Small Housing

✨ We’re Hiring! Join the Small Housing Team ✨ At Small Housing, we believe housing is more than just buildings—it’s about people, neighborhoods, and opportunities. As a non-profit, we’re passionate about championing gentle density housing solutions that help homeowners, developers, and policymakers create communities where people can afford to live and thrive. We’re hiring a marketing coordinator to amplify our work and connect with those who care about building more affordable, livable communities. If you’re excited about using your marketing skills to spark meaningful change, share powerful stories, and help others understand why housing matters, we want to hear from you. 🏡 Join us to make a difference in BC and beyond. 📌 Check out the job details and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gXntPSiz #jobs #jobfairy #marketingroles #marketing #housing #policy

We’re thrilled to join Heritage BC for the second webinar in their series, Future Planning for Heritage Neighbourhoods! Join our own Daniel Winer & Andrew Bjorn with Laura Saretsky, Heritage Planner at the City of Victoria BC, for an engaging discussion on "Finding Common Ground: Aligning Housing and Heritage Goals to Meet Community Needs." This is an important conversation about how gentle density and heritage preservation can work together to create vibrant, sustainable communities—and we’d love for you to be part of it! 🗓️: Wednesday, January 29 🕰️: 12:00–1:00 PM (PT) 📌: Zoom Cost: $15 (non-members) | Free for Heritage BC members Secure your spot today! https://lnkd.in/gikMzB5q #housing #solutions #community

🎉 A Bold Start to 2025: Secure Your Spot at the Gentle Density Leaders Summit! 🎉 The new year marks a fresh chapter for gentle density housing, and this February, we’re bringing together the brightest minds and boldest ideas to ignite action and innovation at the Gentle Density Leaders Summit. This isn’t just an event – it’s a movement. Over the years, our Summit has helped lay the groundwork for transformative policy action, including the implementation of Bill 44. Now, it’s time to shift gears and activate real-world solutions for the challenges ahead. Head to https://lnkd.in/g-HPyMht to secure your spot! 🏘️ Daniel Winer, Tamara White, Aina Adashynski, Andrew Bjorn, Vienna Braux, David Sisk #housing #events #solutions #policy

In partnership with Small Housing, we worked with the City of New Westminster to develop standardized Gentle Density housing designs. By leveraging detailed financial modelling and comprehensive development feasibility studies, we provided the municipality with financially viable, scalable multi-family development plans. These plans not only minimize risks and maximize returns but also ensure alignment with market demands, creating a solid foundation for confident decision-making. This project highlights another successful collaboration with Small Housing BC, reinforcing our commitment to creating practical and sustainable solutions for urban housing challenges. #GentleDensity #MultiFamilyHousing #SustainableDevelopment #FinancialModelling #DevelopmentFeasibility #NewWestminster #SmallHousingBC #AffordableHousing #MunicipalPartnership #Housing #proforma #proformamodelling #gentledensification #ResidentialBC #CityPlanning

Did You Know: According to a new report, the cost to create a single parking stall in Metro Vancouver can hit $230,000? 🚗 💰 That’s the price of a small home in some parts of Canada—and a key factor driving up housing costs in our region. A new staff report to Metro Vancouver’s regional planning committee highlights these costs, as well as showing that off-street residential parking is heavily oversupplied—by an average of 47% in strata buildings and 35% in market rentals. Meanwhile, parking demand plummets near rapid transit, with some developments reporting as few as 0.65 vehicles per dwelling unit. This oversupply doesn’t just waste space—it translates into massive added costs for developers, costs that are ultimately passed on to homebuyers and renters. Removing parking minimums, as we've seen happen in City of Vancouver & City of Nanaimo in recent months, is a critical step to lowering development costs and making housing more attainable. It’s time to rethink our approach to parking, especially as Metro Vancouver moves forward with its regional parking strategy later this year. Fewer parking stalls = lower costs = more affordable housing. What are your thoughts? Could this be a game-changer for housing affordability? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 👇

🎉 New Year, New Opportunities: Secure Your Seat at the Gentle Density Summit! 🎉 2025 is here, and we’re kicking it off with an event that promises to inspire action and spark innovation in gentle density housing. The Gentle Density Summit has been a driving force in policy action over the past few years, equipping planners and industry to prepare for Bill 44. Now, as we enter the next phase, it’s time to activate gentle density and tackle the even bigger questions shaping our communities: ✨ Utility Planning: How can builders and planners navigate this complex terrain? Dive deep with Chris Higgins, drawing on his experience with BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver. ✨ National Innovations: What’s leading the way in small-scale, multi-unit housing across Canada? Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement(SCHL)’s Cleo Corbett, MCIP, RPP will share insights from the Housing Accelerator Fund. ✨ Partnership Opportunities: With land values at an all-time high and municipalities stepping into the land acquisition space, Lisa Helps will offer a fresh perspective after her year with BC Builds. And that’s just the beginning! From reimagining finance with Vancity to unlocking the potential of modular and prefabrication housing, this year’s summit is set to be a game-changer for planners, industry professionals, and leaders in small-scale housing. 🎟️ Space is limited, and this event will sell out! Don’t miss your chance to join us for a day of inspired learning and action - https://lnkd.in/g-HPyMht Let’s start 2025 strong, together. Secure your seat today and be part of the movement that’s shaping the future of gentle density housing. #GentleDensity #SmallHousing #Innovation #NewYearNewOpportunities #HousingSolutions

🏘️ Small Homes, Big Opportunities: How Gentle Density Can Work for You 🏘️ Gentle density housing is redefining how we use space, offering more affordable, flexible, and sustainable living options for families across Canada. Take this new pocket neighbourhood development Brandon, Manitoba, for example. This charming neighborhood of 21 small homes proves that less can be more. These 612-square-foot homes cost approx $178,000—significantly less than the average house price of $310,000 in Brandon in 2023, offering housing opportunities for a far greater span of our communities. In 2025, we need to see far more of these opportunities come to fruition! By embracing gentle density, homeowners are unlocking creative ways to make housing more attainable while building vibrant, connected communities. In B.C., provincial and federal programs are making it easier than ever for homeowners to join this movement and provide housing options for their loved ones—or simply expand their own choices for downsizing to better meet their evolving housing needs. Programs available include: Provincial Secondary Suite Incentive Program: This program offers forgivable loans of up to 50% of renovation costs, capped at $40,000, for projects like secondary suites or accessory dwelling units. If the unit is rented long-term at below-market rates for five years, the loan is fully forgiven. It’s a way to increase rental options while reducing financial barriers for homeowners. Federal Secondary Suite Loan Program: Starting January 15, 2025, this program will provide low-interest loans of up to $80,000 for adding secondary suites. Homeowners can also access new mortgage insurance options to refinance and unlock home equity for renovations. Good news for B.C. homeowners: These programs can be combined, provided eligibility requirements are met and your mortgage lender agrees. Whether it’s a laneway home, a garden suite, or a pocket neighborhood like those in Brandon, gentle density is about solutions for today and opportunities for tomorrow. At Small Housing, we’re committed to advocating for even more financial options for homeowner-developers—ones that embrace offsite construction and other innovative solutions to make building gentle density homes even more affordable and accessible. Let’s create housing that works for everyone. 🙌 #GentleDensity #AffordableHousing #HousingSolutions #BCRealEstate #SmallHomes https://lnkd.in/gJ9AZzS7 Daniel Winer Tamara White Aina Adashynski Andrew Bjorn Vienna Braux David Sisk

Canada’s housing crisis is deepening. Despite billions of dollars invested through the National Housing Strategy, 2.4 million Canadian households are now in core housing need — 662,000 more than when the strategy launched in 2017. The numbers are sobering, but they also highlight a deeper challenge: investment alone isn’t enough. We need solutions that break through the barriers standing in the way of delivering real housing outcomes. Take gentle density, for example — an approach that could create the housing families and communities desperately need. Yet barriers like outdated financial products, particularly for modular and small-scale construction, continue to hold back its potential. At the Gentle Density Leaders Summit, we’ll take a hard look at where we’re falling short and focus on what’s next. From financing solutions to practical, on-the-ground strategies, we’re bringing together leaders to explore how we can unlock housing that works: 🔑 Homes that families can afford. 🔑 Housing options for seniors to age in place. 🔑 Solutions for citizen developers looking to build in their own neighborhoods. The housing crisis isn’t insurmountable. It’s time to think differently, act boldly, and deliver homes that meet the diverse needs of Canadians. Let’s make it happen. 🏠 Secure your ticket today to the Gentle Density Leaders Summit - https://lnkd.in/g-HPyMht #GentleDensity #HousingCrisis #SolutionsForCommunities #InnovativeHousing #UrbanPlanning

🚶♀️🚌 One year and eight months. That’s how long the average Metro Vancouver commuter will spend on transit in their lifetime, according to Moovit’s latest global survey. Greater Vancouver now claims the longest transit trip times in North America — a staggering 60 minutes, per journey. Nobody wants that. Long commutes steal time from families, communities, and quality of life. But there’s a solution hiding in plain sight, often right in our own backyards: gentle density. By delivering homes within existing neighborhoods, we can bring people closer to where they need to be, reducing the dependency on long commutes— whether it’s aging parents, work, schools, or essential services. Gentle density can: 🏠 Help seniors age in place. 🏠 Allow adult kids to live close to family. 🏠 Provide frontline workers with homes in the communities they serve. At our upcoming Gentle Density Leaders Summit, we’ll explore solutions to overcome the barriers holding back these housing solutions — and how planners and industry alike can deliver homes that meet the diverse needs of our communities. Because better housing choices don’t just mean more homes — they mean better lives. Check out the link below for more details on how to secure your tickets 🗓️ https://lnkd.in/g-HPyMht #GentleDensity #HousingSolutions #CommunityLiving #UrbanPlanning #MetroVancouver

🎉 Don’t miss our final Gentle Density Network session of the year—your last chance to connect before the holidays! Join us on Wednesday, December 18th at 12:00 PM for Point Access Blocks: A Step in the Right Direction?, featuring the brilliant Michael Eliason of Larch Lab 🏘️ This engaging session will dive into how modest updates to building codes—like single-stair egress—can unlock a variety of housing types. Discover how these changes can lead to homes that are better ventilated, filled with natural light, and thoughtfully designed to prioritize climate adaptation and public health. Michael will also share international perspectives and innovative approaches to urban planning that could redefine neighborhoods across North America. 📅 Save your spot today! https://lnkd.in/gVA7XB-T