Belleville hosts Housing Summit and develops 7 action items

On March 18^th and 19^th of 2019 the City of Belleville hosted a Housing Summit to address housing issues in Belleville.

Some presentations included:

• Affordability and Attainability – Stephen Ashton presenter
• Building Stats and Projects – Ted Marecak presenter
• Current Planning Initiatives – Rod Bovay presenter
• Habitat for Humanity Presentation David Morris
• Hastings County Role Partnerships
• Housing CIPs – Stephen Ashton presenter
• NS City of Belleville Housing Summit March 2019
• OHBA QHBA Housing Summit
• Potential Recommendations
• Quinte Landlord Association presentation Affordable Housing Summit
• Second Units – Thomas Deming presenter
• Van Huizen Home -Pathways – 110 North Park Street

• Mayor Panciuk – Day 2 Opening
• Rod Bovay Presentation
• Stephen Ashton Presentation
• Thomas Deming Presentation
• Ted Marecak Presentation
• Stakeholder Recommendations

At the Belleville Housing Summit, Council passed a number of resolutions and amendments. Staff have consolidated these motions into seven ‘action items’:

Action items

1. Develop an Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP) and update the existing Brownfields CIP and Downtown CIP (complete)

The purpose of this action item is to provide incentives for affordable rental units. The City has approved an Affordable Rental Housing CIP

2. Staff recommendation on ‘next steps’ for housing strategy for affordable and attainable housing (ongoing)

Status: City Staff are working on the following items before making a recommendation to Council:

• Staff has had discussions with County of Hastings Staff who are currently undertaking a five-year update of the County’s Ten-Year Plan to address Housing and Homelessness Issues. City Staff will be scheduling a formal meeting to review the County’s Plan and identify areas where additional information is required.
• During pre-consultation meetings with developers since the housing summit, City Staff have explained Council’s prioritization of having apartment rental units built in Belleville and that larger development plans should contain a mix of housing types. Developers have been receptive to Council’s prioritization and have been updating their development applications to include apartment blocks.
• A Housing Report for future development will include an appendix to identify approved and proposed rental units. In addition, this Housing Report will also be updated semi-annually to provide for ongoing tracking of Council’s Resolution.
• Building, Planning, and Engineering have all recognized the importance of fast-tracking approvals of affordable housing projects as a community benefit and are prioritizing these developments.

The purpose of this action item is to have a housing strategy that:

• sets a goal of one thousand (1,000) approved rental units by 2025.
• aims to double of the City’s current yearly housing production from 200 units to 400 units by 2025
• prioritizes affordable and attainable housing to achieve the one thousand (1,000) unit target

3. Update development charges (complete)

The purpose of this action item is to reduce Development Charges by 50% (excluding areas inside the Central Business District which already receive this benefit) for all apartment units being built that enter into an agreement with the City to charge rents at market rate or less for a defined period of time. Market rates will be established by the County of Hastings. And to reduce Development Charges for properties with a minimum of a six (6) unit apartment building to a maximum of 1,000 units by 2025.

4. Expand the scope of the Official Plan Update to include modernizing housing policies, intensification policies and mixed use policies (complete)

Status: Complete (It is expected that Dillon Consulting, who is preparing the new Official Plan will have the document completed in mid to late September and submitted to the City and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs as part of their one-window review process.)

The purpose of this action item is to increase the supply of lands available for medium and high residential along with mixed use development (ground floor commercial with residential above) which will ultimately increase the supply of rental units in the City.

5. Recommendations be referred to the 2019 budget process (complete)

Status: Complete

City Council approved the budget for the development of the Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP).

6. Management prepare a policy for Council consideration regarding property allotment (ongoing)

Status: Discussions and Strategies will have to be developed through the City Departments including Clerks and Development and Engineering. There may also be a requirement to include this through the City’s Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP) Study.

The purpose of this action item is to provide an annual property allotment from the City to Habitat for Humanity and like Organizations in the City of Belleville of four (4) to six (6) properties for their use/purposes.

7. Update the Second Units Policy (Complete)

Status: Complete

City Staff from Planning, Building and Fire & Emergency Services have met to establish a process of how an individual property owner can apply to legalize an illegal second unit. In terms of encouraging new secondary units that include loans or grants, this is part of the Housing CIP.

Also, Council has approved/confirmed through the update to the City’s Development Charge By-law, that development of second units (including additions and coach houses) are exempt from development charges.

The Affordable Rental Housing CIP provides incentives for the creation of second units in new construction homes and in existing dwellings. Approximately $100,000 has been allocated to the 2021 CIP budget to fund the second unit programs.