Mayor Stewart says the city still needs to work harder to create more affordable options

A total of 15,404 units have been approved for construction in the last two years

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A report Tuesday from the City of Vancouver says while progress is being made to bring more housing to the area, there’s still room for improvement.

Council received the Housing Vancouver Annual Progress Report, which showed 2018 had the highest level of housing built in the last decade.

Over half of the new housing built last year was considered family-sized by the city, meaning the units had either two or three bedrooms.

A total of 15,404 units have been approved for construction in the last two years, and Mayor Kennedy Stewart says these latest statistics signal solid progress.

“The report shows approvals for several types of housing are at an all-time high,” he says. “But are also where we need to work harder to create more affordable options – especially for minimum and low-wage households.”

Vancouver’s General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability, Gil Kelley, says the city is moving towards the ten-year Housing Vancouver targets, but admits there are still some gaps that need to be filled. This includes providing more purpose-built rentals for all levels of incomes.

“Options we’re pursuing include continuing to enhance our rental incentive programs, looking at how and where to introduce rental-only zoning, and continuing to work with other levels of government to encourage rental homes that are affordable to residents earning less than $50,000 per year, including those with very low incomes.”

Of the 15,404 units, 8,338 were condominiums, and 3,640 were social and supportive homes.

The city plans to deliver 72,000 new housing units by 2027.