Planners

This study investigates how to right-size the amount of on-site and off-street parking allocated to new apartment building developments.

Key insights:

This technical report brought forward a number of new insights about street parking supply and utilization, for example:

• Apartment parking supply remains excessive relative to observed utilization. Apartment buildings close to frequent transit, whether or bus or SkyTrain, have lower parking supply and utilization
• The lower rates of parking utilization are associated with higher transit use as measured by the number of bus boardings near the buildings, and this relationship is stronger for rental apartment sites
• Street parking is inherently complex in mixed-use neighbourhoods. Some of the factors contributing to street parking use include visitors to non-residential land uses, such as restaurants, shops, and parks; apartment visitors on weekends, holidays, and special occasions; and some apartment residents parking on the street. Even with these factors, only a handful of surveyed street networks experienced persistently high street parking utilization.
• Finally, the 2018 Regional Parking Study highlights a challenge that remains unchanged from the 2012 Study. The design and capacity of current bicycle parking facilities in apartment buildings are discouraging their use by many residents.

The findings indicate that the parking supply in Metro Vancouver outpaces observed utilization, and apartments close to frequent bus and train transit networks display lower parking utilization rates. Parking in mixed-use neighbourhoods was observed to have unique trends that varied by time of day and weekday versus weekend and holiday travel.

This technical report was prepared by TransLink and Metro Vancouver.

This report from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, part of UC Berkeley, highlights barriers faced by developers working in states that have enabled multiple units to be built on traditionally single-family zoned lots.

Key insights:

The report details that Middle Housing delivers many benefits to communities:

• Increases racial equity in housing and neighbourhood access
• Providesentry-level homeownership opportunities
• Creates lower greenhouse gas emissions per household).

The following developer challenges are highlighted:

• Design requirements need to be flexible/supportive of missing middle housing;
• Larger projects of 8-12 units need to be permitted to make projects financially viable; that complicated utility and subdivision rules deter small-scale development;
• Approval timelines need to be more efficient; and that there is currently a lack of traditional financing tools to create a funding package for projects.

Key recommendations:

• Introducing development code changes beyond zoning reforms, including updating design requirements and assessing current impact fees and utility requirements
• Allocate dedicated resources to streamline permitting and approval processes
• Considering more ambitious land use changes, such as increasing the maximum units that can be developed per lot, to help foster increased missing middle housing development.

This discussion guide provides an overview of housing affordability in Metro Vancouver, looking at trends in persons experiencing homelessness, available housing supply, rental housing supply, the purchase price of homes, and the percentage of homes with a core housing need.

Key insights:

Compiled by Simon Fraser University, this paper explores:

• The roles of different levels of government to produce and maintain affordable housing
• Alternative ownership and tenure models (include housing/equity co-operatives and collaborative housing)
• Affordable housing finance tools (including equity loans, community land trusts, and group mortgages)
• Cost saving models to reduce construction costs (including using modular pre-fab housing and micro units) along with each models’ advantages and challenges.

This collaborative report from Happy Cities/ Hey Neighbour Collective summarizes discussions from municipal staff (planners & policymakers), developers, community organizations, and researcher perspectives on how to facilitate social connection in multi-unit housing.

Multi-unit residential buildings can help densify and increase housing supply in growing, land-constrained cities. If designed appropriately, multi-unit residences can also provide occupants the opportunity to lead more socially connected lives.

Key insights:

As the report outlines, elements for social connectedness were identified through group discussions, and included:

• Tenure alternatives
• Feeling safe
• Having exposure to other tenants.

Supportive policies (e.g., exploring alternative ownership models) and design features (e.g., creating clusters of smaller amenity spaces) were articulated to help advance these outcomes.

Along with key challenges, a roadmap is articulated to help collective evidence and increase awareness of the importance of social connection, and pilot the proposed concepts in new housing projects.

A growth management strategy that relies on extensive urban infill requires major changes from past industry and regulatory practice. For the strategy to succeed, builders and local governments must change the way they operate and work more closely together to further each others’ goals.

Key insights:

This report from the Housing Partnership discusses ten essentials for advancing gentle density infill development, including:

• Building political will
• Making infill attractive and profitable to developers
• Planning development based on market demand
• Ensuring new housing preserves existing neighbourhood character
• Promoting livable designs
• Providing a supportive regulatory process.

For each essential, a section is provided to discuss the topic’s importance, highlight the changes that must be made, and denote the roles that developers, local organizations, municipalities, and provincial governments must uptake to successfully deliver each initiative.

An emphasis is placed on municipalities working closely with developers to ensure that regulatory environments work to support development and vice versa.

This publication was prepared by The Housing Partnership, through a contribution from
the Washington Association of Realtors.

This Terner Center Brief reflects on municipal planner’s experience with the new suite of laws that have been enacted since 2016 to spur housing development in California.

Key insights:

The brief provides an overview of new planning, zoning and permitting legislation in the State of California since 2017, including:

• The introduction of higher municipal housing targets
• Requirements to rezone exclusionary neighbourhoods
• Infill supportive legislation including density bonuses and policies enabling ADU development.

This insightful brief from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation was crafted by Bill Fulton, Terner Fellow; David Garcia, Policy Director; Ben Metcalf, Managing Director; Carolina Reid, Faculty Research Advisor; and Truman Braslaw, Graduate Student Researcher.