The gameplan for addressing Vernon’s affordable housing shortage has been narrowed down further. The city’s affordable housing committee met Thursday and created recommendations that will be presented to council for review over the Christmas holiday. “It’s not the silver bullet but it will go some way to get things going,” 
said Coun. Juliette Cunningham, who sits on the committee. The short-term recommendations call for a restructuring of development cost charges developers must pay on each unit built, and the lowering of parking requirements in some zones. “We are also recommending a mix of residential with commercial (uses),” said Cunningham. For the long-term, the city is being asked to hire a consultant to look at the issue of inclusionary zoning. “That would mean certain units in a development would be designated for affordable housing,” said Cunningham. “It’s something new being used in some communities so we want to see how it unfolds.”
The committee is also recommending that $500,000 in the affordable housing fund be directed towards initiatives such as possibly purchasing property or leveraging grants from government agencies such as B.C. Housing. The recommendations are the result of an attainable housing strategy initiated by the city’s affordable housing commit tee and the Partners for a Safe and Healthy Community. Various stakeholders – including developers, realtors and social agencies, have been – involved in the process. The recommendations will officially go before council for consideration at its Jan. 14 meeting, and Cunningham is hopeful that housing options will ultimately take root. “We will have to see how the development community responds but there is a real will out there from them. They see the potential,” she said.
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