A Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is a municipal tool to provide subsidies in the form of tax assistance, grants or loans to business owners, land owners and tenants within a specifically defined Community Improvement Project Area (CIPA) to incentivize and stimulate land and building development or redevelopment.
Private property owners can apply for funding from Community Improvement Plan programs to help offset project costs that achieve the City’s community planning and development goals.
CIP funding is set by Council on an annual basis in the operating budget and placed in the Community Improvement Plan Reserve Fund.
Programs are administered by City staff. Applications are reviewed and approved in principle by an internal Working Committee or the Director of Engineering and Development Services and then confirmed by Director of Engineering and Development Services. Multi-year financial commitments and those exceeding $100,000 which will be referred to Council for final approval.
Any unused money is carried over for use in the future. Reserve funds are essential to budgeting for long term program costs that extend beyond a budget year.
The City has absolute control over administering the CIP funds to eligible projects and council can decide not to fund CIP programs at any time.
Goals
The CIP was developed to meet the milestone and timeline of the Housing Action Plan under the HAF that the City has committed to. By the end of December 2028, the City has a goal of 1,390 housing units with additional targets broken down to the following:
- 871 missing middle housing units,
- 202 other multi-unit housing units, and
- 150 affordable housing units.
It will also contribute to the City’s annual Building Faster Fund (BFF) targets.
Results
Between 2021-2024, there has been steady interest in downtown revitalization (façade) programs, one utilization of a brownfield program, and five approved housing projects.
Between 2020 and 2022, Council approved operating budget allocations totaling $1.35 million to fund applications granted under the 2020 CIP. There have been no further allocations since this time to grant any further housing or brownfields projects; however, the City’s façade program has been partially funded by taxation and the CIP reserve fund in the annual operating budget since its inception.
Reporting
Staff will provide quarterly or annual performance reports to Council.
CIP monitoring will track key metrics, for example:
- Program uptake: The number of applications and approvals for each incentive
- Financials: The municipal financial contribution vs. the private investment leveraged
- HAF Targets: Progress on our housing unit goals to ensure all federal funds are used by the deadline (December 18, 2028)
The City has not committed to reporting funded projects to the public.
