The Cowichan Valley could see the creation of a local housing authority in the near future.
That comes after the Economic Development Cowichan wrapped up its second round of public engagement on a new Workforce Housing strategy. Data was gathered from 3 in-persons sessions held in May and online surveys.
The strategy could see greater regulation of short-term rentals to protect residents’ access to housing while balancing the needs of tourists and temporary workers. The general thinking of participants showed that housing for residents should have priority over accommodations for tourists. According to the report, one solution proposed restricting floor space for short-term rental units and only allowing short-term rentals on properties that already have long-term housing.
A study cited in the report showed that between January and April of this year, listings on AirBnB and HomeAway rose from 700 to 1000. A growing number of these short-term rentals are under commercial ownership.
One of the key standouts was support for the creation of a housing authority for the Cowichan Valley with the goal of streamlining the development process. Housing authorities are a government-owned agency that oversees the acquisition of land and development of housing projects.
Many participants thought that the Cowichan Housing Association should transition from a non-profit to a housing authority. A transition like this would mean that the organization would have closer ties to the local government. It was clear from participants that the scope of this purposed housing authority would need also need to include seniors housing.
As of right now, EDC plans to draft the plan by the end of June.
