The city says it’s considering proposed amendments to encourage more housing options.
They include a proposed new incentive to the City Growth Community Improvement Plan.
A council committee moved the proposal forward Tuesday night.
Officials say the Additional Housing Unit (ADU) Grant would provide up to $25,000 to help property owners create more residential units within the urban settlement area.
Proposed updates to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law would also allow up to three Additional Dwelling Units on a property and help streamline approvals for routine planning issues.
Adam Curran, Policy and Business Development Planner says 87 new residential units have been created since 2021 through the ADU policies, and says the city expects that growing trend to continue.
“In 2024, 36 ADUs were constructed,” he says. “That represented 36% of the new housing units within the city. It was the highest form of housing that we saw in 2024.”
Curran says they already know of 13 additional units that are going to be created this year.
The committee is also looking to staff for recommendations for specialized or accessible unit construction and to define affordable housing.
