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.

Download the BCHA Spring Newsletter 2009 (PDF - 16 MB)

The spring newsletter featured several articles, including:

• Gnome Houses Spring Up Out of Nowhere - about the four small houses created by students at Emily Carr University of Art and Design on the theme of affordability, which were on display on Bowen Island
• Dash for Cash - about preparations for the 15th Annual Bowen Island Run for the Ferry event on August 29, 2009.
• What Has the BCHA Accomplished So Far?
• BCHA’s Annual Membership Fair
• Social Housing for Citizens in Greatest Need
• Homeless to Me Means Without a Roof, Living Rough
• A Message from the President of BCHA
• Bowen Island Housing Affordability Update

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, Bowen Community Housing Association Contact us at info@bowenhousing.org

You are invited to the 2nd Affordable Housing Open House

Saturday, November 22
Cates Hill Chapel
10 a.m. - Noon

The Affordable Housing Working Group (AHWG) is hosting a second open house to offer information and updates regarding the creation of affordable housing on Bowen. The meeting, on Saturday, November 22, at 10 a.m. at Cates Hill Chapel, will include the launch of the Ownership Waitlist. Qualified applicants are invited to fill out a Purchase Waitlist application form to register for an opportunity to purchase affordable housing units, when they become available.

Tim Wake, an affordable housing consultant for the Bowen Island Municipality, and members of the AHWG will be on hand to answer questions regarding the process of registration. As well, representatives from First Credit Union will be in attendance to offer advice on obtaining a pre-approved mortgage, one of the Waitlist criteria.

Other requirements include having residency, or full-time employment on the island. Applicants must not be owners of property currently, or within the past five years.

For the first three months, a priority sequence based on a point system will be applied to those applications received. Points will be assigned, with one point allotted for each year of permanent residence on Bowen for adults 19 years of age and older and half a point per year for each child in the same household. After the first three months, the point system will be dropped and qualified applicants will be added on a first-come-first-served basis.

The Bowen Island Municipality will receive the applications. Registration will be processed under the strictest level of confidentiality, initially by a designated authority of the AHWG and ultimately by the municipal housing corporation. The Waitlist will help the corporation determine the needs of the community, in terms of type and number of affordable units sought by the island’s population.

In addition to being available at Saturday’s open house, Waitlist application forms can be obtained from the municipality, and downloaded from the AHWG website. For more information, please email contact@bihousing.org.

On Wednesday, October 29th, the Bowen Island Municipality’s Affordable Housing Working Group presented the a preview of the new waitlist for the purchase affordable ownership housing units. The meeting included opportunities to ask members of the questions and learn details regarding the soon-to-be struck Municipal Housing Corporation.

Here is the waitlist meeting brochure (PDF) which outlines the event and the process so far.

Submitted by bowenhou on Sat, 2007-11-10 20:42.

Smart Growth BC commissioned this report on approaches to producing affordable housing by local governments in various jurisdictions in Canada and the US. The author is Tim Wake, an affordable housing consultant and a councillor in Whistler, which is a leader in providing housing for its working residents. He is also the founding General Manager of the Whistler Housing Authority which he led for eight years.
Tim has been a guide and mentor to the BCHA during 2006-2007, as board member as a member of the Affordable Housing Strategy Committee.

Download the full report: Best Practices in Affordable Housing in PDF format.

Download the companion report: Affordable Housing Toolkit in PDF format.

Spring 2008 BCHA Newsletter (PDF)

A new emphasis on finding shelter for the destitute is welcome, but threatens to obscure the need to support the people who will build tomorrow’s economy

By TREVOR BODDY - January 11, 2008 Globe and Mail

With our forestry industry in decline, and our real estate boom losing its steam, B.C.’s economic health will increasingly depend on its creative and cultural industries. Up to now, Vancouver, Victoria and the Okanagan have been doing an amazing job in attracting the best and brightest from across Canada and around the world, new residents who bring their energy, ideas and risk-taking to invent things that never existed before: plays, software, fuel cells, urban developments, sculptures, process engineering, jazz solos, corporate logos, furniture, novels, cartoons, architecture, clothing designs, video games, and on and on.
The artists, technicians and designers who invent these things want nothing more than to have lots of fellow creators around, because they know how one idea sparks another, in the unexpected ways that happen only in diverse cities. These generally young resident creators are intellectual capital in the purest sense, and far more important to growing B.C.’s wealth through the 21st century than all our pulp mills, strip malls or even oil drills heaped together. Read the rest of this entry »

Weeks ago, the Board of the Bowen Community Housing Association scheduled a potluck dinner meeting to plan the agenda for the upcoming BCHA Annual General Meeting. As luck would have it, the meeting corresponded with BowFeast so the Board decided to meet in style! Each member brought a dish made with as many Bowen grown or produced foods as possible. The group sat down to casseroles made with potatoes and veggies from Collins Farm, a quiche from the Ruddy Potato, a salad from a home garden, homemade bread, green heritage tomatoes with home grown basil, and an apple crumble made with local Heritage apples. BC wines featured at the Wine Store’s tasting event were also consumed (in modest quantities!) Read the rest of this entry »

A review of the earnings from the Run for the Ferry event, which was organized by Bowen Community Housing members this year for fund raising. Read the rest of this entry »