Victoria should consider imposing a moratorium on the demolition of single-family homes — a trend that may be adding fuel to the current red-hot real-estate market, says Coun. Ben Isitt.
“My feeling is the city should move forward with some sort of interim emergency bylaw to halt demolitions of single-family homes in the city,” Isitt said Friday.
The bylaw shouldn’t interfere with repurposing or renovating older buildings into multi-unit dwellings, he said.
“I have no problem with older homes being converted into units, which increases affordability, but it’s the physical demolition of these perfectly useable buildings, which have value both for shelter but also heritage value, that I think is a big problem in our community.”
Isitt noted that the number of single-family homes being demolished seems to be climbing. In 2014, 19 demolition permits were issued for single-family homes and three for duplexes.
Last year, 57 demolition permits issues were for single-family homes and two were for duplexes.
To the beginning of April of this year, 13 demolition permits were issued for single-family homes.
Isitt said there are instances when there is no other option but to demolish, but demolishing serviceable housing stock “contributes to an already overheated real estate market,” affects housing affordability and fuels speculation in land.
It also has an environmental impact, since useable structures are demolished and replaced with new buildings.
“They may perform better from an energy-efficiency standpoint, but if you look at all the embedded energy in the building materials, as well as new energy that’s going to be consumed in the construction process, there’s a very strong environmental argument in favour of the retention and refurbishment of existing buildings,” Isitt said.
Isitt said he plans to continue researching the issue before bringing anything forward to council.
Mayor Lisa Helps agreed demolition is an issue that may have to be dealt with.
“I think we’re going to need to find a way to grapple with the increased cost of single-family dwellings in the city, particularly as we do see an influx of people coming from Vancouver,” Helps said.
Unfortunately, Helps said, the province probably has more regulatory ability in that regard than the city does.
Helps plans to review past Union of B.C. Municipality resolutions to see if that body has any initiatives with respect to affordability of single-family dwellings.
“I think it’s something we can explore. I don’t know what tools we can use,” she said.
“It would be great if that house could be moved somewhere else — not to Washington state — but I guess that’s the glory and peril of private property is that the owner can do what they want within reason or council approval.”
Isitt plans to research what other municipalities have in the way of both emergency and permanent bylaw provisions before bringing something forward to Victoria council for consideration.
He said it’s not surprising demolition is emerging as an issue.
“When you see the increases in land values and how Victoria is a desirable place to live, the lack of protection around preventing and discouraging demolition, I think, is a real gap in the current regulatory environment in the city,” Isitt said.
