Letters: Two-pronged attack needed for housing in Richmond

Expensive Editor,

I don’t have to notify you, my buddies, that we are experiencing a dire housing shortage in Richmond.

The great news is that our elected officials and builders are making a concerted effort and hard work to create a lot more housing the undesirable information is it’s the wrong form.

The new housing assignments underway will not support our younger adults and middle-profits personnel fleeing our community hunting for economical housing and will only benefit the privileged elite. Is any person shocked? 

Instead than investing in reasonably priced housing that every day people can pay for, we are witnessing the building of luxurious townhouses and significant-priced condominiums, some of which outcome in the destruction of one-relatives dwellings to acquire the land.

The negligible volume of economical housing beneath construction is inadequate for Richmond’s 200K inhabitants — 26 for every cent of whom are renters in a location with a <1 per cent vacancy rate. 

We desperately need a two-pronged approach to fix this systemic issue.

Our young adults are forced to relocate, leaving behind their entire community and support system, making families more vulnerable.

Prong one is to re-design single-family homes to create two or three smaller homes on the same plot that our much-valued teachers, tradespersons, healthcare and childcare workers, and young professionals can afford.

Prong two involves city council fundamentally changing zoning laws to create more purpose-built rental housing that families and middle-income residents, who make less than $70,000 annually, can afford.

Jack Trovato

RICHMOND