Victoria councillor wants city to buy more land for affordable housing

When it comes to building affordable housing in Victoria, one councillor wants the city to put its money where its mouth is.

Coun. Ben Isitt plans to introduce a motion to council Nov. 8 that would commit the city to buying land to dedicate to below-market housing options.

Isittsaid the city would offer the purchased land to the federal and provincial governments for social housing, low-income housing and supportive housing, for example.

"I hear from the public they support investments in affordable housing," Isitt told On The Island host Gregor Craigie.

"The costs of not having an inclusive housing system are borne every day in the policing system and the court system, in other impacts on the community.

"Over the long run, I think we would see benefits, even cost benefits, as well."

Estimated less than 5% of units are non-market

The councillor said Victoria presently owns very little land for those housinggoals. Most of its properties are too small for housing or they're in the form of parks and community centres.

"You can count our surplus land on one hand," Isittsaid.

The councillor said he believesif the city is serious about fightingunaffordability, more housing needs to be non-market. He estimated less than five per cent of housing units in Victoria are non-market and expanding that supply will require land.

"I think we would be looking at sites along arterial roads, sites, potentially, immediately to the north of downtown," he said.

Isitt said city staff would be asked to identify potential sites to buy if his motion passes.

He said the future shape those sites take in terms of zoning, housing type and more would be determined in a public process.

Listen to the full interview:

With files from CBCRadio One's On The Island