Ottawa, HRM to fast-track construction of 2,600 housing units over next three years

The federal government and Halifax Regional Municipality have reached an agreement to fast-track construction of about 2,600 housing units over the next three years.

The deal, announced Thursday under the Housing Accelerator Fund, will provide about $79.3 million to build housing faster, according to a news release, and spur the construction of 8,866 homes over the next decade.

Halifax will be responsible for improving permitting processes, reducing upfront costs for permitting and providing incentives for the use of preapproved building plans. It will also develop an incentive program for conversions from commercial to residential and create incentives for small-scale residential spaces.

The municipality will also encourage development along transit corridors, expand the Affordable Housing Grant program, update its heritage preservation policy and resource a program to identify surplus land for affordable housing, the release stated.

Under the agreement, Halifax will allow the construction of four residential units on one lot, increase density and student rentals within walking distance of post-secondary institutions and create an affordable housing strategy, including a non-market component, with staff dedicated to it. The municipality has also committed to zoning changes that will increase density through greater height, reduced parking requirements and increased as-of-right development approvals.

The fund is billed as providing upfront money for the timely building of new homes and additional money upon delivering results. The federal money is subject to conditions, including council’s approval of zoning changes.

Launched in March, the Housing Accelerator Fund is a $4-billion initiative from the federal government that is to run until 2026-27.

Meanwhile, a housing protest was held Thursday in front of Province House on the first day of the fall session. The crowd called on the Houston government to do more to address the critical affordable housing shortage in the province. 

Hannah Wood, Halifax peninsula chair of ACORN, says the province is in desperate need of tens of thousands of more affordable housing units. She’s calling on the province to commit to building between 10,000 to 30,000 units now. 

But that addresses only one part of the problem. The province needs to put in more protections for renters, she says.

“Yes, we need much more affordable housing but we also need permanent rent control; we need an end to no fault renovictions and evictions and better policing on fixed-term leases being used as a work-around to the current rent cap. . . . I wish it wasn’t such a long list.“

With Andrew Rankin