2004 – Bowen Island Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 139, 1995, Amendment Bylaw No. 137, 2004 (Snug Cove Village Plan)

4.1.3 “Providing for higher density residential housing within the Village Centre…should be accommodated only if the housing… does not contribute to overall growth on the island beyond that anticipated in the OCP.”

4.1.3 e) “Ensure that new higher density residential development does not exceed a height of 2.5 stories.”

These points require re-writing and in some cases should be deleted as they are in direct opposition to the success of several of the Broad Objectives of the existing OCP, and will serve to block efforts towards ensuring that the housing supply on Bowen will support a diverse population.

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Download our BCHA Membership Form and become a Member today…you’ll be glad you did.

You really can ‘make the difference’.

You can also support BCHA through its annual awareness and fund raiser www.runfortheferry.ca

WELCOME TO OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

The Bowen Community Housing Association would like to thank our new board members Amanda Euringer, Daniel Heald and Tim Rhodes for joining our team.  Each of these new board members brings a varied and substantial amount of expertise to the BCHA. We look forward to their involvement and continued commitment to the housing needs of the island. I would also like to thank our amazing returning board members, Stephanie Legg, Roger McGillivray, Richard Best, Bob McGilvray and Gordon Reid.

While BCHA has achieved much by way of awareness for housing needs and accomplished much regarding affordable housing policies through the Bowen Island Municipality, the most difficult work of all is yet to come. Our board will continue to focus building on public education and awareness, fund raising through the Run for the Ferry and most importantly land acquisition.

The BCHA has made the decision to change our AGM dates from November to June for convenience reasons and therefore our membership year will be July 1, 2009 to June 31, 2010. Membership renewal is very important to keep our objectives present in our community. Membership renewals for 2008 are due and we thank you for your continued support.

Our community needs affordable housing options for everyone and with your help we can make a difference.

We, as an association, look forward to new ideas and incentives in order to provide housing options for Bowen Islanders.

Together we can make it happen,

Robin Burger, Chair

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What many people value about living on Bowen Island, in addition to its simple island lifestyle and natural beauty, is the diversity of people living here. As housing prices soar and rents increase, Bowen is losing its young people, artists, seniors, single parents and hundreds of other valued citizens who can no longer afford a place to live. Many small businesses are now facing staffing problems because there is little affordable housing for employees.

The Bowen Community Housing Association (BCHA) was created in response to the growing problem of unaffordable housing on Bowen Island. The overall purpose of this non-profit organization is to take action to maintain the diversity of Island residents and lifestyles through the creation of an adequate supply of affordable rental and purchase housing options.

There are many action steps involved and many have been taken so far. To learn more about the steps BCHA are taking, please peruse the various pages, articles, posts and video clips posted on the website.

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“Life relies on diversity to give it the possibility of
adapting to changing conditions…

Where there is diversity in an organization, innovative
solutions are created all the time, just because different
people do things differently…

Almost always in a diverse organization the solution the
organization needs is already being practiced
somewhere in that system.”

Margaret J. Wheatley
Finding Our Way: Leadership For an Uncertain Time, p. 78
www.margaretwheatley.com