North Perth is putting together a Community Improvement Plan to help address affordable and attainable housing shortages.
This plan is part of the Housing Action Plan that the municipality has put together to try and encourage more affordable builds in the area. Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Jessica McLean, says the process will involve reviewing the existing Community Improvement Plan and introducing new programs that could be included in it.
"This one, we're really focusing on incentivizing affordable and attainable housing and the conversion of existing structures for housing. The project will include four phases, and there'll be some upcoming public engagement sessions, as well as an online survey that we will be seeking input from the community through, as well as stakeholders within the housing sector," McLean explained.
McLean adds they're still in the early process of the plan, but many ideas, like possibly using municipal land to incentivize developers, could certainly be part of the discussion topics with the public and stakeholders as it has been in other municipalities.
"I do anticipate that things like that might come forward in our CIP. CIPs aren't unique and many have the same programs in them, and I think a lot of municipalities are looking at these as a tool to incentivize housing development in their communities," said McLean.
North Perth is hoping to host a number of public sessions in the new year. The dates are still being nailed down.
"We expect that they will happen throughout January and into February. I encourage members of the public and stakeholders that are interested to stay tuned and look at our website, as well as YourSayNorthPerth.ca. We will be posting dates and opportunities there. There will be an online survey, as well as an in-person public workshop and a virtual workshop," added McLean.
For more information about the CIP Project, visit the project page at www.yoursaynorthperth.ca or contact the team below:
Moira Davidson Consultation Lead, Stantec Consulting Ltd. Moira.Davidson@stantec.com Tel: 289-244-8222
Jessica McLean Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Municipality of North Perth jmclean@northperth.ca Tel: 519-291-2950 Ext. 2074