Support the Construction of New Housing – Del-POP Dispatch #4 (Archive)

Del-POP Dispatch #4

Housing is a hot topic in the federal election and I, for one, am stoked to see this issue getting more attention!

I also want to encourage you to continue to take action locally! As Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns writes,

“Everything you are passionate about at the national level has a local analog that needs your attention. And not only does it need your attention, your passion and energy is game-changing. The time and effort you put into making your place stronger and more prosperous will make a huge difference in the lives of others. The result of those efforts won’t be ambiguous — show your place love and it will love you back. I promise.”

Action #1: Del-POP Monthly Meet-up
THURSDAY 7:30PM

There is a lot to catch up on regarding our housing and land use advocacy efforts in Delta! The City just released a draft version of the Housing Action Plan and we will talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly in it. There is a public survey open and our Thursday meet-up on Zoom will be a good chance to come up with good feedback to offer to the City.

We’ll also compare notes on federal election related items and discuss the best ways to spread the word about Del-POP and involve your talents in the operations of Del-POP!

7:30 PM on Zoom – unless I get a flurry of emails asking to meet on a patio somewhere in Delta – if you rsvp to me or reply to this email, I’ll be able to keep you in the loop if we do change to an in-person meeting.

Action #2: Write City Council in Support of Purpose-Built Rental Homes (Tsawwassen)

This fantastic project on 56th Street in Delta is coming to Council for 1st and 2nd readings and it’s a great opportunity to write to Council and encourage them to support this project. There have been some … frustrating?… letters to Council and reactions in the Optimist to this project that are definitely not representative of the broader community but will be held up as evidence unless there is a stronger outpouring of support for this project. If you’d like some ideas on what to write, I would be happy to chat with you!

Email: mayor-council@delta.ca

Action #3: Support the construction of 35 new homes at 83 Ave and 115 Street on Let’s Talk Delta (North Delta)

Del-POP exists to speak up about great projects that will benefit the community, improve the public realm, and add needed housing to our neighbourhoods. This project does all those things really well!

Submit your comments on Let’s Talk Delta by August 23rd.

Action #4: Email Council in Support of Kin Village Phase 1 Project (Tsawwassen) & Evergreen Lane (Ladner)

These projects are coming to 3rd reading soon (dates to be determined) and it never hurts to have your correspondence added to the file in support of these fantastic projects (Kin Village Evergreen Lane) that will add a lot of affordable housing.

All of our correspondence is added to the file on each of these projects and is factored into the report that goes to Council before 3rd reading.

Action #5: Email Council in support of the We Love Delta Pop-Up Parks (city-wide)

City staff did an amazing job activating several previously inaccessible spaces to turn them into genuine people-oriented places. These types of spaces have a cascading effect that boosts public morale, increases outdoor uses, and spurs more interest in living in Delta. When the City provides more public amenities for all to enjoy (public luxuries!) the types of housing that cluster around them will often be more diverse and attractive to a broader range of residents. With lots of public support, it is more likely that the City will be even more ambitious next year!

“People-oriented places are those in which the community naturally tends to gather, and where they feel safe, welcome, and know they will find others. They are our public living rooms, whether the sidewalk, park, plaza, or a favorite coffee shop.” Cary Westerbeck – Bo-POP

Action #6: Submit Comments on the Housing Action Plan on Let’s Talk Delta (city-wide)

The City’s Housing Action Plan is in the virtual consultuation stage.

The Action Plan will shape the policies that the City implements and the 8 strategies they have identified are quite solid.

Unfortunately, these types of strategies are easily ignored or watered down when the public will is not clearly expressed. Therefore it is imperative that we press City Council to take this extremely seriously and to favour boldness and action on this file. Your comments will help that a lot!

We’ll take time to summarize the plan at the Thursday meet-up if you don’t have time to read through it 🙂

Key Dates:

Thursday, Aug 19

Del-POP Monthly Meetup – Zoom

Monday, Aug 23

Deadline for Let’s Talk feedback for 35 new homes in North Delta (Action #3)

Wednesday, Sep 8

Deadline for Let’s Talk Feedback on draft Housing Action Plan

Key Question:

What do you find confusing or opaque about our local government processes? What are the things that seem to deter ‘ordinary’ people from participating?

Key Goal:

To add 100 members to Del-POP by December 31, 2021!

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