There is no disagreement that the housing situation needs to be resolved. The current proposal of creating a housing catalogue needs to be treated carefully.
We know that Building Codes often set higher standards of construction, but are often treated as minimum standards for construction. The creation of a catalogue of pre-approved plans needs to be looked at in terms of (at least) two factors:
- Ensuring that the construction standards reflect the climate-related risks in the area in which they are going to be used.
- Ensuring that the catalogue has a mechanism by which it can be kept current with the changes that we are seeing in the climate and other similar factors.
Some (i.e., not all) options that may be worth considering as baseline considerations:
- The inclusion of generator hook-ups for any rural resident as part of any unit or single-family dwelling’s basic electrical network. This is to prevent unsafe use of generators and reduce fire risks.
- The use of fire-resistant building materials in areas that have a higher potential risk of wildfires. This should also include ensuring proper fire separation between units in higher density housing.
- The appropriate grading of property to prevent flooding in the structure while also providing an appropriate level of grading to prevent wildfires from running up to the property.