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Garment Street Condos | 25 & 6 fl | U/C
#61
^^^ Thank you, guess I have to wait, nothing listed yet.
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#62
I live a stone's throw from here. It's only a matter of time before my slumlord landlady sells the very affordable apartment building I live in to a developer who will knock it down and build condos too expensive for me to move into.
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#63
(09-19-2018, 03:13 PM)thefringthing Wrote: I live a stone's throw from here. It's only a matter of time before my slumlord landlady sells the very affordable apartment building I live in to a developer who will knock it down and build condos too expensive for me to move into.

Could you please let me know what you consider "affordable" and "too expensive"? Affordability is definitely an ongoing concern, but we also can't stop developers from putting up new buildings provided that they comply with the zoning and other bylaws.
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#64
(09-19-2018, 03:13 PM)thefringthing Wrote: I live a stone's throw from here. It's only a matter of time before my slumlord landlady sells the very affordable apartment building I live in to a developer who will knock it down and build condos too expensive for me to move into.

Well hopefully with enough parking lots and derelict industrial turning into housing, it'll keep the value proposition of dealing with a building full of tenants unattractive.

Unless you your slumlord gets you full on condemned, in which case RIP.
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#65
Unfortunately, a lot of the affordable housing is clustered in downtown Waterloo and Kitchener. Apartments above stores are being renovated and are now listed as "Executive one-bedroom apartments", clearly out of the range of those who are supported by OW (Ontario Works Social Assistance), or ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program).  I would like to see governments acknowledge that just as our horizontal neighbourhoods accommodate a range of income levels, that our vertical neighbourhoods do the same.  For instance, if a developer recognized that their development is removing lower rent housing, that any new development include an equal or greater number of lower rent housing in the mix.  Removing 20 units (or bedrooms) of lowe income housing to create 200 beds of higher income housing should require also replacing the 20 beds that are being displaced.

The Toronto Star wrote an article on a similar situation in Toronto: those who need to be in the core for work or services can no longer afford to live there.
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#66
(09-21-2018, 01:11 PM)nms Wrote: Unfortunately, a lot of the affordable housing is clustered in downtown Waterloo and Kitchener. Apartments above stores are being renovated and are now listed as "Executive one-bedroom apartments", clearly out of the range of those who are supported by OW (Ontario Works Social Assistance), or ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program).  I would like to see governments acknowledge that just as our horizontal neighbourhoods accommodate a range of income levels, that our vertical neighbourhoods do the same.  For instance, if a developer recognized that their development is removing lower rent housing, that any new development include an equal or greater number of lower rent housing in the mix.  Removing 20 units (or bedrooms) of lowe income housing to create 200 beds of higher income housing should require also replacing the 20 beds that are being displaced.

The Toronto Star wrote an article on a similar situation in Toronto: those who need to be in the core for work or services can no longer afford to live there.

I can't remember where I was reading it, but there is some program (unsure if it was local, or Toronto or province wide) that helps pay for renovations to make legal units in homes, with the intent of making them affordable. The kicker is that they don't care who moves in (so it could be family), just as long as it becomes 'legal', meaning separate living area, cooking area, and bathroom area.

Either way, it idea if they started implementing something like this. It would be a win-win-win situation; a win for the homeowner with reduced renovation costs and rental income, a win for the renter with reduced rent and a safe place to live, and a win for the community as social costs associating with renting would be greatly reduced.
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#67
(09-21-2018, 01:11 PM)nms Wrote: Unfortunately, a lot of the affordable housing is clustered in downtown Waterloo and Kitchener. Apartments above stores are being renovated and are now listed as "Executive one-bedroom apartments", clearly out of the range of those who are supported by OW (Ontario Works Social Assistance), or ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program).  I would like to see governments acknowledge that just as our horizontal neighbourhoods accommodate a range of income levels, that our vertical neighbourhoods do the same.  For instance, if a developer recognized that their development is removing lower rent housing, that any new development include an equal or greater number of lower rent housing in the mix.  Removing 20 units (or bedrooms) of lowe income housing to create 200 beds of higher income housing should require also replacing the 20 beds that are being displaced.

The Toronto Star wrote an article on a similar situation in Toronto: those who need to be in the core for work or services can no longer afford to live there.

Clearly we have a shortage of income-geared housing (which is really what you need for OW or ORDSP) in the region. However, I suspect most of the "apartments above stores" are not income-geared and thus not much more affordable than, say, the new (or renovated) mid-market rental apartments being proposed/built by companies such as Drewlo and Vive. 

I don't think the cities currently enforce any one-for-one replacement of income-geared housing (or other low-rent housing, however that is defined), either in the cores or in the suburbia. I'm not aware of other cities that do that, either -- but I'm sure some must exist somewhere. I don't think pure zoning would enable this, some other tools would be needed.

The issue pointed out by Toronto Star is somewhat different, and has more to do with lower-paid working people not being able to afford rental housing near downtown Toronto. Apart from our commute distances being much shorter, the way to avoid this is to ensure a solid supply of mid-market housing so that the demand doesn't push the rents out of reach. Rentals in condo buildings like Charlie West and DTK don't really help here (the costs really are too high), but the Vive and Drewlo developments will.
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#68
I can see a lot of buyers balking at this though.
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#69
(09-21-2018, 06:02 PM)Spokes Wrote: I can see a lot of buyers balking at this though.

Balking at which? Sorry, not sure which part of which comment you are referring to!
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#70
(09-23-2018, 11:49 AM)tomh009 Wrote:
(09-21-2018, 06:02 PM)Spokes Wrote: I can see a lot of buyers balking at this though.

Balking at which? Sorry, not sure which part of which comment you are referring to!

Having X% of units deemed affordable units.  

Not that I'd agree with them, but I've talked to a lot of people about this and surprisingly, many have the thought that either a) I don't want people like that living next to me and b) If I'm paying what I'm paying, they should be too.
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#71
(09-23-2018, 09:45 PM)Spokes Wrote:
(09-23-2018, 11:49 AM)tomh009 Wrote: Balking at which? Sorry, not sure which part of which comment you are referring to!

Having X% of units deemed affordable units.  

Not that I'd agree with them, but I've talked to a lot of people about this and surprisingly, many have the thought that either a) I don't want people like that living next to me and b) If I'm paying what I'm paying, they should be too.

Ah, yes. The question is whether enough of them would actually balk -- currently most condo projects are way oversubscribed.

Income-geared units aren't typically occupied by homeless people, contrary to many people's perceptions.
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#72
Well, typically if you live in a unit you would not count as 'homeless'. But I see what you're saying.
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#73
Ya, it's a good question. I mean we see how prevalent nimbyism is in other areas, I could see this one too.
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#74
I doubt many renters would even be aware of it. In any event, DTK "affordable" apartment units would not likely be accesible to the homeless, or even to the working poor (i.e. you couldn't afford them on minimum wage, for example). They would probably rent for only a couple of hundred less that market rents.
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#75
(09-23-2018, 10:12 PM)KevinL Wrote: Well, typically if you live in a unit you would not count as 'homeless'. But I see what you're saying.

Maybe "formerly homeless" would have been a better term! In any case, there is a long waiting list for income-geared units and applicants are vetted to make sure they are capable of living independently before being approved for an income-geared unit.
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