housing in my backyard
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Housing in my Backyard. A Municipal Guide for Responding to NIMBY. Affordability and Choice Today www.actprogram.com. Overview of presentation. Why a guide for municipal officials?. What is NIMBY. Common Concerns…and How to Respond. Strategies to Gain Acceptance…. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Housing in my Backyard
Affordability andChoice Todaywww.actprogram.com
A Municipal Guide for Responding to NIMBY
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Overview of presentation
Why a guide for municipal officials?
What is NIMBY
Common Concerns…and How to Respond
Strategies to Gain Acceptance…
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Why a Guide for Municipal Officials?
NIMBY – one of the top regulatory barriers to affordable housing (CMHC survey)
Focus on strategies and tools:
• To gain community acceptance for sound housing developments NOT on the negative aspects of NIMBY
• Suited to intensification, non-profit, lower-end-of-market, and supportive housing
• Adaptable to a range of communities and neighbourhoods
• To help municipalities support good housing even if opposition persists
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Definition
NIMBY, defined:
“The protectionist attitudes and exclusionary/
oppositional tactics used by community groups facing an
unwelcome development in their neighbourhood.”
CMHC, 2006
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
NIMBY: ACT Cases
Charlottetown, PEI: King’s SquareManagement strategy for NIMBY opposition to homeless shelter, based
on study of attitudes
District of North VancouverAcceptance of secondary suites in single family zones, based on
demographic research
Toronto NUC-TUCT Non-Profit HousingResidents’ concerns addressed through innovative parking plan
Peel Region Housing Opportunity CentreEducation package on affordable housing, addressing residents’
perceptions, attitudes and worries
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Strategies: Five Main Themes
NIMBY
Community Engagement/Communication
• Inform, listen, broaden the tent
Educational Tools• Education is a two-way street• Facts are handy
Monitoring & Implementation
• Ensure “delivery” as promised
• Monitor post-occupancy: the “lived-in” neighbourhood
Planning Tools• Comprehensive plans,
zoning, site plans etc.
Legislative Frameworks• Federal, provincial and municipal laws apply• Examples: Building Codes, Planning Acts, Human
Rights
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Common Concerns the World Over
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Common Concerns… and How to Respond
Our property values will go
down
Increasing density will cause too much traffic
Increasing density will strain public services
and infrastructure
The new residents won’t
“fit in”
Affordable housing (or higher density
housing) spoils the character of our neighbourhood
Affordable or higher density housing
means more crime in the
neighbourhood
Our neighbourhood already has its “fair share” of affordable housing
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Common concerns…and how to respond
“People should not have to ask permission from anyone, including
prospective neighbours, before moving in just because of stereotypes…”
Report of the Ontario Human Rights Commission
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Apply the Law: Legislative Frameworks
• Provincial/Federal/International Human Rights legislation
•International convention bound by principle of “non-discrimination”
• Provincial Planning Acts do not support “people zoning”
• Why do discriminatory practices still exist?
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Good Practices: Legislative Frameworks
As a municipal official or politician, you can:
• Stress legal basis for allowing (unpopular) housing, noting zoning and Building Codes safeguard quality and good planning
• Where appropriate, cite provincial legislation requiring smart growth/higher density options
• Remind everyone that funding for non-profit housing limits number of economically feasible locations
• Be firm about complying with human rights legislation that prohibits discrimination
• Insist on respectful comments at public meetings -- zero tolerance for discriminatory remarks
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Toronto’ s Zero Tolerance Policy
• In effect at public meetings
• Discriminatory comments will not be listened to
• Proclamation of individual’s fundamental right to housing without discrimination
“… this Committee is determined to fight NIMBY-ism whenever and wherever it arises. We will not allow ignorance or prejudice to block the right of individuals and families to live in affordable housing in
any corner of our great City.”
Councillor Mammoliti, Chair, Affordable Housing Committee
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Open the Toolbox: Planning Tools
•Wide range of planning tools:Comprehensive & long-range plans to establish overall growth patternsComprehensive or site-specific zoning bylaws Site plans (or specific design controls)
•Choose the right tools to develop good housing – think about the housing developer, housing provider and future occupants as well as the neighbourhood
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Good Practices: Planning Tools
• Create overall housing strategy
• Develop policy for affordable and/or supportive housing in all neighbourhoods
• Establish as-of-right zoning to permit a range of housing throughout
• Identify residential areas to permit as-of-right zoning for supportive, and higher density housing
• Integrate land use and infrastructure planning into comprehensive plans
• Set design guidelines for infill and intensification policies
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Richmond Hill: Intensifying the Suburbs
“People Plan Richmond Hill”
Growth through intensification, to comply with Ontario Act
Use variety of means to communicate density, infill, intensification, links to transit, including 3-D modelling
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Lessons Learned: Richmond Hill
•Emphasize transit as basis for intensifying
•Emphasize public realm and place-making instead of just buildings and density
•Maximize participation: inclusive, diverse
•Offer a range of formats, venues, including interactive website, on-line polling
•Connect to community history: remind everyone of the nature of change
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Listen: Community Engagement
• Listening: “the Golden Rule of politics”
• One of the most common complaints: “I had no idea that this project was proposed”
• Challenge for municipalities = finding a voice (or proxy) for future occupants of affordable or supportive housing
• A good communication strategy can be the first positive step to gaining community acceptance
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Good Practices: Engagement
• Have a strategy: don’t “wing it”
• Take advantage of wide range of techniques, forums – direct and indirect
• Stress the positive
• Link to municipality’s vision and plans
• Be well prepared
• Establish rules of behaviour at meetings
• Identify champions
• Work collaboratively with the developer
• Develop media strategy
• Bring in experts to address concerns
• If particularly contentious, consider an advisory committee
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Montréal Saint Eugène Seniors
•156 low-income seniors apartments•New construction and adaptive re-use of church•Unanticipated objections arose: height, density, traffic, loss of trees, materials•Montréal’s Housing Strategy and Charter used to: -Show need for 5000 social housing units -Remind that public meetings NOT required
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Lessons Learned: Montréal Saint Eugène
•Do not underestimate nature or extent of community concern
•Do not assume seniors’ housing always supported
•Engage with community early on
•Listen to community and be prepared to adapt and compromise
•Address residents’ concerns: they might lead to better project (and in this case, more units)
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Learn: Education Tools
• Education is a two-way street
• Provide access to as much information as possible – level the field
• Provide opportunities to learn about planning in general, as well as site-specific projects
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Good Practices: Educational
• Prepare simple fact sheets for community meetings and media
• Establish general education materials by: Working with developers and housing advocates Engaging experts to create catalogue of visuals Drawing on local historical information
• Bring in subject experts (lawyers, engineers, foresters, etc.)
• Go outside the “classroom” – organize site visits and tours
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Ottawa Planning Primer
Citizens learn about and get involved in planning processes
Two core courses and two electives run by staff with outside experts, as needed
Aim is to build strong relationships between City and neighbourhoods
Videos and on-line material enhance
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Lessons Learned: Ottawa Planning Primer
• Planning Primer is a “necessary” but not “necessarily sufficient” tool to broaden residents’ perspective beyond neighbourhood
• Create educational opportunities in neutral, advocacy-free way
• Use planners and other experts to create professional atmosphere
• Emphasize facts: focus on “what” and “how” to level the field between citizens and experts
• Residents gain better appreciation of inter-connectedness of municipal decisions
Affordability and Choice TodayNIMBY
Follow up: Implement and Monitor
• Municipal officials follow the process from approval to on- the-ground built form
• What about looking at post-occupancy? -Have any of the community worries come to pass? -How have new residents fit in? How have they contributed to the neighbourhood?
• Keep track, monitor, develop good local examples
• Identify data and information easily collected and tracked
• Tie in with existing municipal monitoring programs
• Supplement technical info with visual or audio records
• Draw on local success stories in future controversial proposals
ACT Grant Application Deadline:
20 November 2009
www.actprogram.com