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Housing task force’s enthusiasm infectious

After a month of discussions a municipal housing task force has come up with a vision that would see an employee suite in every Whistler home.

After a month of discussions a municipal housing task force has come up with a vision that would see an employee suite in every Whistler home.

If homes don’t have a suite then they should be contributing to resident housing in some other way, said David McColm in a presentation of the task force’s report to council on Monday night.

The task force prepared a list of recommendations based on a series of non-cost housing initiatives developed and prepared by RMOW staff and the Whistler Housing Authority.

The initiatives are intended to encourage the creation of more resident housing and discourage the loss of affordable resident housing.

McColm called the recommendations are just the tip of the iceberg.

"But they’re a very important tip," said McColm.

After listening to the task force report, Councillor Caroline Lamont said the vision should be a part of the municipality’s Comprehensive Sustainability Plan, the document intended to replace Whistler’s Official Community Plan, which charts the community’s future.

"There’s good momentum behind this and I hope this continues," she added.

Among the recommendations was a suggestion to allow the creation of employee suites above detached garages, particularly in hilly neighbourhoods like Alpine and Emerald where the topography of the area lends itself to detached garages without ruining the character of the neighbourhood. The task force was also supportive of an idea to allow cottages or "granny suites" on some of the larger lots for employee housing.

By insisting the "granny suites" and the suites above garages are for employee housing, the task force wants to ensure that they do not go into the nightly accommodation pool, which would defeat its main goal of creating more resident housing.

On the other hand, the task force recommended that the municipality allow a bonus density of up to 600 square feet in some homes for the creation of an employee-restricted suite. Unlike the suites over the garages or the cottages on the lots, these suites would have a covenant and would be regulated by the Whistler Housing Authority.

There would be some restrictions with this recommendation, namely the homes could not exceed the 0.35 FSR (floor space ratio to lot size) with the bonus density. But staff estimated there may be at least 600 homes in Whistler, which could take advantage of this recommendation.

"There’s still enough out there that we feel people might want to take advantage of this," said McColm.

The task force also suggested allowing large lots to be divided into two separate lots, with one of those lots dedicated to employee housing. McColm said that panhandle lots are prime candidates for this type of resolution.

In the original staff report listing the potential non-cost initiatives, staff noted that there was concern about the number of people cashing out. The problem this is creating is that because of the high value of real estate, it’s unlikely that another employee or resident could buy the home.

Part of the solution, the task force suggested, was to allow stratification of homes, so people could sell part of their house at market value but then continue to live in a restricted suite in the home.

In effect, local homeowners could essentially "cash out" but remain in Whistler.

"It needs a little bit of testing but it has potential here," said McColm.

There were also less specific recommendations put forward. For example it was suggested that a communication program with the WHA be aimed at encouraging members of the community to rent their suites, while at the same time, encouraging employees to be responsible renters.

Another recommendation called for the need to track the number of suites that are generated by these recommendations so that the task force and the municipality can see if they are working.

McColm said there is a sense of urgency in the community to get some of these recommendations implemented as soon as possible. He added that this demand for action is not just for non-cost initiatives but also for other resident housing initiatives in the near future.

Task force member Sean Richmond made a brief presentation to council to comment on the positive process of participating in the task force.

"The fact that everyone has so many ideas and opinions shows that there is a need for more task forces," he said.

There were 11 members on the task force, which was chaired by Councillor Kristi Wells.

Most of the task force members were at the council meeting to listen to the presentation and their enthusiasm for their work over the past month was infectious.

"For a first task force you guys have set a tremendous pace," said Councillor Gordon McKeever.

Despite the excitement and energy around their work, Councillor Ken Melamed took a more pragmatic approach. He praised the work of the task force but was worried about enforcing some of the recommendations.

"I think we’re going to have some challenges realizing it all," he said.

"What frightens me is that we’ll see a proliferation of renovations and additional square footage and not see them getting put to use for what they were supposed to be."

Municipal staff, who were enthusiastic about the task force report, will now take the recommendations and determine what needs immediate attention and set timelines for the initiative. The staff report will be back before council in the coming weeks.