Hylec’s Post

Free standardized home designs aim to fast-track housing development in BC https://lnkd.in/gG5ZjNey

In December 2023, there are over 37,000 dwellings that have been 'approved but not yet commenced.' The construction lag is most pronounced in high-density projects, where rising costs of building materials and elevated interest rates have stalled these projects. Nearly half of the approved but not commenced dwellings are attributed to #Sydney (30%) and #Melbourne (18%). However, a ripple effect seems to be emanating from the major cities. A record number of dwellings in #Canberra (1,772) and a significant number in Regional #NSW (4,423) have been approved but are still awaiting commencement. The backlog may begin to ease soon; with housing prices on the rise, robust #population growth, and #construction costs showing signs of stabilising, developers could be regaining the confidence needed to initiate new #housing projects. Andrew J Yates Paul Howes Stan Stavros Naomi Mitchell Praveen Thakur Paul Morris Michael Camerlengo Liz Watts James Copsey Alex Bernhardt Hayden Jewell Caitlin Keating Kaylene Hubbard https://lnkd.in/gwQJM32y

Jensen Hughes is featured in the #DailyHive! The online news site recently highlighted a report released by the government of #BritishColumbia on the feasibility of taller, single-staircase #multifamily #residential #buildings. The report, developed by Jensen Hughes with input from offices in several countries, detailed the findings of comparable practices around the world, along with suggested options that would allow for larger single-staircase structures. In the article, Ravi Kahlon, BC Minister of Housing, applauded Jensen Hughes for hearing different people’s concerns and providing solutions to address them. Robert (Bob) Heikkila, Kevin Chen and Biswadeep Ghosh contributed to the project. The options provided in the report will assist the BC government in making #buildingcode changes to enable low-rise, single-staircase residential buildings, which may be ready as early as Fall 2024. Read the article to find out more about the report and Jensen Hughes’ suggested options for these structures: https://lnkd.in/grzJG5Sd   #FireSafety #BuildingCodes #SingleEgressStairs #MultiFamilyBuildings #AffordableHousing

New modular home designs have now been released as part of a plan from B.C.'s Ministry of Housing to accelerate construction on multi-unit family homes. The benefits? "Time- and cost-savings can be achieved as local governments and builders become familiar with the designs. The designs are meant to complement provincial legislation introduced in November 2023 that enables more small-scale, multi-unit housing by requiring changes to municipal zoning rules." Get the full story from BIV News below. #BCHousing #BCHousingPlan

So we are going to get 1.5 million new homes. 🏠 Apparently.. Optimistic housing targets but is it a stretch too far? 🎯 There is lots of talk about ripping off the planning red tape but there are more factors involved. Lack of skilled construction workers being one. But also with 100's of people with 1000's of years of experience leaving the Building Control industry, how are the new homes being built going to be regulated and signed off? There are a number of other factors involved too but fingers crossed solutions are found to meet the demand for new housing. #Buildingcontrol #Construction #Housing https://lnkd.in/dDJ_zSaU

Decades of underbuilding have led to low supply and high home prices. Is it time to take a closer look at modular construction, which can be faster and cheaper? #realestatenews #realestate #housingaffordability #housingmarket #homebuying

First increase in dwellings consented in 17 months. The number of new residential dwellings consented across Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri was 5,757 for the 12 months to August 2024, which is an increase of 3% over the 5,576 dwellings consented for the same period in 2023. As you can see from the table below, the trend of declining building consent numbers has slowed significantly from January (where the year-on-year decline was 25%), and the August increase appears to be a continuation in the slow but steady improvement in the local market. I'm not suggesting that the Canterbury residential construction sector has recovered...but that we are either at or very close to the bottom of the current downturn…the next few months will tell.

I'm sorry, Dr. Brad Pettitt MLC, but this quote from yourself is categorically wrong. “...These medium-density sites will now be able to continue to be developed in the appalling business-as-usual, villa-style triplex and quadruplex developments that have decimated Perth’s canopy cover. “These are developments that see three or more units squeezed onto a single suburban block with long driveways, no room for trees, and only hard surfaces with little consideration for the impact on neighbourhoods...." These types of developments that you have described are captured under Part C (the new medium density housing code) as Grouped Dwellings from R30 and up. It is only Single Houses for R30-R40 zonings that have been returned to Part B for reasons I have explained on your post citing the same article. Grouped Dwellings are also fairly rare in greenfields or masterplanned settings - but if they were present, their dwelling classification would trip them into being assessed against Part C (subject to their underlying zoning which is typically R30 in 2024). Articles like these do nothing but cause confusion and should be retracted or corrected. It should also have been checked before publishing. https://lnkd.in/gVRYt7tA

In January 2024, the Government of British Columbia announced it will determine the feasibility of enabling taller single-staircase multi-family residential buildings as a measure to open up more housing supply opportunities, reported Daily Hive. "The provincial government’s consultants came back with a report in late June 2024 outlining their detailed findings of what is practiced in comparable jurisdictions around the globe, along with recommendations for BC’s policy changes to safely enable such structures. Currently, under BC’s building and fire codes, at least two egress (emergency) staircases are needed for multi-family buildings three storeys and higher." https://lnkd.in/grXz4sjd #britishcolumbia #buildingcode #apartment #stairwells

In Response to Housing Crisis, Mult-Family Building Permits Issued In 10 Days In response to a regional housing shortage and growing affordability crisis, The City of Kelowna in eastern British Columbia rezoned most of it's land to allow 4-6 unit infill housing by-right, on all lots. Over 1,300 lots in the core of the City are eligible for the first round of the City's new "fast track" program which allows a property owner to apply for a building permit utilizing any one of a number of pre-approved multi-family designs, receiving approval within 10-days. The "fast track" program offers property owners the chance to select from 4 pre-approved designs by local architects. Each design has multiple variations to choose from and range from 2-unit up to 6-unit buildings. Property owners who choose one of these plans will be given a building permit within 10 days of filing their initial application. re:MAIN https://lnkd.in/eWEvviTa