ELORA – Centre Wellington council got a second chance to discuss the work of the Healthy Growth Committee and its desire to focus on attainable housing at its April 26 meeting.
And this time, there were several delegates to underscore the importance and impact of high housing costs in the township.
At its April 19 Committee of the Whole meeting when the matter first came before council, there was a 3-3 tie on approving the agenda, which means the resolution was defeated and the meeting could not proceed.
This time councillor Kirk McElwain asked for the recommendation to be split into two matters, and council conceded.
Three residents urged council to adopt the Healthy Growth Committee recommendations and get on with developing an attainable housing strategy.
Teresa Gregg talked about her daughter, who had to move from Centre Wellington because she couldn’t find housing here.
She said there’s no such thing as a starter home anymore, as prices are too expensive, and rentals get snapped up quickly.
Gregg said she lives on Union Street in Fergus – a street with a mix of historic homes, apartments and condos, “and there’s no reason to fear attainable housing in an old neighbourhood or a new neighbourhood.”
She said she watched the last two Healthy Growth Committee meetings and referred to councillor Bob Foster as an “obstacle” who hindered the work of the committee.
Foster was recently removed from the committee and replaced by councillor Steven VanLeeuwen.
“I saw a group of capable and engaged people poised to tackle this issue,” she said. “Let them do their work.”
Sonia Cheng spoke to council as a resident of Fergus and a business owner.
The lack of attainable housing is an issue for employers, because if employees can’t find suitable housing nearby, they won’t take the jobs.
“Two people left – they were part of my dream team,” Cheng said. “I was unable to replace them.”
Elizabeth Carlaw said she is living with relatives in Elora, “but if I didn’t, I would have trouble living and working here.
“Lots of people have left the community. Jobs were lost, housing was lost. It limits the type of people who come to the community.”
Jana Burns, director of Wellington Place, Museum, Archives and Economic Development for Wellington County, explained the direction the county is taking on affordable housing.
Approving the county’s affordable housing strategy was the first recommendation the Healthy Growth Committee wanted Centre Wellington council to approve.
Burns said affordable housing refers to housing the county operates, with below-market rent that’s geared to moderate- or low-income individuals and families.
Attainable housing, which the Healthy Growth Committee wants to tackle, can include rentals or home ownership, and is when housing costs are 30 per cent or less of net income.
“The pandemic has reversed housing trends,” Burns said.
“It’s a dire situation, pricing out young families and professionals.”
She noted the average home in Wellington County cost $615,000 last year, but prices have ballooned to an average $819,000 this year, meaning a household would have to earn $150,000 to afford a home.
She said the average rent is now $2,260 a month and there is a 1% vacancy rate.
Wellington County has a 10-year capital plan to increase social and affordable housing and to upgrade its current social housing stock.
It has committed to building county-owned affordable housing units every third year.
“It’s great we are on a parallel path” with the Healthy Growth Committee, Burns said.
Don Fischer, chair of the Healthy Growth Committee, said the committee has formed two sub-committees – one looking at policies like zoning regulations and processes to remove barriers to building affordable housing, and the other looking at financial aspects like reducing up-front costs for builders and adding incentives.
“We want to enable the private sector to respond. That’s our focus,” Fischer said.
“We have an awful lot of growth and development but not a lot of what we need.”
Mayor Kelly Linton, who also sits on the Healthy Growth Committee, said the committee will return to council with action items as they are developed.
“I’m hearing warp speed – and that’s exactly what the committee wants to do,” he said.
“You have citizens willing to roll up their sleeves. We don’t want a year to go by without seeing some action.”
Council unanimously approved both parts of the Healthy Growth Committee’s recommendation.
