Latest news with #HousingAccelerator
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘We really need that federal piece': city awaits Ottawa grants for housing projects as deadline looms
City housing officials fear more than half of the first round of Winnipeg projects awarded Housing Accelerator Fund grants could miss a key deadline. 'Six out of the 10 projects that we've approved through our (Housing Accelerator Fund) capital grants (in) Round 1, which require a building permit by September of this year … are still awaiting approval from (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) under the Affordable Housing Fund,' Lissie Rappaport, manager of the city's Housing Accelerator Fund office, said during Tuesday's executive policy committee meeting. 'The loan (portion) of that program has run out of funds. There's still money left in the grant program but most groups access both to make a project work.' Rappaport told the committee her office is 'fully optimistic' the federal government will commit more money but it's not yet clear when that could happen. SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES In late May, some groups proposing housing projects learned the federal Affordable Housing Fund's community housing development stream had been exhausted. 'Some of those projects may be late on that September deadline … It could be a risk for us to not meet our targets under this year,' she said. In late May, some groups proposing housing projects learned the federal Affordable Housing Fund's community housing development stream had been exhausted. Rappaport said the six affected projects she mentioned include a combined 680 housing units, and 464 of those are considered deeply affordable. One of the affected projects aims to provide 154 housing units with affordable rents at 145 Transcona Blvd. But a key proponent of that $46-million project said it is now in limbo. 'We've been pushing really hard from a political level to try to get support for this project,' said Stephanie Haight, director of development and construction for the Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation. Haight said the project would provide homes for vulnerable people who are facing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless due to a physical disability. The organization applied for CMHC funding to cover more than half its costs, seeking an $11.5-million grant and $14.8 million in long-term, low interest loans. Haight said the project received a $5-million grant from Winnipeg's $122-million share of the federal Housing Accelerator Fund. While CMHC has not provided written approval for the project, it would need that funding to succeed, Haight said. 'We have city support, we have provincial support and we really need that federal piece,' said Haight. Mayor Scott Gillingham said he's confident the senior government will act on the issue. 'The federal government has already told us that that Affordable Housing Fund is an important fund. Even though it's fully subscribed, they've committed to my office that … they're working on either replenishing the fund or finding a way to make sure those projects still go ahead,' said Gillingham. To secure federal Housing Accelerator dollars, the city made sweeping changes to its zoning rules, including allowing up to four housing units to be built on a single lot in most residential areas. Gillingham said those changes will help attract more housing projects, long after current funding programs end. 'What those zoning changes are about is getting more housing built quicker. There are many projects that will never try to access or need federal or provincial funding to get built,' he said. In an email, a CMHC spokesman noted the Housing Accelerator Fund and Affordable Housing Fund are not directly tied to each other. He also noted many housing proponents applied for the latter fund. 'With the significant demand for funding, CMHC continues and is committed to working with our clients and partners to process as many (Affordable Housing Fund) applications as possible. Further updates on (that fund) will be provided as they become available,' wrote David Harris. Overall, the city awarded $25 million to 11 projects from its share of the Housing Accelerator Fund last year, while another 12 projects split $25 million of the funding in 2025. Rappaport noted one of the 11 projects granted last year has now withdrawn its application for Housing Accelerator Funding, leaving the total for that year at 10 projects. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Westgate Developments Ltd. and LVDC Holdings Ltd. had planned to convert a commercial building at 125 Garry St. into a mixed-use apartment complex with 126 housing units, including 32 affordable ones. The city and developer declined comment on the reasons that project won't proceed. Rappaport said city staff will look at other options to invest the money allotted to that project, which could be offered to another applicant who didn't initially receive a grant. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. 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CBC
25-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Nearly $70M on the line if council rejects allowing 4-unit homes across Fredericton
Social Sharing Close to $70 million in government grants could be pulled off the table if Fredericton councillors reject changes to allow most homes in the city to be split up into four separate units. The scuttled funding could result in the city needing to potentially raise property taxes, as well as the fees it charges for water and sewer to pay for infrastructure upgrades it says are needed to accommodate more homes. "The city's Housing Accelerator [Fund] application laid out a series of initiatives that we would try and implement — some of those are infrastructure investments, so investments we'd make in pipes and roads to facilitate residential development," said planning director Ken Forrest, speaking Monday night after the regular Fredericton council meeting. "So there would be impacts there." Forrest spoke to councillors about a report he and other staff prepared that laid out the financial implications if council votes against a zoning bylaw amendment that would allow homes in the city to be turned into four separate units, subject to lot size requirements. WATCH | Fredericton wants to see more rental units in homes that already exist: 4-unit homes could become more common all over Fredericton 1 month ago Duration 2:52 As part of its efforts to create housing, the city wants to make it much easier to carve detached homes into as many as four separate units. The current limit for most homes is two units, and homeowners are required to first obtain a zoning amendment if they want to create more units. The federal government required the city to pursue the zoning bylaw changes as a condition for receiving a piece of the $4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund. Several other Canadian municipalities have signed up for the same fund, along with the condition they make similar zoning changesm which are designed to make it easier for property owners to create more housing. . However, the amendments ultimately come down to a vote by councillors. At a meeting earlier this month, council heard from a contingent of residents strongly opposed to the changes. Councillors would have had a final vote on the proposed zoning changes Monday, but at the earlier meeting, they deferred the vote to give staff time to prepare a report outlining the financial implications of rejecting them. Rejection could require return of some money In December 2023, Fredericton struck a deal to receive $10.3 million from the Housing Accelerator Fund, with money earmarked for infrastructure upgrades, as well as for grants for non-profit and private housing developers who planned to build affordable units. The city received its first of four $2.6 million instalments in 2023, and its second just last month, with the third and fourth to be doled out over the next two years. However, if councillors reject the zoning changes, the last two instalments would be cancelled, and the second might have to be paid back. "Summarized, it has been assumed that the City would need to allocate $7,705,589 of City funding to honour its community and municipal commitments," staff say in their report. $61.3M at risk with infrastructure fund While the zoning changes might have been originally pursued because of requirements set for the Housing Accelerator Fund, the change is also being required of cities hoping to tap into an even bigger federal fund. The $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund allows municipalities to apply for grants that help them upgrade roads, water and sewer lines and other amenities needed to accommodate the growth in the number of housing units. Fredericton has submitted two applications totalling $84 million under that program, which would result in a combined $61.3 million in grant money flowing from the federal and provincial governments, after the city's contribution of 27 per cent of each project's cost. One of those is a $29.9 million project to install water and sewer lines, a new booster station, new reservoir and upgraded lift station to create new subdivisions in the Doak Road area. "That's a significant investment in order to start to develop in that area," Forrest said. "So there's a large funding application in there that is kind of the pre-development investments that are necessary to unlock that area for about 7,000 people." Other projects the city hopes to undertake using that fund include infrastructure upgrades in the Brown Boulevard area, as well as "major investments to address issues at the Garden Creek Waste Water Treatment Facility and water supply needs" in the Liane Street area. Without the funding, the city would have to finance about $17.6 million of the work through its general capital fund, which would require stretching the work out over 12 years. Alternatively, the city could borrow the money while raising the tax rate by 1.4 cents per year for 20 years. The remaining $51.4 million in projects the city wants to undertake would need to be financed through the water and sewer capital fund, a cost that would require borrowing money to pay for. To pay for it, the city would either have to increase the water and sewer connection fee by $224 annually for 20 years, or increase the consumption-based rates by 18.35 per cent per year for 20 years. "There are significant short and long-term financial impacts related to this decision that will impact current and future budgets totalling slightly more than $69 million," staff say, in their report. Council's vote on whether to approve the proposed zoning bylaw changes will be made at its meeting on April 14.
