Access to Affordable Housing

Extension of SkyTrain Will Create Opportunities for More Affordable Housing

Metro Vancouver is facing a housing affordability crisis. The extension of SkyTrain to UBC unlocks the potential for the development of new and diverse housing options, including accessible, affordable and social housing opportunities at the Jericho Lands, the University Golf Course and on the UBC campus and ensures these new developments will be served with efficient and reliable alternatives to vehicles.

UBC is already Metro Vancouver’s largest provider of workforce housing, with nearly 1200 units for faculty and staff, and the largest provider of student housing of all Canadian post-secondary institutions, with 13,400 beds currently and more to be built in the coming years. But this is not enough. Faculty, staff and students are living throughout the region and commuting to UBC.

UBC plans to increase on campus housing numbers over the next decade, and this growth will be amplified by Musqueam’s nearby Lelem development. Rapid transit will be critical for ensuring interest in these units in this geographically isolated and currently disconnected neighbourhood.

Rapid transit to UBC will also allow UBC faculty, staff and students to move beyond the crowded local neighbourhoods and find housing further out, where it’s more affordable but without a burdensome commute.

SkyTrain to UBC will increase the available options and help the university to attract and retain top talent in the Metro Vancouver region.