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The Commission suggests that land aveilability is a major factor
escalating housing prices in the Vancouver and Victoria areas. It calls on
the provincial government to ensure that a plentiful supply of developable
land is made available for residential development through the immediate
disposal, for residential purposes, of Crown Lands

COMMENTS :

Since the supply of land is limited and the continuous outward expansion of our cities at
low densities spell disaster in the longer term (the lessons of California and Ontario should be
learned), the inclusion of additional lands should not be permitted, unless in the context ofa
well-thought Regional Plan.

The Commission received input from various Real Estate and Housing
Industry Organizations, which attribute the land shortage to the following
factors:

1. The failure of local government to plan to meet future housing needs;
Nimbyism in certain Victoria and Vancouver suburban Municipalities.

COMMENTS :

These statements are difficult to accept. The "shortage of land" is more a consequence of
the inability of the development industry and others to recognize that single family is simply no
longer the answer to most housing needs in the Victoria and Vancouver Areas.

OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY INCLUDED:
Development Cost Charges:

Transfer some of the local improvement coets to levies to be paid over a
long term by new homeowners.

Development Processing Bottlenecks:

There is a need to ensure that the process does not become so difficult
that it discourages new development and pushes up the cost of housing.

Lack of Regional Planning:

The housing industry representatives believe that proper regional planning
could help reduce the problem with housing land shortage.

The industry also suggested smaller lots, the re-development into single

family of some inner city industrial areas and the development of
provincial Crown Lend not required for other purposes.

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