At their meeting on September 9, 2019, Colwood Council resolved to complete an updated Housing Needs Assessment to inform decisions about new housing proposals. The City will collaborate with CRD Housing and other municipalities on the project to make the best use of regional resources and increase opportunities to access grant funding.
New Provincial legislation requires all local governments to complete a housing needs assessment by March 31, 2022. Colwood last completed a housing assessment in 2008.
"There is a steady stream of new development happening in Colwood," said Colwood Mayor Rob Martin. "Colwood Council recognizes that providing the right mix of housing options is key to creating a community with a high quality of life and a thriving economy. Our goal is to maintain Colwood's family friendly neighbourhoods while providing housing choices for people at every stage of life."
Housing for all ages and incomes
While Colwood has traditionally been made up largely of single family homes, the City is on track to increase rental and affordable options significantly over the next two to three years.
More than 340 new non-market housing units are currently under construction or in process in Colwood in partnership with BC Housing. At the same time, a significant number of new market rental units are expected, including over 470 apartments as part of the Colwood Corners development.
To date, Colwood has provided over $1M in direct financial support to affordable housing developed in partnership with BC Housing. This includes developments at 284 Belmont Road (48 units), 330 Goldstream Avenue (102 units) and 342 Wale Road (124 units). Construction is also underway at 85 Belmont Road (119 units).
The addition of these housing projects will double the number of affordable units offered in Colwood, which in 2018 represented 4.3% of the total number of dwellings in Colwood. For comparison, approximately 4.7% of Langford's housing stock and 11.4% of Victoria's housing stock fall into this same category.
Read the full staff report.
