On Monday, Langley City Council met with Langley Seniors in Action. This advocacy organization is seniors-led and focuses on driving change that creates positive impacts for older people in Langley.
The conversation focused on housing for older people with a lower income (such as those only receiving CPP, OAS, or GIS) and the lack of housing options for these folks. We discussed how partnerships will be essential to build more deeply affordable housing units. We noted that the private sector alone won't be able to provide these deeply affordable, seniors-focused housing units and will require significant funding from the provincial and federal governments.
We discussed the redevelopment of affordable housing sites, such as what is occurring at the Langley Lions Housing Society site, to ensure that seniors are not displaced. For example, at that site, the intent is for the current vacant area to have new buildings with existing residents relocated to new buildings to allow for an older building to be gradually redeveloped. Over time, the site would have newer buildings, but the people who live there could remain on the site.
We also discussed current older market rental buildings, the state of repair of these buildings, and redevelopment.
We discussed inclusionary zoning, which the City is working on. Inclusionary zoning allows municipalities to require a percentage of new housing units priced below-market in new housing projects. You can read more about this in a previous post.
We also touched on other topics, but these were the main highlights.
Later in the meeting, Council gave final reading of our tax rate bylaw. You can read more about this in a previous post.
1 comment:
Same talking points for years. It's heartbreaking driving by the Pyramid Apartment site. Not everybody found a "new" home. Hotels have been bought to give the street people homes, the budgets for those operations might be excessive. Langley City, not a good place to be old?
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