Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from September, 2018

Where do the candidates stand on CAC's?

After the release of our research paper Who's Counting the Dollars? concerning Community Amenity Contributions, we have asked candidates in this year's municipal election for their thoughts on our recommendations. We will post responses here as they are received. OneCity Vancouver, Christine Boyle One of the big ideas that  OneCity Vancouver  is bringing to this election is our  Windfall Power Land Value Capture  proposal (sometimes called a land value tax, or land lift tax). You can read more about it in this Vancouver Sun  Op-Ed , and more will be released with our platform soon.  A land value capture wouldn't entirely replace the CAC system, but it would dramatically scale it back by creating a more transparent system for measuring the impact that upzoning or nearby public infrastructure investments have on land value, and then capturing a portion of that 'lift' in value to spend on community priorities (like affordable housing and more robust public transi

Who gets to decide when it comes to Community Amenity Contributions?

This week we're approaching candidates in the upcoming Vancouver municipal election to get their feedback on the city's approach to Community Amenity Contributions (CACs). The Evoke team undertook a case study and research project in this area , and believes these could be better approached. Candidate responses will be posted on this site, meanwhile, here's some background on our perspective.  The City of Vancouver has a Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) policy, officially established in 2004 with their Financing Growth strategy , where all new development and rezoning applications contribute, financially or in-kind, to community amenities. The CACs are extracted from new development and spent upon Council approval in a number of valuable areas such as: affordable housing, child care, amenities, green spaces, community infrastructure and other public goods. Our research focuses on a key dimension related to CACs; although they are derived from value created wi