Summerland’s municipal council will consider affordable housing options for the community some time in October.
The municipality has hired a consultant to prepare a report about various models for affordable housing. Once the report is completed, it will be presented to council.
“It’s been identified as a very high priority for many communities in the Okanagan,” said Linda Tynan, chief administrative officer for the municipality.
Tynan said council will consider various options including community-run housing, society-run housing, low-cost housing models and others.
“Once you know what the options are, then it’s a philosophical question,” she said.
At present, however, the efforts have been in determining needs and community responses to affordable housing concepts within the community.
An online survey, organized by Cherie Enns Consulting in Abbotsford, gathered responses from 70 people over four days. In addition, 20 people attended two community forums.
Daniel Bryce a consultant with the firm, said the cost of housing in Summerland is high.
According to his statistics, the average price of a single family detached home in Summerland in 2017 is $597,226.
Townhomes, while less expensive, are still pricey.
This year, the average price of a townhome in Summerland is $339,400, up from $280,305 last year.
During the summer, Bryce gathered input from the community about affordable housing.
He said multi-family homes and carriage homes are popular options, but adding apartments or condominiums is a divisive issue for the community.
He added that issues making housing unaffordable include a lack of housing diversity, high housing prices, high land prices, a lack of rental homes, speculation and absentee owners and a lack of subsidized housing.
In other communities, more subsidized housing and more rental units are available, he said, adding that Nelson, with a slightly smaller population, has five times as many rental units as Summerland.
Kelsey Van Alphen of Alder Street Auto Body said a lack of affordable housing is affecting Summerland’s business community. He said he and other business owners have difficulty attracting workers because of the costs of housing.
“Who’s going to keep the community afloat?” he asked.