Dear Editor:
So now North Vancouver City has become a landlord of social (read "affordable") housing.
I was always led to believe that this was the jurisdiction of the feds and province, but the city along with other municipalities seem to be taking the lead on this issue now, much to the delight, I'm sure, of those higher levels of government.
The Kimpton at Chesterfield Avenue and West 13th Street is the latest example of this trend. The city is attempting to provide affordable housing through the purchase of six units in this project, which will be then leased out to a non-profit housing society to worthy tenants.
The Kimpton is a very high-end project with, as the advertising states, gourmet kitchens, granite counter tops, spa-inspired bathrooms, etc.
It hardly seems a location for affordable housing.
It will be interesting to see how a non-profit housing society will rent these units, and to whom, since the rent will have to be very high for them to cover their costs.
It's also going to be interesting to learn how the Kimpton strata will function since one owner, the city, holds a strong hand and could easily dominate its affairs.
I believe that this latest social engineering effort by the city, like previous attempts, will not work out.
There is no such thing as affordable housing if it is provided in this way.
One thing at least is assured: The developer got his density bonus for providing this "affordable" component, will walk away with his additional profit and will leave the city and the new owners of the Kimpton wondering how it will all work out.
Ken S. Hawthorne, North Vancouver
