Huron County, Ontario – The County of Huron is creating a Housing Renewal Plan. The Plan will make sure the County has shovel-ready properties ready for affordable housing investment when opportunities arise; opportunities such as federal grants, provincial funding, local partnerships and/or other financing that support the development of affordable housing units.
“Housing is one of the top priorities of County Council,” said Denise Van Amersfoort, Manager of Planning. “The County owns several properties which could accommodate additional affordable housing units and the Housing Renewal Plan ensures those sites are ready for development.”
This project involves looking for opportunities to create more affordable housing units on properties that the County already owns or properties that may be made available for housing by other levels of government.
The purpose of the Housing Renewal Plan is to:
- Analyze the existing housing stock currently owned by the County of Huron or other levels of government.
- Identify opportunities to create more affordable housing units.
- Ensure that the County maintains a series of ‘shovel ready’ properties which range in size, scale and location.
- Be ready, and able to act quickly, when affordable housing opportunities arise.
The Huron County Housing Renewal Plan is being guided by the Housing Steering Committee, which has representation from Housing & Social Services, Planning & Development, Economic Development, Finance, and the CAO.
The Plan is being completed in two phases:
Phase 1 (January – April 2022)
Tim Welch Consulting Inc. completed a comprehensive housing supply analysis. This component of the project analyzed the current stock of County owned housing properties to identify priority sites, and includes strategies and recommendations for increasing the number of housing units through intensification of existing properties, as well as potential sale and acquisition opportunities. All County owned sites were analyzed, including on-site inspections, and those which met the highest number of criteria, referred to as the priority sites, have had development concepts with conceptual financial metrics prepared. In some instances, properties which were owned by other levels of government were identified as priority sites.
Phase 2 (May – August 2022)
Allan Avis Architect will prepare site plans and architectural elevations for each of the previously identified priority sites. Following Phase 2, it is recommended that Planning & Development Staff pursue the required planning approvals to make each site as ‘shovel ready’ as possible for future development.
“Our Housing Steering Committee is working proactively and that’s what we like to see,” said Huron County Warden, Glen McNeil. “This plan provides us with a tool that will help guide future decision making and support the development of more affordable housing in Huron.”
The Huron County Housing Renewal Plan by TWC Consulting Inc. can be viewed online.
For more information on Huron County Planning and Development Services, visit: www.HuronCounty.ca/plandev