This week was a big one for thousands of housing co-operative members waiting on lease renewals in the City of Vancouver.

After years of waiting, the City announced the launch of a discussion paper on co-op housing lease renewals. The paper proposes four scenarios that “aim to maximize the delivery of affordable housing on public land while also providing stability to residents.” This announcement was greeting by a series of news articles, plus a CBC Radio interview with CHF BC director, Thom Armstrong.

In the coming weeks, housing co-operatives, with the assistance of CHF BC, will be busy analysis the City’s proposed models and options, and engaging in a conversation about what will work best for each co-operative, and the overall sector. Stay tuned for more details.

Articles

Dan Fumano: ‘Watershed year’ for future of False Creek, thousands of city co-ops Dan Fumano | 2020-01-27 | Tagged: City of Vancouver, co-operative housing, Affordable Housing ‘First, we won’t be selling off any land. Absolutely, concrete, 100 per cent, not selling off any land,’ says Mayor Kennedy Stewart.

City of Vancouver asks for input on future of co-op housing as leases run out CBC News | Jason Proctor | 2020-01-28 | Tagged: City of Vancouver, co-operative housing, Affordable Housing With the end of dozens of leases on valuable public land looming, the City of Vancouver is asking for public input on a series of scenarios aimed at settling the future of co-op housing communities.

After years of disagreement, Vancouver co-op residents to get new deal that city says includes affordable lease hikes The Globe and Mail | Frances Bula | 2020-01-29 | Tagged: co-operative housing, Affordable Housing, City of Vancouver Co-ops will get substantially discounted lease rates compared to current market rents because they’ll be based on Vancouver residents’ median income

Kennedy Stewart: City’s goal isn’t just to preserve the number of co-ops, but to expand them Vancouver Sun | Kennedy Stewart | 2020-01-29 | Tagged: Opinion, politics, Affordable Housing, co-operative housing, City of Vancouver Opinion: No current or future co-op residents will pay more than 30 per cent of their household income in rents

City pitches ‘major pivot’ on co-ops, seeing disconnect between incomes and land values Vancouver Sun | Dan Fumano | 2020-01-29 | Tagged: City of Vancouver, co-operative housing, Affordable Housing Vancouver is proposing a new approach to city co-ops that recognizes the “growing disconnect between market land value and city incomes.”

Community group charts new path for False Creek South The Globe and Mail | Kerry Gold | 2020-02-06 | Tagged: real estate, False Creek South, Affordable Housing, co-operative housing The site, for 40 years a cocoon of central, secure, affordable housing, faces an uncertain future

Vancouver’s new plan for co-op lease renewals strikes a balance while providing options The Globe and Mail | Adrienne Tanner | 2020-02-08 | Tagged: City of Vancouver, co-operative housing, Affordable Housing Once the new leases take effect, all co-ops that have long enjoyed a sweet deal will have to collect far more from their members to make the payments