The Standard (St. Catharines)

City lays out plan for feds’ $25.7M

Money to help build high-density housing projects

St. Catharines will use $25.7 million in federal funds it was awarded last month on a seven-point action plan to try to accelerate new housing in the city.

A list of initiative­s was laid out for city council by chief administra­tive officer David Oakes this week, with more detailed reports about how each project will be implemente­d to come forward at future meetings.

“There’s seven in total that are essentiall­y going to be establishe­d over the course of the next three to four years, all of which will help to remove systematic barriers to the housing supply, while also boosting supply to housing stock in St. Catharines,” Oakes told council Monday.

“That’s the essential intent of the program.”

The money will be paid to the city in four instalment­s, with the first $6.4 million already in the bank.

“All of these initiative­s are funded 100 per cent by this program,” Oakes said.

The $25.7 million in funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s Housing Accelerato­r Fund is being given to the city after it submitted a successful applicatio­n that contained the action plan.

Oakes said the money is tied to the various initiative­s in the plan and to the number of units that are to be establishe­d over the course of the next four years.

Under the program, the federal government expects the city to grow its housing supply by a total 2,600 units of any type.

Oakes said the fact the city had some projects underway to get new housing built easier was a factor in being awarded the funding.

All of the initiative­s have been before council at one point or another,

he said.

“There were a lot of really good news stories that we were able to tell the federal government of a lot of projects that we’ve already implemente­d, a lot of initiative­s that we’ve already undertaken to allow us to start moving through these barrier-removal processes.”

The initiative­s include a municipal developmen­t corporatio­n to create housing on surplus and underused city-owned lands.

A developmen­t feasibilit­y support initiative is aimed at increasing capacity and modernizin­g the city’s planning and building services department.

An inclusive housing initiative will focus on the housing needs of an aging population and individual­s with disabiliti­es.

There’s also a “missing middle initiative” that will try to enhance housing diversity, affordabil­ity and sustainabi­lity through policies like a one-day building permit pilot project, increased accessory dwelling grants and more permissive zoning provisions such as allowing four units on lots.

A sanitary sewer asset management initiative will look at freeing up sanitary sewer capacity for more housing, while a climate-resilient housing developmen­t plan will try to mitigate the impacts of climate change on housing in the city.

A Niagara Region Housing innovation hub initiative will be a collaborat­ion with various partners to come up with housing solutions.

City council endorsed submitting the funding applicatio­n to the federal government in August.

But not all councillor­s were happy with approving a list Monday that included the establishm­ent of a municipal developmen­t corporatio­n.

Council was split on the value of a corporatio­n in May, voting 8-5 to approve it in principle and have staff come back with an implementa­tion strategy for a vote.

St. Andrew’s Coun. Joe Kushner said Monday he agreed with all initiative­s but took exception to the municipal developmen­t corporatio­n that “creates a bureaucrac­y.”

That started a debate among councillor­s about the merits of a corporatio­n.

Mayor Mat Siscoe said council already agreed the corporatio­n would be part of the applicatio­n to the federal government and was a major part of the city’s proposal for funding.

“This isn’t a pick and choose. The federal government gave us $25.7 million predicated on the fact that we were going to deliver these seven initiative­s. If we don’t deliver one of the initiative­s that’s indicated in that housing accelerato­r fund applicatio­n, they’re going to take the money back.”

In the end, council voted 9-3 that staff should execute the Housing Accelerato­r Fund initiative­s outlined in the report.

A report with an implementa­tion plan for the municipal developmen­t corporatio­n is coming to council on Feb. 12 for approval.

Oakes said if council does not approve the corporatio­n, the city will have to go back to the federal government to see what ramificati­ons that would have.