Home builders want clarity
Photo: One Water Street
One Water Street while it was under construction in July 2021
The Central Okanagan branch of the Canadian Home Builders Association wants some clarity from Kelowna city council on affordability and the term “world class” development.
In an open letter to Mayor Colin Basran and city council, the CHBA-CO says while councillors frequently discuss form and character, the average Kelowna resident is just looking for a place to call home that they can afford.
The letter appears to take issue with a number of recent comments including one by Charlie Hodge, where he is quoted as saying “We’re a world class community and I expected world class type design” and another by Mohini Singh in which she says ” We deserve more. We’re at a stage of our evolution where we need to have more of a wow factor in our developments”.
The home builders say if One Water Street is an example of world class development, it should be noted that the topic of the amount of glass is a frequent conversation at city hall. But glass costs have soared by 40 per cent this week alone, and glass is also less energy efficient than a standard insulated wall.
When it comes to things like architectural details and the use of mixed materials, the home builders point out that those details also add to the cost, waste and complexity of a project.
“As the voice of the residential construction industry, we feel that it is important to point out several issues with this line of thinking, as it appears the thoughts of council are counterintuitive to making housing more affordable,” reads the letter signed by CHBA- CO executive officer Daniel Winer and President Darren Witt.
The CHBA-CO is also again voicing its opposition to parks development cost charges. It says instead of putting the bulk of the money into generic park development, a portion of it should go towards enhancing amenity space in the developments instead. It maintains that development cost charges should be charged on a square footage basis to reduce the cost for smaller suites and improve affordability.
“Our community needs leadership on the issues most important to residents. We kindly request that city council and staff provide clarity around the definition of ‘world class’ and direction around the types of homes we wish to create in our community,” the letter concludes.
This public stance by the home builders comes just three months ahead of the municipal election.
