Housing

City Housing Policies

• Affordable Housing Strategy - On February 8, 2010, the City adopted the Affordable Housing Strategy. The Strategy contains nine strategic directions that will help the City promote housing affordability to meet the full range of incomes and needs in the City.
• Official Community Plan (OCP) - Adopted in 1998, the OCP establishes 11 housing goals and nine related policies and priorities.
• 1996 Housing Strategy - Adopted in 1996, this strategy includes 32 recommendations related to housing.

Studies and Initiatives

• Moratorium on strata conversions (1978)
• Secondary Suites Program (1998)
• Staff reports on affordable housing (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004)
• Homelessness Action Strategy and Implementation Plan for New Westminster (2006)
• Density Bonusing in New Westminster Study (2008)

New Westminster Housing Quickfacts

• There are over 27,000 households in New Westminster, with an average of 2.1 persons per household - 40% of the City’s households are one-person households.
• Large apartment base compared to ground-oriented dwellings (in 2006, 66% apartments; 34% ground-oriented).
• Substantial increase in homeownership between 2001 and 2006 – and increase of 18% compared to 15% for the region.
• Between 2005 and 2007:
  • An average of 763 housing starts per year; most in apartments.
  • No new housing as “purpose-built” apartment rental.
• Low vacancy rates in purpose-built rental housing since 2000 – 3% or lower.
• 10% of rental apartment units are in need of major repair.
• Approximately 2,470 secondary suites.
• 1,900 units of non-market housing with roughly 1,600 units of long-term stay housing, and 300 units of transitional and supportive housing.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

• What does affordable housing mean?
• How does the City ensure residents have access to housing that is affordable?

MARKET HOUSING

• Housing trends
• Market housing costs
• Rental housing
• Secondary Suites

NON-MARKET HOUSING

• Existing non-market housing stock

NEW WESTMINSTER RESOURCES:

• Finding Housing in New Westminster
• Crime Free Multi-Housing Program
• Housing Programs and Initiatives

METRO VANCOUVER RESOURCES:

• Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation
• Metro Vancouver Housing Diversity  - Metro Vancouver's main housing web page
• Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book - key housing characteristics for member municipalities
• Metro Vancouver Affordable Housing Strategy