URBANICS
Urbanics Consultants was sequentially retained to assess the comprehensive housing needs for five areas of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District–starting with two electoral areas in 2019-2020, with a follow-up project to deliver three more similar studies 2021-2022. Using qualitative market and demographic data as well as wide-reaching public survey and stakeholder sessions, the study examined the ongoing need for market-rate housing as well as non-market housing. The report investigated the consequences of a trend towards falling population and their implications for current and future housing supply. The study found declining affordability levels, such that most households could not afford the median single-family home, despite this constituting the vast majority of the housing stock. Urbanics further found a broad concern for the housing needs of the aging population.
The recommendations from the studies included measures to diversify the permitted housing forms, to create less expensive housing in areas where the servicing was available to support such options, such as secondary suites, multiplexes, and low-rise apartment buildings, to minimize planning barriers to private provision of housing (especially rental housing), to work with the province and non-profits to facilitate the provision of non-market or public housing. Additional higher cost recommendations included the establishment of a reserve fund and land banks to provide resources for housing provision.
Urbanics was subsequently engaged in 2022 following the last study to provide follow-up round table for Directors on strategies for affordable housing provision and policy.