 The State of the City – “The high proportion of single-detached housing in Delta is not meeting the needs of the community.” – There is a clear “expectation of dramatic changes in housing type need over time.” – “Different types of density, like infill housing, midrise buildings, and highrise towers, are appropriate in different areas of Delta.” – “Some increases in density are needed to make home-ownership more viable.” – “Concerns about traffic and amenities with increased development” can be expected. Who wrote this? The City of Delta in its Housing Needs Assessment. This report, submitted to the Province of BC as our City’s assessment of the state of our city, is abundantly clear that prudent and urgent changes are required to correct the course that our city is on. Housing needs keep escalating in our city and the need for action is urgent! What can we do? As Daniel Herriges writes, “Suburban places that succeed in making the transition to strong towns over the coming years will be the ones that figure out ways of breaking through [the] logjam of citizen opposition to even incremental change.” Del-POP is committed to positively, enthusiastically, and diligently advocating for neighbourhood change that is inclusive and moves us in the right direction. [Interested in becoming a member? Join us! Learn more at www.delpop.ca] Del-POP Meetup May 19 – North Delta Community Park : Another Piece of the Pie – Co-op and Non-Market Housing Our monthly meetup is coming soon! Join us Thursday May 19th from 7:00PM – 8:00PM at the North Delta Community Park followed by a hangout at the Lion Pub. Join us in person or catch the Zoom stream.RSVP Cheer up! With support from a number of Del-POP speakers and letter-writers, Delta City Council approved 73 more homes in North Delta and Tsawwassen in two significant projects. We are glad to see townhomes being added across the street in walking distance to the North Delta Social Heart and a purpose-built market rental apartment within walking distance of the Tsawwassen Town Centre. Write Council! Send an email to mayor-council@delta.ca to support the redevelopment of Red Door Housing’s Ladner Willows property. This is an outstanding project that meets a critical need in our community. It’s great to see the introduction of 150 new homes for residents of a mix of income levels. We should applaud the vision for community interaction that is evident in the design of this structure and appreciate the emphasis on accessibility. Siting buildings like this within 500 metres of a frequent-service transit stop is also a major benefit to future residents. We are glad to see that the formal parking requirements are being reconsidered for this project (as they should be reconsidered for ALL multi-unit projects in Delta). This project is a major community asset that will benefit us all. Let’s support this project and wait eagerly for residents to start moving in! Meet up! ICYMI, all are welcome to attend our May 19th (7pm) meetup at the North Delta Community Park. It will be outdoors in a true people-oriented place and we will be talking about co-ops and other non-market housing types. Please join us and bring a friend or foe! Gear up! Jessie has created some awesome badges that can be yours if you achieve certain Del-POP goals: bring a friend, speak at a public hearing, spark a conversation, write a letter to council, and attend a meeting. Check them out here and then make your own plan about how you’ll earn a badge or two! The rest of the world can have their NFTs – Del-POP has NFBs (never-ending-fun-badges)! Housing-Induced Poverty Makes Us All Poorer Drawing on data from 7 years ago when the inequity wasn’t as bad as it is now, the City of Delta Housing Needs Assessment determined that: – “Between 2010 and 2015, home values in Delta increased exponentially, but household income didn’t keep pace, making the choice to move into the ownership housing market in Delta even more difficult. Rents in Delta have also increased, driven by low vacancy rates and trickle–down effects from a hot ownership housing market.” – “Differences between renters and owners become especially noticeable when comparing the incomes of owners and renters, and how many spend more than 30% of their income on housing. The numbers also show that those who do not own are likely to continue renting for the foreseeable future as the affordability gap continues over time.” (pg 3) Let’s act. Locally. Urgently. Together. Welcome New Subscribers! We’re stoked to have you join us as advocates of vibrant neighbourhoods and places for people in Delta! We hope you get good value from our newsletter and feel excited to attend our events and spread the word! Get Involved Comment on the Community Energy Plan Update Head over to Let’s Talk Delta to complete an important survey on the City’s proposed Community Energy and Emissions Plan update. Highlight the need to reduce car-dependency and increase building densities to cut emissions per household. Let’s Talk Social Action Plan Write Council re: Ladner Willows The proposed redevelopment of the Ladner Willows site will add affordable housing options in Ladner. Email council to tell them you support this project going forward! Project description is here. [Email Mayor & Council]  Learn how to Del-POP: – Proof that people over parking profits everyone: People Over Parking: Planning.org – Excitement for the wheels on the bus:The Mighty Bus Can Help Your City – Profound explanation of the Neighbor Dilemma: Daniel Herriges, Strong Towns (for the best part of the article skip to this section) – Heavy read alert (totally worthwhile reading): Who Does What: The Municipal Role in Housing, pg 4 (2022) “Non-profit housing completions across Canada went from about 14 percent of all new homes created in the 1970s and 198s to less than 1 percent throughout the 2000s and most of the 2010s.” – Public consultation results in worse outcomes: The Atlantic – We should all go for a walk: To Fully Observe, We Need to Walk, Strong Towns Spicy: Jen Gerson, No One is Going to Fix Housing – How bad is it? Even a Cooling Market Provides No Relief – How many things on this list are true of Delta: 11 Signs a City Will Succeed – Trees + Land Use + Population: Analysis of Metro 2050 | Dan Fumano – A coherent philosophy for change: The Strong Towns approach Network Statistics: As of May 14, 2022 – 51 Newsletter subscribers – 75 Twitter followers – 23 Facebook likes – 608 website visitors – 6 public letters sent to council – 1 campaign Now that you know, what will you do? |
Housing-Induced Poverty Makes Us All Poorer – Del-POP Dispatch #12 (Archive)
