John Westacott’s Post

🏘 B.C. Housing Targets: Cities Struggle to Keep Pace 🔘 B.C. Housing Ministry Report: Most municipalities are behind on their housing targets since new goals were set. 🔘 Total Progress: Over 4,000 net new homes built since the first targets were announced in September. 🔘 Top Performers: Victoria and Port Moody commended for significant progress toward their goals. 🔘 Victoria: Exceeded its one-year target, completing 753 units (114% of its goal). 🔘 Port Moody: Achieved 90% of its annual target. 🔘 Areas Needing Improvement: Delta, Oak Bay, and West Vancouver are notably behind. 🔘 Oak Bay: Only 12.5% of its first-year target achieved. 🔘 Next Steps: B.C. introduces new five-year housing targets for 10 additional municipalities. 🔘 New Targets: Cities like Kelowna (8,774 units), Surrey (27,256 units), and Nanaimo (4,703 units) are among those with new goals. 🔨🏡 #BCHousing #Victoria #PortMoody #Delta #OakBay #WestVancouver #HousingCrisis #RealEstate #BCNews #UrbanDevelopment #NewHousingTargets #BuildMoreHomes

Labour’s proposal to use the grey belt is a promising idea for new development. Knight Frank has analysed this new category and found 11,000 previously developed sites, which make up less than 1% of the existing green belt. These sites are mostly in the south of England, with over 40% within the London green belt area. According to Knight Frank, these grey belt sites could provide space for 100,000 to 200,000 new family homes. This offers a big chance to boost the supply of affordable housing, especially in high-demand areas. However, talking about these possibilities is easy, but delivering them is another challenge. Should we wait for planning reforms to catch up with this potential, or can we, as an industry, do more to make sure affordable housing providers have the resources they need for proactive development? By addressing the hurdles faced by many, particularly local councils, we can invest in more initiatives to create affordable housing options and build a more sustainable and fair housing market. It's essential for all stakeholders to see the significant benefits of investing in such initiatives. By doing so, we can create more affordable housing, support community growth, and contribute to a more sustainable and equitable housing market. Do you agree? #affordablehousing #labour #housing

Announcement! The NYC Department of City Planning has taken the next step forward in developing the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan. The plan aims to bring ~12,000 new units/homes to the Jamaica market, including 3,000 affordable units. The draft zoning proposal and policy strategies would build on the strengths of Jamaica. It allows more homes to be built, potential economic growth with increased commercial and community facility space, and improved non-zoning strategies to support the local community. What does this mean for the commercial real estate market? Will we see a fluctuation in pricing in the Jamaica market? Reach out to our brokerage experts for an analysis of the plan and how it could affect your property’s value. Wish to receive future news updates directly in your inbox? Sign up for our News Brief emails here: https://lnkd.in/eY9V7Kxe For more information about the Jamaica Plan see the most recent press release here: https://lnkd.in/gYHWPUYW #byripco #streetsmartandmarketwise #jamaicaqueens #nycplanning #newsbrief Kevin Schmitz Stephen R. Preuss Sr. Andrew LeoGrande

In January '24, #Calgary unveiled a proposal aimed at #rezoning all current residential areas permitting only single or semi-detached homes. Key objective behind this initiative is to diversify #housing options citywide, streamline permit approvals, and lower costs. However, the Calgary Real Estate Board has raised concerns, highlighting potential negative impacts on property values and the city's aesthetic. Hong Wang (chair of CREB's government relations standing committee), advocating for a more nuanced approach, suggested prioritizing sustainable growth and involving communities in decision-making processes. CREB's chief economist, Ann-Marie Lurie, expresses skepticism regarding the city's proposal. She added that the city's plan would not address many of the problems the real estate industry is facing, including a severe lack of supply and high housing prices. Rezoning in the way it is being proposed will not necessarily add the amount of supply needed in the price ranges that require supply." As Calgary grapples with the complexities of housing policy, one question remains: Will the proposed rezoning plan truly solve the city's housing challenges, or could it exacerbate existing issues?

Housing Minister Paul Calandra introduced the new provincial planning statement at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, emphasizing the need for a consistent approach to urban planning across the province. The goal is to give municipalities the tools and flexibility to meet Ontario’s housing targets. Despite these efforts, Ontario is still behind on its home-building goals. The government had committed to building 1.5 million homes by 2031, but as of mid-2024, only 11 out of 50 municipalities are more than halfway to their targets. The province has even started counting long-term care beds in its housing totals to boost numbers. A key focus of the new rules is to encourage housing development near transit hubs and on underutilized lands like shopping plazas. However, some critics, including Environmental Defence, worry that these changes could lead to more low-density sprawl. What are your thoughts? ----- 🌐 https://lnkd.in/e42sE9H2 📞 +1 416-654-7653 📧 cintia@cintiadeaguiar.com . . . . #cintiadeaguiar #torontorealestate #yorkrealestate #peelrealestate #haltonrealestate #durhamrealestate #realestate #realestateagent #firsttimehomebuyer #milliondollarlisting #luxuryrealestate #DreamHomeSearch #ontariohousingmarket #propertyforsale #LuxuryHomes

Continued: The UGAs can be developed intelligently with commercial uses, parks, and transit. They can be assets to the city. Bellingham seems to have this idea that expansion should be avoided at all costs. I understand some of this comes from the City's interpretation of the GMA. But we can strike a balance between the need to contain urban development and the need to expand to meet the city's housing needs.” Cat M. ⁠ ⁠ How should Bellingham grow? Our community is weighing in on Engage Bellingham’s Land Use and Community Design board that posed three ways to grow and asked for the public's input. ⁠ ⁠ The three options provided are:⁠ ➡️ Urban Village Focus⁠ ➡️ Transit-Oriented Development⁠ ➡️ Complete Neighborhoods⁠ ⁠ Cat M. makes two good points: We need housing right now, and we do need more single-family housing. In one community survey a majority of people said they want housing without people living above or below them and they want their own private outdoor space. ⁠ ⁠ To prevent sprawl, to start building immediately, to provide the range of homes that people need and to manage sustainable growth, the City will need to annex new buildable land that can support these needs in addition to investing in Urban Village expansion and Transit-Oriented development.⁠ ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ⁠ #CommunityEngagement #ComprehensivePlan #HousingforBellingham #BellinghamWA

A new study on #housing found that in 2021, one in six residential properties owned by people born in the 1990s (17.3%) was co-owned with their parents. This proportion was higher in more expensive urban markets, such as Toronto, Guelph, Abbotsford–Mission, Vancouver and Victoria. The study also found that parents’ housing wealth was most strongly associated with children’s property values in Toronto, Kelowna, Vancouver and Victoria. 🔗 Full study: https://lnkd.in/e7AxBRsD. #CdnHousing #Property

Housing Minister Paul Calandra introduced the new provincial planning statement at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, emphasizing the need for a consistent approach to urban planning across the province. The goal is to give municipalities the tools and flexibility to meet Ontario’s housing targets. Despite these efforts, Ontario is still behind on its home-building goals. The government had committed to building 1.5 million homes by 2031, but as of mid-2024, only 11 out of 50 municipalities are more than halfway to their targets. The province has even started counting long-term care beds in its housing totals to boost numbers. A key focus of the new rules is to encourage housing development near transit hubs and on underutilized lands like shopping plazas. However, some critics, including Environmental Defence, worry that these changes could lead to more low-density sprawl. What are your thoughts? ----- 🌐 https://lnkd.in/ekARKbqN 📞 +1 416-654-7653 📧 cintia@cintiadeaguiar.com . . . . #cintiadeaguiar #torontorealestate #yorkrealestate #peelrealestate #haltonrealestate #durhamrealestate #realestate #realestateagent #firsttimehomebuyer #milliondollarlisting #luxuryrealestate #DreamHomeSearch #ontariohousingmarket #propertyforsale #LuxuryHomes

Calgary's housing crisis is having a disproportionately negative impact on families, especially newcomers. #unsprawling More than just our City of Calgary zoning bylaw, our Government of Alberta building code regulations make it near-impossible to build spacious and affordable apartment buildings in urban environments. So we're left with supply inelasticity anywhere with decent transit or schools. It's beyond time to re-legalize single-egress construction in our building code like our friends at the Government of British Columbia. The path to sustainability and quality of life runs through enabling housing forms that are easier to build, and more suitable for communities. #yyc #calgary #urbanism #housing #housingaffordability

As newly elected councillors are sworn into office, the focus turns to delivering on the mandate given to them by the community. However, this term brings with it an immense challenge. Southeast Queensland (SEQ) is expected to experience exponential population growth by 2046, with the Gold Coast alone needing to accommodate between 388,300 more people and 161,700 new dwellings. To achieve this, SEQ councils will have to adopt a mix of housing typologies, including increased infill development, more medium-high density, and some new land release. Although infill and density may present the biggest challenge, we must work with the community to meet this demand through a variety of housing types and choices, rather than just assuming that density is only about constructing large towers. It is far more nuanced than that. We see our colleagues in NSW grappling with this immense challenge too, and they are leaning into it, particularly around transport orientated developments. 🗞️ I penned a short piece in the Gold Coast Bulletin this weekend. You can check it out here if you have a news subscription or message me for a copy: https://lnkd.in/g3_WdY3E We’re going to have to work together to make sure we meet the current and future needs of our growing community through a mix of density, housing types and well designed places 🤝 🏡 Q Shelter CHIA Queensland Council of Mayors (SEQ) Local Government Association of Queensland Planning Institute of Australia Property Council of Australia Queensland Master Builders Queensland UDIA Queensland YIMBY Qld Strata Community Association (Qld) Australian Institute of Architects Urbis Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works Department of State Development and Infrastructure Economic Development Queensland #SEQ #populationgrowth #housingtypes #communityengagement #densitydonewell #infilldevelopment #mediumrise #homematters #bettertogether #goldcoast #queensland