One of the Kamloops representatives at a housing conference put on by the Union of BC Municipalities this week is suggesting there are concepts in the province that could work in Kamloops — with planning.

The conference in the Lower Mainland comes on the heels of the BC government unveiling its new multi-year, multi-billion dollar housing plan, which includes an emphasis on creating multi-unit structures, such as duplexes, tri-plexes, and row housing.

Councillor Bill Sarai says, while intriguing, he’s not convinced that concept would be the right fit in Kamloops.

“I would certainly entertain that, would I entertain that right across the spectrum that this is how we will have row houses and townhouses all over our city, there would have to be a little bit of long term planning in place.”

Sarai explains all their ducks would need to be in a row before the concept could come to fruition in Kamloops. 

“We have to know the funding is in place to improve that, there is no point in having plans for new houses and then we have no money for infrastructure upgrades.”

Sarai suggests fast-tracking home construction isn’t unprecedented in this province.

“Back in the day in Vancouver, the Vancouver Special, was an approved plan that a tradesman could go in on a certain Vancouver Special and he knew where every pipe was and every piece of wood was going to be and it fast-tracked that build and it was approved quicker.”

The “Vancouver Special” is a boxy, two-story house built in the thousands between the ’60s and ’80s to accommodate the explosion in the city’s population and density restrictions.