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Housing ideas and lunch at MY Place

The Whistler Housing Authority is launching the first in a series of interactive forums entitled New Directions for Housing in Whistler. The first forum will be presented at Maurice Young Millennium Place (on Wednesday, Feb. 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.

The Whistler Housing Authority is launching the first in a series of interactive forums entitled New Directions for Housing in Whistler.

The first forum will be presented at Maurice Young Millennium Place (on Wednesday, Feb. 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will look at recent examples of smaller, more compact housing forms. The forum is called Smaller and Better.

Three experts in housing innovations will present their observations and perspectives on Smaller and Better housing that addresses the needs of our changing lifestyles, but uses smaller spaces, higher efficiencies and smarter design to reduce costs and improve liveability.

The forum is intended for all members of the public to learn about and discuss housing issues.

The forum will begin in the upper lobby of MY Place where participants will pick up a "Smaller & Better" box lunch, browse some information tables and find a seat in Wilhelmsen Hall. Mayor Hugh O’Reilly will be on hand to introduce the three speakers and Kristi Wells will facilitate the panel discussion which will follow. The audience will be invited to provide comments and questions.

The presenters will be Kevin McNaney from SmartGrowth B.C., Jim Toy from the False Creek Design Group, and Alex Zimmerman from B.C. Buildings Corporation. All three of these individuals have recent experience with smaller and more efficient building designs and some of the cost savings that are achievable, even in an expensive housing market such as Whistler.

Kristi Wells, the chair of the Whistler Housing Authority, is encouraged by the new ideas coming forward that could be part of the solution to Whistler’s housing challenges.

"We know who we need to house, and we have identified some locations with good potential within the municipality. If we can move ahead and embrace some of these exciting new concepts, it will help us to deliver housing opportunities at a reasonable cost," Wells said in a release.

Tickets for the forum (seating is limited) are available through the Whistler Housing Authority for $9.95, including the box lunch. Call 604-905-4688.