Change 'outdated' zoning policies and densify housing, says Victoria urban planner

Despite record construction activity in downtown Victoria, B.C., the city's housing crisis persists, and one affordable housing organization is pushing to make zoning policy changes a priority in the upcoming municipal elections.

Todd Litman, an urban planning consultant with the Victoria Transport Institute who's part of the advocacy group, Cities for Everyone, described finding family-friendly, affordable housing as "Victoria's greatest challenge."

"It's not a technical challenge, it's a political challenge where we need to change the way that people think about this problem," he told Gregor Craigie, the host of CBC's On The Island.

'Missing middle' housing

Litman says the solution lies in increasing the supply of housing for people who cannot afford detached family homes or condos a segment of housing his group calls "the missing middle."

Thisincludes duplexes or houses with multiple units, townhouses and low-rise apartments which are less expensive to build than high-rises or condominiums and more land-efficient than detached homes.

"The interesting thing is you can walk around Victoria and see lots and lots of older 'missing middle housing' that was built prior to the 1970s when many of the zoning codes became much more restrictive," he said.

Cities for Everyone would like to see those zoning codes changed to make it easier for developers to build these type of housing units.

"Unfortunately, right now our zoning codes and development policies are not aligned to that," Litman said. "They are outdated, they reflect an older vision that basically says no change."

'Not a radical change'

Rezoning sometimes sparks backlash from residents concerned about their neighbourhoods changing too much, Litman said.

But he said refocusing on different types of housing developments won't mean an abrupt landscape shift.

As a goal, neighbourhoods should aim to increase housing supply by 1.5 per cent annually, Litman suggested, to match the rate of population growth in Victoria.

"Neighbourhoods need to grow at the rate of the regional population," he said.

"It means that, every few years, there would be some construction on your block, but it is not a radical change in any sense."

With files from On The Island.

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