New city regulations for housing

One of the ugly surprises I received when looking into building the laneway house was how much it will cost to get the city services hooked up.  Between surveyors, gas, power, sewer, etc. it could run as high as $20K.

So I am hoping the new regulations the City of Vancouver is implementing will streamline the process — and make it cheaper.  According to two professors at the Sauder School of Business at UBC.

The recommendations that charge the city with finding ways to speed up the development process, reduce fees and red tape, standardize procedures and encourage the market to provide more diverse housing forms are most welcome.

These recommendations all address the greatest barrier to the supply of new and more diverse housing: the city itself.

In this editorial they offer a glimmer of hope that, by the time we plan to build, things will be easier for us and our designer/builder. AffordabilityInitiative_VancouverSun_Somerville&Davidoff_20120628