Chemainus Residents Association

Category: Municipal Planning

  • Free Secondary suites workshop offered by CRA

    A free workshop offered by the Chemainus Residents Association will take participants step by step through the process of planning and building a secondary suite.

    Secondary suites can be a win-win-win for homeowners, renters, and communities looking for ways to address the affordable housing crisis.

    So the Chemainus Residents Association—with funding from the Rotory Club of Chemainus—is teaming up with the Municipality of North Cowichan, representatives from the building trades, and financial advisors to present Secondary Suites: Getting Started, an October 24 evening workshop that will cover the basics and let participants ask questions.

    Affordability affects renters and homeowners alike, and legal suites—Additional Dwelling Units is the official terminology in North Cowichan—offer relief both ways: for renters, they increase the availability of quality housing; for homeowners, they are a source of income to help meet the escalating expenses of buying and maintaining a property.

    “Providing affordable housing options is essential for the health of communities like Chemainus,” CRA Chair Kristi Hagen said. Without a stock of affordable housing, workers can’t find places to live, and businesses suffer because residents are spending so much of their income on accommodation. “That’s a lose-lose,” Hagen said.

    Although the free workshop is being organized by the CRA, it is open to anyone in the North Cowichan region who wants to attend.

    Workshop speakers, beginning with North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas, will present information about what homeowners need to consider and steps they need to take to get from conception through completion of their projects. They will also outline municipal bylaw and procedural changes being implemented to make it easier to get ADUs approved and built.

    For the last half-hour, the floor will be open for participants to ask questions.

    “We hope a forum like this will encourage people to consider building secondary suites, adding to our stock of affordable housing,” Hagen said.

    The workshop will be held Oct. 24 at the Chemainus 55+ Activity Centre, 9824 Willow Street, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. More about the CRA is available at chemainusresidents.com/.

  • Affordable Housing – How do we do it?

    Housing prices are being driven out of reach by market forces most of us don’t understand. How can we prevent the increase in housing costs from eroding the quality of life for families?

    The alternative to affordable housing is the plague of homelessness in our communities, and hardship for families that can’t afford other life essentials because the cost of housing consumes too much of their monthly income.

    Most would agree that affordable housing is a social priority, but the cost of housing continues to increase and the COVID-19 pandemic has made a bad situation worse. So what steps can be taken to provide the housing that, in turn, puts a livable lifestyle within reach?

    Those are the questions that will be addressed by John Horn, Executive Director of the Cowichan Housing Association in a presentation to the Chemainus Residents’ Association April 8, 6:30 PM on Zoom, when he will talk about one of the most pressing, and complex problems facing communities today: affordable housing.

    Join us and hear what he has to say. There will be an opportunity for people to ask questions after his presentation. If you want to get up to speed beforehand, visit the Cowichan Housing Association website. In April 2019, the CHA completed an Attainable Housing Strategy for the CVRD that identifies priorities and ‘targets for success’. They are also working in conjunction with CVRD’s recently-completed Regional Housing Needs Assessment.

    The meeting can be joined April 8 at 6:15 PM on Zoom.

  • North Cowichan OCP Update

    A slide from North Cowichan’s video on its ThinkForward OCP Update page

    Now’s the time to share your views with the Municipality of North Cowichan, as it continues its Official Community Plan update. Until September 15 residents can complete an online Vision and Priorities Survey and make their preferences known.

    Most residents aren’t well versed when it comes to the purpose of an OCP. A Province of British Columbia ‘local government’ web page describes OCPs as: “statement(s) of objectives and policies that guide decisions on municipal and regional district planning and land use management. These decisions impact communities’ sustainability and resilience.”

    Says the introductory page to North Cowichan’s survey, “Your feedback on this survey will help shape a 20-year vision and develop priorities for North Cowichan to focus on so that we can achieve that vision together.

    “Coming to a common understanding about our collective community values will help us ‘ThinkForward’ as we move through this community-driven process.”

    Three questions posed in recent ThinkForward flyers distributed in the community are examples of the kinds of issues being addressed, and the importance of new possible directions to Chemainus:

    • In response to climate change would you rather: A) Accept that the climate is changing and ‘live with it”? B) Adjust by fire proofing homes, managing water supply and reducing greenhouse emissions?
    • Noting that the majority of housing built in North Cowichan over the last ten years has been stand alone (detached) houses, the municipality asks, should we: A) Continue to facilitate the development of residential subdivisions with detached houses that require you to own a car? B) Encourage different forms of housing such as apartments, townhouses, duplexes closer to shops and services?
    • One quarter of North Cowichan’t population is seniors, and that percentage is expected to grow in coming years. Should we adjust to this trend by: A) Building houses and community facilities better suited to seniors? B) Creating more housing options and economic opportunities to attract and retain young people and families with children?

    More information on the overall OCP process in North Cowichan is available on the municipalities ThinkForward webpage.

  • Community Plan update ‘journey’ announced

    The Municipality of North Cowichan launched its Official Community Plan (OCP) update process in the July 25 information release below…

    (July 25, 2019) – What is an Official Community Plan and why should I care? An Official Community Plan (OCP) establishes the vision for how our community will grow in the future and provides guidance on how to get there. It sets out goals to shape our future in a way that is healthy and sustainable and provides a high quality of life for current and future residents. Essentially, it’s about who we are and where we want to go.

    North Cowichan’s OCP was last updated in 2011 and it needs a refresh. This project was identified as a top priority in the 2019-2022 Council Strategic Plan, and Council is excited to be kicking it off this summer.

    “The backbone of a successful OCP is community support,” says Mayor Al Siebring. “An OCP guides all of us towards a goal, towards a desired future. There will be many opportunities for citizens to tell us what they envision for the future, and we invite all North Cowichan residents to get involved in this process. It’s only with YOUR input that we can together create a shared, meaningful plan.”

    This summer, there are two important ways to get involved in launching the OCP Project:

    1. Become a member of the OCP Advisory Group or Community Ambassador Team!
      a. OCP Advisory Group: Seeking residents with experience and knowledge in key business and community sectors to provide advice to staff through all phases of the OCP Project process.
      b. Community Ambassador Team: Seeking residents that represent the various geographies and neighbourhoods across North Cowichan (i.e. Quamichan, Berkey’s Corner, Maple Bay, Crofton, etc.) to inform the OCP Project by liaising with their neighbourhoods and providing community-specific information through the process.
    2. Help design the OCP Project logo and tagline in a friendly community competition!
      a. Between July 25 and August 14, we invite North Cowichan artists and residents to submit suggestions for a logo and tagline that will be used on all OCP materials for the duration of the project. Following the submission period, all entries will be posted on PlaceSpeak, North Cowichan’s online engagement platform, for North Cowichan residents to vote on their preferred option. A $250 prize will be awarded for the chosen logo, and another $250 prize will be awarded for the chosen tagline.

    There will be ongoing opportunities to learn about the OCP Project and provide your input over the coming months. Please be part of shaping the future of this community!

    Resource Documents

    ·        Application form for the OCP Advisory Group and the Community Ambassador Team

    ·        Logo and tagline contest rules

    ·        OCP Project Webpage

    ·        Sign up for the “Official Community Plan Project” Newsletter for ongoing OCP updates

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    For more information, please contact:

    Al Siebring, Mayor

    Municipality of North Cowichan

    T 250.710.3416

    Emayor@northcowichan.ca