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Council will consider updates to the town’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) application in response to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities’ letter of January 11, 2024 at the Planning and Development Council Meeting on January 22, 2024.
Minister Sean Fraser provided a letter to Mayor and Council on January 11, 2024 requesting that the Town adopt a by-law to allow for four dwelling units on a single lot on an as-of-right basis, along with allowing four storeys and four or more units as-of-right within 800 metres of Sheridan College.
The Minister is seeking a response from Council by January 24, 2024 in order for the town to be eligible for the HAF funding.
At an event in Toronto yesterday, Minister Fraser said the federal government received around 540 applications for the fund, but only about 150 applications may end up receiving funding. And that “there's not a city who signed a deal with us who hasn't more or less ended exclusionary zoning in Canada.” The Federal government has announced $2.764 billion in funding for housing for 22 municipalities across Canada, the Province of Quebec and the Territory of Nunavut.
It is at Council’s discretion how it wants to proceed in response to the Minister’s letter. Council can choose to maintain the status quo and not implement any zoning changes. This will likely affect the town’s eligibility to receive funding through the HAF program.
Conversely, Council may direct staff to bring amendments to the Town’s Official Plan and Zoning By-law which would facilitate housing starts in line with the Minister’s request – being permissions for four units permitted as-of-right town-wide, along with permitting four units and four storeys on residential properties within 800 metres of Sheridan College.
Read the staff report here and the town’s revised HAF application here. The staff report also includes a jurisdictional scan of various municipalities with approved HAF applications providing an overview of their initiatives within their respective Action Plans, it can be viewed here.
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