ELORA – The advisory committee charged with finding ways to increase the supply of attainable housing in Centre Wellington has zeroed in on three approaches it hopes council will support to remove barriers for developers.
Earlier in the year the committee heard presentations from developers who indicated there’s a willingness to build this kind of housing and that cutting red tape and time delays would make the projects financially viable.
The committee approved the recommendations at its Oct. 6 meeting.
The first recommendation is to change zoning regulations around highway-commercial properties to make it easier to add residential units above stores or to build freestanding apartment buildings on commercial property.
“It’s low-hanging fruit,” said senior planner Mariana Iglesias. “We could do this in-house rather quickly.”
The second recommendation is to investigate a new tool the province is encouraging municipalities to develop: a Community Planning Permit System.
This system would streamline the development approval process for a targeted goal – in this case for attainable housing.
Community consultation would be up front, clear guidelines would be established, “and it would be clear to the community and developer what’s expected,” Iglesias said.
Committee members had questions about where in the township such a process would apply and other specific questions – the very questions that would need to be researched and discussed in detail, Iglesias said.
“We would want some endorsement from council before we go too far down that road,” she said.
The third recommendation is to include incentives for attainable housing in the criteria for Community Improvement Plan (CIP) grants.
Both Wellington County and Centre Wellington Township are updating their CIPs already, so the timing of this recommendation is important, Mayor Kelly Linton said.
“Staff can’t do significant work until it has council approval,” he said.
The healthy growth committee has divided into sub committees to tackle various arms of the problem and gave direction to the financial sub committee to look at development charges (DCs) and how reducing or deferring DC charges would help builders of attainable housing.
“We heard from the developers that cash flow is a problem,” Linton said.
CAO Andy Goldie said the DC Act allows deferrals for some rental and attainable housing projects for up to six years after occupancy. For not-for-profit housing, the deferrals are for 21 years.
Deferrals help with cash flow, Goldie said, but a reduction “means someone else is paying.”
The committee’s recommendations are expected to go to the committee of the whole on Oct. 18.
