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Fort St James Housing Background Report and Housing Strategy

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Fort St James Housing Background Report and Housing Strategy FORT ST JAMES HOUSING BACKGROUND REPORT AND HOUSING STRATEGY Prepared by: Terra Housing Cooper Planning and Development Consultants February 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The consultants wish to thank the District of Fort St. James for their support in undertaking the study and Councillor Joan Burdeniuk for providing helpful information about the community. Kevin Crook, Chief Administrative Officer, provided insight into the attributes of the community and the challenges it faces. District staff also provided significant contributions and guidance in completing this report. Emily Colombo, Economic Development Officer at the District of Fort St. James oversaw the completion of the work and Olivia McMahon, Local Government Management Intern, collected and provided much of the data and information relied upon in preparing the report. The District of Fort St. James Housing Committee members also provided helpful input into the preparation of the study. Members include: • Riley Willick – District of Fort St. James Council Member and Committee Chair • Emily Colombo – District of Fort St. James Economic Development Officer • Ann McCormick – Pioneer Place Chair • Elizabeth Hoy – Bayfield Apartments • Brandi Hanterman – Fireweed Society • Carmen Wheatley – Public Notary • Evelyn Montgomery – Lakeshore Realty • Fred Sam – Nak’azdli First Nation Chief • Leona Thomas – Nak’azdli First Nation • Gina Bulloch – Thompson Creek Metals • Kandace Kerr – Social Health Research Team • Lionel VanConant – Viking Ventures Property Management • Peter Valk – Fort St. James Housing Co-op • Ralph Pierre – Tl’az’ten First Nation Chief • Tammy Lyell – Community Futures Stuart Nechako • Laura Chernowski – T’loh Forest Products The District of Fort St. James wishes to acknowledge the funding provided by CMHC through the SEED Funding Program that enabled the Housing Study and Strategy to be undertaken. Terra Housing/Cooper Planning and Development Fort St. James Housing Background Report and Housing Strategy 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Housing Background Report Summary The District of Fort St. James, located on the Stuart Lake Highway/27 N in the Regional District of Bulkely-Nechako, is adjacent to the Nak’azdli Indian Reserve (IR No.1) to the south, the Williams Prairie Meadow Reserve (IR No. 1A) to the northwest and the Utza Nahounli Creek Reserve to the west. The community was established in 1806 by Simon Fraser, James MacDougall, John Stuart and North West Company fur traders. The community has pride in being the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in British Columbia. The local economy is resource-oriented. Forest industries constitute the leading sector followed by mining, agriculture and tourism. In the Fort St. James and Nak’azdli area are two large-scale sawmills, two value-added mills, one mine and a commercial greenhouse. The area is also home to a dozen logging companies that support the forestry industry. Recent developments also include a small high technology sector. Residents of Fort St. James have recognized the economic issues in their community and have been working towards revitalizing all sectors of the economy including forestry. The small town character of Fort St. James is reflected in the residential neighbourhoods within the District that surround the downtown Commercial Core. The close proximity of the neighbourhoods to the Commercial Core enhances the walkability between the different parts of the community. In addition, the neighbourhoods have excellent access to parks and recreation facilities, commercial and institutional uses. Historically, the region has had a fluctuating growth rate typical of resource-based communities. The population of the Fort St. James area was 1,691 in 2011, of whom about one quarter identify as being of First Nations origins. In general, the community of Fort St. James is a very young community with the largest 5-year cohort being children aged 5 to 9 years. The next largest group is youth, aged 15 to 19 years. However, the senior population is growing at the fastest rate. The nature of family households has changed significantly with married couple families declining in number and common law families and single parent families increasing. Housing in Fort St. James is predominately single family residential. There are some multi-family dwellings in the forms of apartments and condominiums that provide the District with some affordable housing options. The housing stock is aging and 78% of dwellings in Fort St. James were constructed prior to 1986. The need for future housing in Fort St. James will be driven by demographic characteristics and economic growth. The change in the nature of the population has implications for housing in that a greater diversity of housing forms is needed to serve the greater variety of households. For example, an increase in two person and single person households indicates the need for smaller housing types like condos or apartments. Affordable housing is needed for families and a greater diversity in housing options for seniors is needed. The implications of the employment profile for Fort St. James suggest that affordability of housing is important especially for those without educational certification and with high school certification. Terra Housing/Cooper Planning and Development Fort St. James Housing Background Report and Housing Strategy 3 There is a generation of “mobile seniors”, those residents who wish to live closer to the town center or no longer require a large home but do not necessarily require assisted living. These residents will increase the demand for housing types such as strata development or rancher style homes in Fort St. James. Including these alternative forms of housing within the District of Fort St. James is an important part of providing places to live for people at different stages of their lives. Otherwise, locals may move in search of communities that offer housing specific to their needs. The Official Community Plan projections indicate very modest need for new development. The District has approximately 115 hectares of undeveloped land in Fort St. James, which is more than enough urban residential land to accommodate the additional 300 residents projected for Fort St. James. Housing Issues and Recommendations The District of Fort St. James recognizes that all residents of the municipality should have access to suitable and appropriate housing with necessary supports to serve the needs of a diverse population. In summary the housing issues identified in developing this report include: • Attracting Developers and Promoting Fort St. James • Addressing Housing Needs o Seniors Housing o Aboriginal Housing o Maintaining and Increasing the Supply of Rental Housing o Affordable Housing for First-Time Buyers o Emergency Housing • Planning and Financial • Monitoring. The tools and recommended actions to address affordable housing issues in Fort St. James include: Tools Recommended Action Official Community Plan Provisions Additional policies needed to support affordable housing Inclusionary zoning Draft strategy and time frame for implementation Density bonus Draft report and time frame for implementation Housing agreements Draft agreement Permissive tax exemptions Review for applicability Zoning variances Develop OCP policies to permit variances to support affordable housing Acquisition and Renovation (adaptive reuse) Undertake study of District facilities and adjacent lands Expedited Municipal Approval Process Develop policy and implement DCC By-Law Draft for Infill development Rental conversion bylaws Develop by-laws Adaptable Design Guidelines Develop guidelines Infill housing Undertake study to document development potential Secondary Suites Consider waiving fees for secondary suites and incentivize procedures Land Banking Develop inventory of potential development sites Housing Fund Develop policy and implementation plan Terra Housing/Cooper Planning and Development Fort St. James Housing Background Report and Housing Strategy 4 Housing Strategy The District should establish priorities for addressing the issues and undertake specific actions to deliver housing in response to emerging economic conditions. This may include proposals ranging from specific policies and protocols to the creation of new corporate entities. To aid in this discussion the following strategies are proposed: 1. Undertake an assessment of the institutional infrastructure in place within the District and within community organizations to deal with housing issues. 2. Promote development opportunities in Fort St. James and encourage senior government and industry cooperation to support projects that complement Fort St. James’s housing objectives. 3. Work in partnership to develop needed housing. 4. Maintain a municipal planning system that supports the delivery of an adequate supply of affordable housing and is responsive to changing demand. 5. Maintain a municipal financial system that supports the delivery of an adequate supply of affordable housing and is responsive to changing demand, including developing a land bank and housing reserve. 6. Facilitate diversity in housing forms and prices to deliver a range of affordable housing options for all residents, by offering incentives to develop needed housing and supporting the retention and delivery of adequate supplies of private rental properties. 7. Monitor the housing situation and regularly evaluate the need for adjustments to the Strategy. Terra Housing/Cooper Planning and Development Fort St. James Housing Background
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