CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - The City of Charlottetown has introduced a new affordable housing incentive program in an attempt to help meet the growing demand.
It’s one strategy it hopes will help promote development of additional and diverse housing stock.
“When you have a .5 per cent vacancy rate . . . obviously there is a defined need,’’ said Peter Kelly, the city’s chief administrative officer (CAO). “For some, it is just unaffordable to pay the higher rates that are being asked for and, with Airbnb taking out a supply of housing stock out of the system, obviously that drives up the prices because there is less on the market.’’
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation defines affordable housing as suitably-sized ownership housing that costs no more than 32 per cent of a household’s gross annual income and no more than 30 per cent of gross annual income for rental accommodation.
At council’s regular public monthly meeting on Monday, for example, council moved to support and encourage the construction of accessory/auxiliary suites within existing residential dwellings by amending its zoning and development bylaw to allow for additional residential accessory/auxiliary units. This may include basement, garden and carriage suites.
“This is step one, a progression of steps that will take place to ensure that the recommendations are brought to fruition. Council has taken the step of approving the program. As part of this we now have to move the correspondence to the province. Under the recommendations, there are issues that relate to them, obviously.’’
-Peter Kelly
The city will also support and encourage the revitalization/rejuvenation of the upper levels of the commercial sector within the downtown core allowing for multi-residential units to be built in the upper floors. MacQueen’s Bike Shop is one business currently in the process of doing just that.
The recommendations include the city’s zoning and development bylaw offering to reduce its requirement for parking spaces for new multi-unit residential construction. The requirement would be lessened by up to 50 per cent for affordable housing units so to allow for more competitive market conditions.
The zoning and development bylaw presently allows for bonus density for affordable housing and such bonus considerations could allow for higher height and/or variance considerations. The percentage is dependent on the derived benefits to the city and its residents but should allow for up to 20 per cent density increases.
The city’s plan also recommends the zoning and development bylaw would need to be amended to allow for smaller lot sizes and living units.
Other recommendations are that the city streamline and fast-track affordable housing applications, offer up to a 100 per cent property tax exemption incentive on all new affordable housing units, that the city would encourage integrated housing that would allow for seniors, youth, family housing and subsidized rental units be housed within the same building or complex, that the city offer to cut grass of these properties and that the city create an affordable housing advisory committee.
“This is step one, a progression of steps that will take place to ensure that the recommendations are brought to fruition,’’ Kelly said. “Council has taken the step of approving the program. As part of this we now have to move the correspondence to the province. Under the recommendations, there are issues that relate to them, obviously.’’
Kelly said the city has also begun scoping out some of its own land holdings to see what it might have to offer.
“The overall intent is to try and work with the province and the development community to bring in housing options and alternatives and provide financial incentives to do so.’’
