I wrote a column on April 14 about a torrent of comments the NOW received about the supposed affordability of rents at a new “affordable” housing project for seniors.
I posted a story on Facebook about the opening of the new Fair Haven seniors’ housing project in South Burnaby and asked a simple question: “Do you consider $1,300/month for one bedroom to be affordable for a low-income senior?”
As my previous blog said, we were inundated with comments saying no, people did not consider that number “affordable.”
Basically, people were calling baloney on the use of the term “affordable.”
Now, here we are again with a different project – a 125-unit “affordable housing” project in Burnaby that broke ground on Tuesday.
It’s a 14-storey apartment building slated for completion in 2020. The non-market project will be built by developer Thind Properties in partnership with the province, City of Burnaby and New Vista Society. Thind is also building a 47-storey mixed-use tower on the adjacent lot with office space and 324 market condominiums.
These are the estimated rents:
- $886/month for a studio
- $1,336/month for a one-bedroom
- $2,132/month for a two-bedroom
- $2,503/month for a three-bedroom
Once again, we posted the story on Facebook with the same question. And, once again, we received a tsunami of responses – mostly calling baloney on the contention that these rents are “affordable”for low-income residents.
As of this writing, we’re at 63 comments, which is a really high number for a story on the NOW’s Facebook page.
“I’m sorry, but when I was making $15/hr I could barely afford my $750 1br in East Van,” tweeted Claire Preston, who ran as an independent candidate in the last Burnaby civic election. “Our society punishes people for being single and forces people to cohabitate even when the relationship should end or one or more people in the relationship is abusive.”
As NOW reporter Kelvin Gawley pointed out in his story, the “Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation considers housing to be affordable if it costs less than 30 per cent of a household’s before-tax income. Using that metric, a single parent would need an $85,000 salary to afford a two-bedroom unit.”
That hardly seems affordable.
Those 2 bedroom prices are totally market. You can rent at new builds in the River district and around Marine dr for the same price. 3 bedroom is lower end of market pricing, but still market.
— Joel Gibbs (@_JoelGibbs) April 24, 2019
This is a lot of money to give a developer for virtually zero nonmarket housing.
The two Thind buildings will be built on Sussex Avenue near Beresford Street in Metrotown. Three low-rise walk-up buildings with 64 rental units were demolished to make way for the new development.
I appreciate the efforts the BC NDP government has made in building more housing. Their commitment to modular housing projects for homeless people is especially commendable. They’ve done far more than the previous BC Liberal government.
But our readers are saying these rents seem a little high to be called “affordable” if you are what is considered a “low-income” resident.
I tend to agree.
You can follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox.
