The province has set a new five-year target for housing builds in Richmond – this number is 6,753, which is lower than what the city was expecting.
In a June committee meeting, where some city councillors and the mayor criticized the province for its housing “edict,” city staff estimated the province’s target would be about 1,900 new units per year.
On Thursday, the province announced its targets for Richmond, Burnaby, Coquitlam and other Lower Mainland cities.
In a press release, the province said, in order to meet the housing targets, municipalities have to “create the conditions for housing development, including updating zoning bylaws or streamlining development approval processes.”
Acting Mayor Bill McNulty said the number the province came up with for Richmond agrees with what the city feels it can achieve.
“We’re doing the right thing – (we’re) in the right direction,” McNulty told the Richmond News.
He added that the city can “continue to try to do better,” and the targets shouldn’t stop after five years.
But, generally, it seems the province has “no issues” with Richmond’s direction, according to McNulty.
The province said the five-year targets reflect 75 per cent of the estimated housing need.
If a city doesn’t meet its target or hasn’t made “satisfactory progress” toward meeting it, the housing minister can appoint an adviser to review a city’s progress and “issue a directive to require the municipality to enact or amend a bylaw or accept or reject a permit to help meet the target,” according to the provincial press release.
Some city mayors such as Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart have criticized the provincially mandated targets.
In an opinion piece posted to that city’s website, Stewart said Coquitlam has taken “bold steps” to address housing supply and demand.
He said what’s needed is provincially funded infrastructure for schools, hospitals, child care and transit.
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