Could laneway houses or townhouses be coming to your New West neighbourhood?
The City of New Westminster has created land-use scenarios for most of the city’s neighbourhoods as part of an update to the official community plan. While the planning process will consider what areas could have commercial, industrial and employment-generating land-uses, one of the main focuses will be on housing – including what new housing forms should be permitted and what neighbourhood they should be allowed in.
The updated official community plan will include a map showing where New Westminster anticipates to accommodate the population increases envisioned as part of the regional growth strategy and how the city intends to provide more housing choices for residents.
Why should you care?
According to a staff report, the city’s population is expected to grow to about 104,000 people by 2041, which would require about 48,000 homes in total.
This means the city would need to add about 34,000 residents in 16,500 new homes, as well as about 700,000 square feet of new commercial space to serve the growing population.
“They are targets,” said Bev Grieve, the city’s director of development services. “They are not something that is cast in stone. They are something we aspire to.”
City planner Lynn Roxburgh said much of New Westminster’s growth will take place around transit stations.
Although the city wants to maintain the character of its neighbourhoods, she said it also wants to provide choices for people who want to live in those areas.
Who’s affected?
Whether you’re a millennial or a baby boomer or something in between, if you want to remain in New West you’ll need to find housing that meets your needs. The city’s goal is to provide housing that meets the needs of different ages, incomes, family types and abilities.
Coun. Bill Harper said the process will help the city to plan for housing forms that enable people to grow up and remain in the Royal City as they age.
Coun. Patrick Johnstone noted there are people who want to live in New Westminster but can’t afford to buy an $800,000 single-family home and may have outgrown a two-bedroom apartment. Increasing choice will help residents remain in the city.
Currently, the majority of New Westminster residents live in apartments or single family homes: 37 per cent of residents live in apartments of less than five storeys; 30 per cent live in apartments of more than five storeys; and 28 per cent live in single-family homes, including suites. Just four per cent of residents live in townhouses or row houses, and less than one per cent live in duplexes or other types of housing.
Laneway houses, duplexes, triplexes, quadraplexes and small-lot homes are on the city’s radar – and up for discussion as part of the update to the official community plan.
Coun. Mary Trentadue said there are all kinds of unique housing forms being built elsewhere, but New Westminster is “a little behind” on that front.
“Not everyone wants to live in an apartment, not everyone wants to live in a home,” she said. “There are all kinds of options in between.”
How do you get involved?
Based on staff work and community consultation, the city will present some land-use scenarios to the community at an all-day Our City 2041 seminar on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia St. Citizens are invited to take part in the event, or to review the material and provide feedback at follow-up workshops that will be held in the community.
“We want to see what people think of these options,” Grieve said.
Staff will then develop a refined land-use plan for the city, which will once again go to council and the community for input.
“This is not the end of the conversation,” Johnstone said. “This is the beginning of the conversation.”
See www.newwestcity.ca/ourcity or email [email protected].
