Our cost of living is simply too high.
My Values
We need to restore opportunity on the housing ladder for our residents. People saving for their down payment need more affordable market rents so that they can actually save. People looking to upgrade their home need lower costs, not higher taxes, on new supply. Right now, incomes aren't keeping up, so hard work just isn't offering the same opportunity for a home which meets the size and requirements of a growing family.
Growth must be backed by investment in safe and quiet neighborhood streets, complete and efficient arterial roads, and transit, schools, parks, and utilities. City planning must be focused on the affordability and quality of life in a neighborhood, while centering the property rights of individual homeowners. Whether you live in a single family home, a townhome, a purpose built rental, or a condo, you should have the opportunity to live in a neighborhood that is safe and pleasant for you and your loved ones.
Growth must be backed by investment in safe and quiet neighborhood streets, complete and efficient arterial roads, and transit, schools, parks, and utilities. City planning must be focused on the affordability and quality of life in a neighborhood, while centering the property rights of individual homeowners. Whether you live in a single family home, a townhome, a purpose built rental, or a condo, you should have the opportunity to live in a neighborhood that is safe and pleasant for you and your loved ones.
Changes I Support
- Ensuring opportunity for new homes across the housing spectrum, from single family, to townhome, to apartments, while targeting a >5% or greater vacancy rate.
- Full implementation of the sustainable urban forest strategy to target 30% tree canopy in residential areas, in order to mitigate future urban heat island effects.
- Cut costs for families and keep Kelowna workers employed by committing to a DCC reduction plan through bonded infrastructure financing.
- Support non-market housing through land-trust partnerships for secured affordable co-op housing.
- Permit modernization through time-based goals for common permits that are benchmarked against peer municipalities in BC.
- Directly lowering the cost of new housing through advocacy on provincial reforms to allow utility bonding of water, sewer and other infrastructure.
- A full review of hidden costs to build. Benchmark and reduce all unfunded mandates, including zoning, engineering requirements, bylaws, and design standards.
- Prioritizing family-oriented homes for midrise redevelopment through zoning incentives.
- An expanded linear park redevelopment incentive for properties bordering along Kelowna's creeks and rivers. The San Antonio riverwalk is a good guiding light of how to integrate water features into walkable commercial / retail while self-funding land acquisition through zoning policy.
- Lobbying the Provincial government for property tax reform to cut taxes and boost our local economy.
- A neighborhood village OCP model to re-legalize various daytime home-based businesses, corner stores, and independent cafes in more areas.
- Land use that protects the ALR while putting downward pressure on our property taxes.
- Accessibility targeting towards ground-access units in apartment buildings.
- Preserve heritage buildings. Developing an anti-neglect bylaw and encouraging targeted designation of authentic heritage buildings on a per-lot basis.
- Supporting an independent review of taxation and permitting fees. When fees for a simple carriage home go from $2,500 to $23,000, we have a problem.
