Vancouver looks at reducing social housing requirements in Downtown Eastside developments

The City of Vancouver is asking for feedback on proposed changes to its housing policies in the Downtown Eastside.

The proposed changes include taller buildings and updated definitions to align with funding requirements. However, it’s the possible change in the mix of social and market rentals that’s getting the most attention.

Staff at City Hall suggest the percentage of suites dedicated to social housing should drop from 60 per cent to 20 per cent in a bid to attract more developers.

It says it’s aimed at increasing affordable housing and replacing aging single-room occupancy (SROs) hotels.

“The current definition of social housing in the DTES and existing inclusionary housing policy, which sets out the required mix of social and market rental housing in the Downtown Eastside-Oppenheimer District (DEOD), compounded by high construction costs and current market conditions, have proven to be a significant barrier to the construction of social housing,” the city said in a statement Wednesday.

“The proposed changes are intended to address the housing crisis and enable the creation of affordable housing in the DTES, taking into consideration the financial realities of building new units,” it added.

Along with changing the required percentage of social housing suites, the changes would also allow private developers to build below-market rents with “10 per cent of units at deeply discounted rents to replace SROs.”

“While proposed changes would reduce the number of shelter rate housing and social housing units required for individual projects, they would improve the financial viability of these projects, leading to more overall social housing being built,” the city claimed.

“The proposed changes also align with the DTES Plan’s goals to replace private SROs with self-contained social housing and offer a range of housing options for various income levels, including market rental, as well as Council’s recent direction to prioritize SRO replacement.”

The city says it would be protecting low-income residents in the neighbourhood by offering tenants the right to return to the new building at their existing rent, or at a 50 per cent discount, whichever is lower. The city would also require landlords to pay for all moving expenses, rather than the current flat rate.

Vancouver residents can express their feedback from now until May 16. “Your input will help inform a recommendation that will be presented to Council later this year.”

City council will vote on the recommendations later this year.