Vancouver mayor to pitch plan for middle-income housing on city-owned land

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim will bring forward a motion Wednesday requiring staff to look for ways to bolster housing options for households making between $80,000 and $180,000 per year.

If this motion is approved, city staff would then be directed to expand the existing mandate of the newly created Vancouver Housing Development Office to look into middle-income housing on city-owned properties.

The office oversees non-market housing delivery and oversight of the Vancouver Affordable Housing Endowment Fund.

"The shortage of middle-income housing fundamentally threatens the city's overall sustainability and liveability and hinders economic growth and makes it difficult to attract and retain the talent," the motion reads.

Sim's motion says that this middle-income housing would provide housing for essential workers such as police and firefighters and those working in the health-care sector.

A recent report from Rentals.ca found Vancouver continues to have Canada's most expensive monthly rates, with the average one-bedroom unit listed at $2,872 and a two-bedroom at $3,777.

Last month, a report from Rates.ca also found that Vancouver has a median income of around $86,000, yet the average home price is nearly 250 per cent more than someone earning that can afford.

Sim's motion asks staff to report back in the spring with their findings on how city-owned assets can be used to deliver these homes.

The motion also asks that staff look into the range of possible units achievable across the housing continuum while exploring potential partnerships with First Nations, the private sector, industry partners, other government agencies, non-profits and faith-based groups.