The complex conundrum of building more three-bedroom homes in Vancouver

Good morning,

I have some bad news. It’s that time of the year…

Rain. Get your umbrellas and Arc’teryx rain jackets ready because it looks like this all week.

Luckily, newsletters aren’t affected by the weather. Here’s what we’ve got for tomorrow:

• 🏠 The three-bedroom problem in Vancouver

• 👮 A class action lawsuit against the police

• 📅 The best events this week

Let’s go!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity newsletter writer

WEEKLY LOOKOUT

Washrooms needed: The lack of access to washrooms is a big problem in the Downtown Eastside. Council will vote this week on whether to ask the province for more funding to pay attendants, upgrades and to keep them open later. Around $1.5 million will go towards the portable washroom trailer at the Astoria Hotel, with the rest of the money going towards other units around the area. Staff is recommending council vote in favour. [Vancouver Sun]

Crackdown?: Tomorrow the provincial government will release their long-awaited short-term rental strategy to reduce the number of places that get listed on places like Airbnb instead of for long-term renters. You can bet we’ll have a full report on it in the following newsletter, and maybe even a Lookout Bulletin for members. [Vancouver Sun]

HOUSING

The complex conundrum of building more three-bedroom homes

What’s happening: The need for three-bedroom homes in Vancouver — units that allow a normal-sized family to live in them — illustrates the complex challenges of building a diverse supply of housing in the city, especially as Vancouver moves away from single-family homes.

Background: The province has mandated Vancouver, and many other large municipalities, build a certain number of homes, including specific types of homes. This includes 6,209 units that have three or more bedrooms by 2025, according to Urbanized.

Breaking it down: Three-bedroom units pose a challenge when it comes to the unit economic costs of building, according to the Globe and Mail. These units are not economically viable from a development perspective. As noted in the story, three-bedroom units are essentially subsidized by the rest of the development, especially one-bedroom units which are more financially viable.

• The situation is bleak. According to the Vancouver Sun, less than 10 percent of new homes are three-bedroom units. This needs to reach 18 percent as part of Vancouver’s 10-year plan.

Yes, but: As one developer noted, if it’s required as part of a development, they will get built.

Another problem: Another developer noted it’s easier to get financing when selling homes for investors, such as one-bedroom units, rather than larger units.

What it means: Three-bedrooms may seem like a small thing in the grand scheme of affordability, but for families who cannot afford multi-million dollar single-family homes, it’s the difference between staying or leaving the city. You cannot encourage people to stay in the city if they have no place to live. The trickle-down effects are enormous as future generations leave for more affordable places. Focusing on this will be critical to making the city more family-friendly.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

💰 $21,000: The amount a Vancouver landlord must pay a tenant after a wrongful eviction after the landlord said their daughter would move in but never did. Landlords can evict tenants if a family member is moving in, but this is a common strategy used by landlords to increase their rents through evictions. [CTV]

📈 11%: The average amount rent increased since one year ago. In Vancouver, an average two-bedroom costs $4,000 versus $2,181 in Calgary. [CBC]

POLICE

Do police departments have a misogyny problem?

What happened: Six female police officers are alleging rampant sexual harassment in police departments across 13 BC municipalities, including Vancouver, according to the Vancouver Sun, and have filed a class-action lawsuit against the municipalities.

The details: Sexual touching, graphic and misogynistic photos, penis jokes and comments about their bodies were all part of the complaints. They also allege the misconduct prevented them from moving up the career ladder in the force.

In Vancouver: One of the officers said that nothing was done about her complaints to the Vancouver Police Department management. She also claimed to receive retaliatory abuse for speaking out.

Looking back: This issue brings to mind the results of a coroner’s inquest into the suicide of Const. Nicole Chan that outlined a pattern of sexual harassment by a superior officer according to CTV. Another anonymous female officer spoke out in 2019 about also dealing with alleged sexual harassment at work, from officers in all seniority levels, according to CTV.

What it means: The story is worth reading. If proven true, which has not yet been done, it shows there may be a serious cultural problem in the police department.

LOCAL JOBS

Find your dream job in Vancouver:

1. Senior specialist, community engagement and social performance at Hatch

2. Manager, environment at WSP

3. Marketing manager at Discover Holidays

4. Manager, channel sales at Grammarly

5. Director, retail stores in Canada at Arc’teryx

6. Senior account executive, corporate at Edelman

7. VIP, people at Thinkific

Local jobs are selected by the Lookout team and are not paid ads, unless specifically noted.

THE AGENDA

🕳️ There’s nothing boring about the Broadway subway tunnel boring machine reaching the future site of the Oak VGH Station, the fourth of six planned stations for the new line. [Vancouver Sun]

🔥 A July fire that forced 70 people from their rental apartments in Mount Pleasant illustrates the challenge of forcing landlords to deal with fire code violations. The city took the building owner to court twice in three years to deal with ongoing problems, which included broken sprinklers and blocked exits. [CBC]

🏢 Last week Mayor Ken Sim outlined his vision for increased housing, which includes a large increase in density around SkyTrain stations, similar to what Burnaby is doing. It should be noted that this is also a requirement used by the federal government in certain cities for them to receive federal housing accelerator funding. [CBC]

⚡️ There was a brief power outage at YVR on Friday afternoon. Luckily backup power was restored and it only impacted kiosks, elevators and escalators. [CityNews]

🏠️ There are 1,018 short-term rental listings in North Vancouver, up from 832 last May, which represents three percent of the total number of homes, with 90 percent of them being full dwellings listed. North Vancouver is currently looking at potential regulations for short-term rentals. [North Shore News]

👮 Do the crime, lose your home — at least that’s what the BC government is hoping. They filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit to have a house at 2520 Kingsway seized that they say was used as an underground gambling den and is part of two criminal investigations. [Vancouver Sun]

🚌 Burnaby council is supporting a new bus rapid transit line from Marine Drive Station and Exo Line’s 22nd Street Station, as part of city’s approval of various projects before the upcoming Mayor’s Council meeting. These are all part of the 10-year TransLink priorities plan. [Urbanized]

🔥 A fire in an East Vancouver basement Sunday morning is being investigated after residents in the basement and the upper floors were forced to flee. [CityNews]

EVENTS THIS WEEK

Looking Back and Forward: Vancouver’s Changing Urban Development Landscape | SFU Harbour Centre Fletcher Challenge Canada Theatre (Room 1900) | This Wednesday, 7 pm | Urban planner Michael Geller shares his thoughts on housing policies and ways to solve housing affordability | Free

TechPong 2023 | Science World | Thursday, 7 pm-11 pm | Epic ping pong tournament for Vancouver’s tech and business community, with the theme of Alice in Wonderland, with drinks and treats | Tickets $33

WrestleCore: The Horror on Hastings, Revenge at The Rickshaw | Rickshaw Theatre | Friday, 8 pm | 254 E. Hastings St. | A gruesome (and fun) pro wrestling show | Tickets $38

Chocolate Tempering Class | Drunken Chocolatier | Thursday, 4 pm-6:30 pm | Learn how to temper chocolate with many types to take home | Tickets $93

Art Battle Vancouver | The Red Room | Saturday, 6 pm-10 pm | Artist versus artist, who will be victorious. Come vote on the winner and potentially purchase the art! | Tickets $22

Acrylic Pouring Class: Experiment with Colours | The Wolf & Hound | Saturday, 2 pm-3:30 pm | Create a unique painting with swirling colours and learn new techniques. All supplies provided | Tickets $52

Flavour Camp: American Whiskey Tasting | Suite Genius, 225 West 8th Avenue | Saturday, 12 pm or 5 pm | A curated tasting of eight different whiskeys with distinct flavour profiles Tickets $59

Cooking Vancouver's Best - Chef Valentine | Eden West Gourmet | This Saturday, 6 pm-9 pm | Come make moules coquotte, lamb popsicles with curry cream and more | Tickets $134

Chinese School | Chinatown Plaza Mall | Saturday, 2 pm-4 pm | Come learn Chinese language and phrases centred around good, plus buy some lunch from local vendors | Free 

MEC x POW Season Opener 2023 | MEC Vancouver | Sunday, 7:30 pm-10:30 pm | Come see some films, chat with athletes, win some prizes and have some beer! | Tickets $22

Getting More From Your Meat: A Chicken Butchery Class | Two Rivers Meats | This Sunday, 6 pm-9 pm A hands-on class of learning how to cut and use the whole chicken | Tickets $54

SPORTS

🏈 The Lions keep on rolling with a close 33-30 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday. The team is now 12-5 and is in a first place tie with the Winnipeg Bluebombers. [CTV]

🏒 Speaking of winning, the Cancuks have a gasp 2-0 start to the season with another win over the Edmonton Oilers. They won the game 4-3, after destroying Edmonton 8-1 in their first game. [TSN]

MEME OF THE DAY

I thought this one was very funny!

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Vancouver pastry chef Steve Hodge from Temper Pastry serves up a new cookbook focused on chocolate. [Vancouver Sun]

• Congrats to Vancouver’s Thomas Broatch who won the men’s title at Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Sorry Toronto! [CBC]

• Check out this beautiful featured home in West Vancouver showcased in an architecture magazine. It shows how concrete can be used in a beautiful way. [Wallpaper]

• SFU topped the rankings in the list of the most comprehensive universities in Canada. This is the second year in a row it’s number one. [Macleans]

• Want your announcement featured in the newsletter? Fill out this form

GAME TIME

Congrats to everyone who guessed the Vancouver Wordle correctly. The answer is CRAB, as in CRAB Park.

Here’s a simple one for all of you who read the newsletter — what Broadway subway station did the boring machine just reach? Reply with your name and answer to be featured in the newsletter!

MEMBERS-ONLY STORIES

These deep-dives are available to Insider members, who help fund our local journalism and keep these newsletters going.

• Popular school bike program gets the axe

• Sim touts new bold housing plan, but just how bold is it?

• What two complaints by the mayor can tell us about the next municipal election

• Three interesting trends from the Union of BC Municipalities convention

• A stairway to food heaven at Richmond Public Market

• Why Vancouver’s chief planner is out

• This hidden gem Vietnamese restaurant is doing noodle soup right

• Does a new communications director herald a change at city hall?