Affordable Housing: Taking Action
Quick Wins for Affordable Housing Zoning By-law Amendment
Register for Community Conversations Event May 13
We are now in the implementation phase of the Affordable Housing Master Plan. Staff are committed to returning to Council with a prioritized workplan for 2024 and beyond. The workplan represents the Town’s target prioritization and timing based on current resources and competing projects and activities. Stay tuned for this Report to come in May 2024.
In the meantime, staff are pursuing a municipally initiated Housing Focused Zoning By-law Amendment. The Affordable Housing Master Plan (AHMP), completed in November of 2023 recommended several updates to the Zoning By-law. The first stage of these updates is a Housing Focused Zoning By-law Amendment, which was directed by Council through approval of the Master Plan and 2024 budget.
In addition to the incentives offered through the Rapid ADU Deployment Program, this Zoning By-law Amendment seeks to fast-track key AHMP recommendations to implement some quick wins to encourage an increase of housing supply in Collingwood. The purpose of this is to update the rules for Additional Residential Units (ARUs) to consider permitting three and potentially four dwelling units on serviced residential properties, changing parking rules for ARUs and other housing types and discussing other related matters covered under the implementation of the Affordable Housing Master Plan.
The housing issue cannot be solved by any one group alone – it requires a collaborative effort from all of us. That’s why we’re asking you to come together as a community to address this issue.
We want to hear from you! The Town and the Affordable Housing Task Force will be hosting a Community Conversation on Monday May 13th 2024 from 6 – 8 pm in Community Rooms B & C on the Third Floor of the Collingwood Public Library. There will be light snacks and a great discussion about changes to municipal regulations. This is an informal opportunity to express your opinions and help shape the future amendments to zoning.
Register for the community conversation here: https://forms.office.com/r/b3mWPf2geV
Questions? Send an email to: zoningbylawupdate@collingwood.ca
Affordable Housing Master Plan Project Concluded
The Town of Collingwood’s Affordable Housing Master Plan was accepted by Council on November 6, 2023. With this political support we will shift from planning to implementation, with the AHMP guiding our work in affordable housing over the next several years.
We would like to acknowledge everyone who contributed to this milestone, including the expert consulting team at N. Barry Lyon Consultants, the dedicated Affordable Housing Task Force, and the many stakeholders and community members who gave generously of their time and energy to discuss this important issue.
Affordable housing is a complex problem where a multitude of actions are possible. Having a balanced, clear, prioritized and costed strategy ensures that resources can be used effectively on key outcomes rather than spreading efforts across many initiatives, making limited gains in any one area. The AHMP will be our guiding light, encompassing policy, process, regulatory changes, financial approaches, and advocacy initiatives crucial for realizing impactful affordable housing solutions within our community. The cumulation of these efforts will result in what we are all looking for – shovels in the ground and more affordable housing options that are critical to sustaining and supporting our community.
Staff are currently taking action on time-sensitive recommendations and will return to Council early in the new year with a detailed and prioritized work plan for 2024 and beyond.
Complex problems are inherently messy and affordable housing is anything but simple. The housing crisis involves financial, economic, social, and cultural systems that interplay and connect in ways that are challenging to understand and at play out at a variety of scales, locally and globally. The AHMP gives us our best path forward through the noise and chaos, giving us balanced, clear, prioritized actions to take as a municipality, as well as a call to action for other stakeholders in our community.
With an issue this complicated, we know that the road to solutions will not always be smooth, but the AHMP is set up to help us evaluate our efforts over time by measuring results and feeding them back into this evolving document. We will start, course correct where needed, and work our way toward the end goal. We hope you stay engaged and continue to collaborate with us throughout this journey.
As staff develop the workplan to implement the AHMP, there will be future opportunities for stakeholder and community engagement.
Final Affordable Housing Master Plan - October 2023
On October 30, 2023 the Affordable Housing Master Plan was presented to the Town of Collingwood's Committee of the Whole. Watch the meeting here:
The Committee voted on items that impact the 2024 Budget and staff will come back to Council with a workplan for 2024 and a vision for 2025 and beyond, in the new year.
The Town of Collingwood is grateful to all stakeholders and community members who have contributed to the project. Your input was valuable and impacted the content of the Plan that will ensure we have a vibrant, thriving and sustainable community – today and well into the future.
Read the final Affordable Housing Master Plan Report:
What does the Town of Collingwood consider "affordable housing"?
The term "affordable housing" is often used interchangeably with "social housing", but they are two different things. Social housing is coordinated by the County of Simcoe and it is a category that includes public housing, cooperatives, and non-profit providers that receive government funding to assist with rent subsidies and operating and capital costs. The County is generally responsible for planning, funding and managing social housing programs where rents charged are based on income, and provides services for people experiencing homelessness.
Affordable housing is not typically seen as a local municipal issue, however Council and staff believe that action can and should occur at all levels of government, in collaboration with employers, local community groups and the general public.
The Town of Collingwood's affordable housing efforts focuses on households that earn moderate levels of income. (Moderate income refers to households between the 4th and 6th income deciles. The income deciles are specific to household incomes of Collingwood residents.)
- For moderate income homeowners, that annual household income range is approximately $74,000 – $109,000, which translates into an affordable purchase price of $248,000 - $366,000 based on a maximum of 30% gross income being directed to housing costs.
- For moderate income renters, that range is cut nearly in half, with household incomes at approximately $47,000 – $68,000, for which an affordable monthly rent is $1,200 – $1,700 based on a maximum of 30% gross income being directed to housing costs.
