The Housing Needs Report provides an overview of the regional housing needs while also including a separate section for each municipality and electoral area outlining housing needs specific to them. The report was based upon the statistical information for all communities and the input from hundreds of participants who live in our communities.
There is a separate appendices document that outlines the data collected and used to inform the report and to meet legislated requirements.
An Engagement Summary report has also been included alongside the Housing Needs Report, showing the outreach done to provide the story behind the data.
2020 Applied Housing Research Reports
In 2020, Selkirk College and Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute supported an initiative on Building Local Government Capacity for Rural Economic Development with a focus on Housing in RDKB. This initiative produced four reports focusing on housing issues and considerations specific to RDKB to support information included in the 2020 RDKB Housing Needs Report.
1) Market Housing Report
This report provides insights into the ‘the missing middle” in the RDKB context. The “missing middle” is generally described as encompassing the lower end of market housing, including rentals and entry-level home ownership. The report identified successful local and regional approaches to rural market housing, including mixed-use and mixed-income models and provided insights from local housing developers concerning challenges and barriers to market housing development in this region.
2) Disaster Recovery Housing Report
This report identifies best practices and approaches for disaster recovery housing. Following the 2018 flooding of the Kettle and Granby Rivers that caused considerable damage across the Boundary region, RDKB is intimately aware of the challenges of housing people after a disaster. This report outlines themes that emerged from research on disaster recovery efforts around the world and what planning for recovery can look like.
3) Supplemental Report: Genelle Case Study
This report explores the development opportunities for a 12.7 acre parcel located in Genelle, which is owned by RDKB, with special consideration for a seniors’ housing option. Based upon location in relation to amenities and public transit, the size of the parcel and considerations for housing needs based upon changing demographics, the report suggests a mixed-use, mixed-income and multi-generational development. The report also considers an agrihood as a potential planned community for the parcel, which is a community centred around a farm or community garden, as an example of a type of development that could be established on this property.
4) Supplemental Report: Economic Indicators Influencing Housing in the Boundary
This report focuses on the economic indicators in the Boundary region to act as a supplement for the needs projections identified in the RDKB Housing Needs Report. This report is a tool to support future planning and decision-making related to housing. The report reviews existing indicators, such as demographics, and explores emerging and expanding industries in the Boundary.
The Developable Parcel Catalogue for the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary
This catalogue in an inventory of parcels with potential for residential development. It was completed in 2020 as part of an internship project included in the Columbia Basin RDI’s Building Local Government Capacity for Rural Economic Development project. The parcels highlighted on this map have residential zoning, or the potential for residential zoning, which can be subdivided into smaller parcels and are located outside of the ALR.
https://rdkb.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e9978bdcc8704a20867712d9575a4c22
Lower Columbia Affordable Housing Society (LCAHS)
The Lower Columbia Affordable Housing Society (LCAHS) is a non-profit society formed in 2013 to provide affordable housing for low to moderate income households in the Lower Columbia Region. Their website provides details on their rental properties, how to apply for housing, and properties that are being developed.
https://www.lowercolumbiahousing.ca/
Lower Columbia Region Non-Profit Affordable Housing Directory
https://skillscentre.ca/how-we-help/affordable-housing