Don Darling Prestige Homes

Gaining Community Acceptance

Outline

• Company background• A recent experience • The journey• Gaining community acceptance• How the community can help• How municipalities can help• Taking action

Company background

• Prestige Homes is a division of the Shaw Group, one of Canada’s 50 best managed companies.

• Head quarters are located in Sussex, NB.• We build single family and multi family housing,

over 11000 since 1973.• Full service organization offering support from

concept to completion (land planning, design, concept and final building plans, construction management, etc)

• Our company was approached from a past client, to construct affordable rental units for their non profit housing group.

• Working within their mandate, we identified an opportunity to construct 24 units in the town of Sussex NB.

• The non profit housing group is well known to the community and is an excellent landlord.

• Both parties agreed on terms and the work began in May of 2009.

Recent example

The big issue

Nimby

•Initial council meetingwas positive.

•September 23 formal

re zoning processstarted.

•Next round of landPlanning includingEngineering, Esa,

etc.

•Work continued on Building designs

•Full planning now

•Formal proposal was submitted

to government

•Regular updates Between PH and

Proponent.

•Identified land•Developed back up plan

•Signed agreement (conditional)

•Contact municipalLeaders to discuss

Project.

•Identify land•Re zoning process

•Designs for buildings•Land development

•Working relationship•Project objectives

•Budgets and timelines•May 2009

Stage 1

Now the hard work begins….

And this is part of the problem.

Supporting municipal leaders• We set the stage for professionalism from day one:

– Letters were written before our initial meeting.– Briefing books were prepared for each councilor.– A professional initial presentation was made to council

with detailed speaking notes.– We made a commitment to be proactive to gain public

support.– We set the stage well on the need within the

community for safe, affordable and energy efficient housing.

• Initial press stories were positive.• We went proactive by creating personalized briefing

books for neighbors and identified who to contact (exceed the minimum.)

Gaining community acceptance

• I personally delivered briefing books to approximately 25 house holds.

• Most people were polite, however my detractors set the stage early.

• I was contacted and invited to a town hall style meeting at a neighbors home.

• We updated councilors several times through the process.

• We wrote to service groups in town and major employers asking for help.

Use your network

• I called:– Other housing groups across the country.– Other municipal, provincial and federal

politicians.– Several contacts within CMHC.– Many people I didn’t even know.

• If you don’t ask you wont get• Social medias are an option (youtube, face

book, etc) it goes both ways.• Research and be prepared

Town hall meetings

• This approach can be very helpful in terms of getting facts about your project into a public forum.

• Its important to replace myths with facts.

• Not all that attend will be reasonable.• Its important to stay calm and

focused.• If you don’t know the answer, commit

to responding in a reasonable amount of time.

Public meeting

• We prepared another custom power point presentation and speaking notes.

• Meeting was well attended.• Supporters were quiet.• Detractors were vocal and stereotypical

arguments were alive (crime, property values, use, planning, to many low income people in one area, etc.)

• Its important that municipal leaders show support for the project by having a strong understanding of facts and benefits of affordable housing projects.

Dealing with the objections

• Issues:– Crime– Drugs– To many poor people– Building height– Buffers– Fences– Better use of the land– Property values

Hearing of objections

• We need a name change (this meeting was held late November.)

• The council chamber was full.• All letters are read by town clerk.• Two of our non supporters were so extreme,

I believe they took themselves out of a rational discussion.

• I struggled with responding to some of the misleading information in some letters and decided to tell my story.

• Question? Is there a better process

“Being a leader is having the courage to make important

decisions, especially in the face of opposition.”

“Those who oppose a project can present themselves as

representatives of the larger population”

Check in

• At this stage we are 7 months into the process.

• We have dedicated significant resources working on a potential project.

• We still didn’t have zoning or funding for the project.

Lessons

• Have a good plan• Be prepared to work hard• Use your network• Spread the facts• It has to get easier as most

would give up• Be professional

Key Success

• That the concerns raised by some in the community are avoided and or dealt with.

• Don’t make promises we can’t keep.

• Have a solid plan for maintenance and engagement of tenants.

• Everyone will be watching.

As of today

• The first buildings are now under construction.

• Land development will start late June.

• Project should be completed by the fall.

• It has been 12 months since we started working on the project.

Recommended solutions1. Reduce / eliminate government imposed costs such as:

a) Development cost chargesb) Municipal charges (i.e. Approval process costs)c) Taxes

2. Improved ownership financing optionsa) Enhancing affordability of homeownershipb) Enhancing access to homeownership

a) Address the two fundamental challenges in the rental market—(1) low volumes of new rental construction and (2) low incomes among tenants:

a) Income tax treatment of rental housing b) The GST and rental housing • Government-mandated costs a) Unfair property taxation

1. Assisting low-income and special needs households:a) Rent supplements

b) Portable housing allowances

Thank you