Multi-family condo buildings are proving popular in Nanaimo, with the style of housing seen as a potential fix to a lack of available homes for a growing population. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

no easy fix

Condos, townhouses & higher density needed to combat Nanaimo housing woes: consultant

Jun 1, 2022 | 4:56 PM

NANAIMO — According to at least one group, higher density townhouses and multi-storey condo buildings are the path forward for the region’s housing challenges.

Mark Holland, a planning and development consultant, along with a representative from the Mid Island Business Initiative, presented conclusions to Nanaimo City Council on Monday, May 30, highlighting the need for housing and how it affects people moving to the region for work purposes

Holland said the Nanaimo area is poised to continue growing rapidly over the next few decades.

“You’re projected to accommodate roughly 40,000 new people in the next 25 years…that’s about 1,600-1,800 people a year. Your plans are to put most of those in multi-family which generally range roughly two people per unit on average.”

It means, based on Holland’s estimates, Nanaimo needs to generate around roughly 850 new housing units every year to keep pace.

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The City is making some progress in those areas.

Housing starts continue to pace at or just below record numbers from previous years, with coun. Tyler Brown noting 821 units were approved through 2022 as of the end of May, 80 per cent of which were in multi-family housing.

Expansive developments such as the Green Thumb site in north Nanaimo and Sandstone near Chase River are also in varying stages at City Hall, but are still a ways away from having shovels in the ground.

Holland said issues around rezoning, creation of subdivision plans, service installation all need to be dealt with before sites are sold off to developers and construction begins.

Once all the hurdles are cleared, roughly 4,700 units are projected to come from the two sites.

“Both of those combined will barely support five years of growth in the city. If we could a magic wand and they were both finished tomorrow morning, we would be out of capacity in five to six years just from selling those out.”

Holland concluded any development to address a growing population and limited supply must come from within – an increase in density.

Data presented by coun. Don Bonner showed Nanaimo’s density of 1,104 people per kilometre was roughly a fifth of Vancouver’s, a quarter of Victoria’s and just under half of Burnaby’s.

2021 Statistics Canada census data reported 22, 215 detached homes in Nanaimo city limits, representing 51.4 per cent of Nanaimo’s population of nearly 100,000.

The leading detached housing option in city limits was multi-family buildings under five stories comprising of 8,235 units, according to the latest census data.

A variety of situations were presented Monday, to house those already struggling to find places to live and the influx expected over the coming years.

Holland dismissed the idea of high-rise towers, saying they are too costly, take too long to construct, absorbing around 400 people after a minimum seven year process to complete.

Instead, turning single family lots into multi-family townhouse spaces or six-storey condo complexes presented as the best bang for the region’s buck, Holland said.

However, Holland noted Nanaimo’s housing stock in some areas of the community presented additional challenges.

“We pretty much never buy houses that are built in the 1980’s or younger and knock them down,” Holland told councillors on Monday. “Those houses were built and are going to stay that way for quite a while before anyone is going to go in and start taking out Hammond Bay, all of those areas.”

He added housing patterns in residential neighbourhoods developed over the last 40 years are contributing to Nanaimo’s relatively low density rates compared to other communities.

Concerns from coun. Sheryl Armstrong were raised regarding family housing.

She noted many of Holland’s projections were around two people per unit, but said many families are coming to the central Island.

Holland pointed out townhouses aren’t as prevalent since they are much less profitable to build compared to condos and single-family homes.

“The family housing is critical.” Holland said. “It’s an absolute fundamental challenge and problem and any of the types of housing that supports families require even more land, not less, in order to do that.”

Armstrong also told Holland the challenge before Council is not only finding and facilitating solutions, but but representing community wishes.

“You talked about we need the six storeys, the 25 storeys, whatever, which goes against what a lot of our communities want. It’s supposed to be an Official Community Plan so I always struggle with that because I feel I’m supposed to represent the community, not shove down their throats what I feel they need to have.”

No decision or staff direction was asked of, or made by Council from Monday’s presentation.

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley