Efforts to assess housing needs in the South Shuswap and rural areas around Sicamous will be repeated for other electoral areas in the region.
On Monday, March 1, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) announced it would receive a $45,000 grant through the Union of B.C. Municipalities to assess housing needs in Electoral Area B (Revelstoke Rural), Electoral Area D (Including Falkland, Deep Creek, Ranchero, Salmon Valley, Silver Creek, and Gardom Lake) and Electoral Area F (North Shuswap).
According to the CSRD, the studies would identify housing needs and/or issues specific to the individual electoral areas, including affordability and accessibility. The resulting reports will be used to guide short-term and long-term housing polices and strategies for the CSRD.
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The reports have to be completed by mid-2022, and they will inform any new or updated official community plans.
According to the CSRD, the reports are also a requirement for rural areas without land-use planning.
The CSRD intends to begin the housing needs studies this summer, with opportunities for public input and participation scheduled for the fall.
Housing needs reports have already been completed for Electoral Areas C and E (South Shuswap and the Rural Sicamous). A related survey asked residents about their current neighbourhood and living expenses, the quality and price of their owned or rented home and other questions such as what types of property might appeal to them in the future. The reports can be found at csrd.bc.ca.
@SalmonArm
lachlan@saobserver.net
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