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Housing needs survey for Williams Lake and area launched

City of Williams Lake and Cariboo Regional District survey closes on Nov. 20, 2020
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The City of Williams Lake and Cariboo Regional District are conducting a housing needs survey for Williams Lake and area. Before this new affordable housing complex on First Avenue North opened in Williams Lake in 2019, it already had a waiting list. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

A housing needs survey for the Central Cariboo Chilcotin was launched Oct. 23 by the City of Williams Lake and Cariboo Regional District.

Part of a housing study encompassing a broad area stretching from Anahim Lake (Ulkatcho) in the west to Likely/Horsefly in the east, 150 Mile House in the south and McLeese Lake in the north, the study will focus on the housing needs in Williams Lake, with an impact analysis of the population flow from other communities and the broader region that feeds into and moves between Williams Lake and outlying areas.

“Demand for housing is growing, both in our city and across the region,” noted Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb. “This is the right time to gather the information we need — to maximize housing affordability and availability as interest in the Cariboo and Chilcotin grows among potential home buyers.”

Read more: Low mortgage rates, pent-up demand makes third quarter property sales soar in northern B.C.

CitySpaces, a Vancouver-based consulting firm, was awarded the project contract. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company designed an engagement strategy allowing residents to participate via online or paper survey, so that feedback can be gathered without the need to hold public meetings.

Paper versions of the survey will also be made available at designated locations to be announced or by request from the City of Williams Lake or Cariboo Regional District.

“We know that demand outpaces supply when it comes to support for housing initiatives,” says CRD chair Margo Wagner. “Up-to-date statistics and public feedback help us build strong arguments for funding. We also gain a better sense of the types of housing most desired by residents of the region. With both in hand we can develop effective policies and programs to match the housing needs of the Cariboo and Chilcotin.”

The study is scheduled to be completed and made available to the public in December 2020.

To take part in the survey, go to: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/CentralCaribooHousingStudy.

The survey closes on Nov. 20, 2020.



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