The federal Housing Accelerator Fund has committed more than $2 million over three years to expedite the construction of 67 homes in Amherst, with the money tied to a list of actions by the municipality, including increased as-of-right density in residential zones, and speeding up the permitting process for development.
Amherst mayor Rob Small tells CHMA that some of the requirements involve “streamlining the red tape,” around development, things that “many other municipalities across Canada actually have in place already.”
The goal of an additional 67 housing units is over and above a baseline goal of 110 units. “Our total housing supply growth target for the town of Amherst is 177 housing units,” says Small. “And we anticipate that this work will also help spur construction of 300 more homes over the next decade. So the big news for us is that this will be the largest growth in housing that we’ve seen in Amherst.”
Small says one of the uses for the funding will be to continue development on property purchased by the town which is being subdivided into single home lots. “The previous council recognized that we needed to have land available that was ready to go, so costs like putting In the water and sewer… that’s part of what the funding will probably go towards,” says Small.
The federal funding will start to flow once Amherst fulfills commitments to make changes to its own rules and procedures for housing development. The town has agreed to:
- allow up to six units as-of-right in residential zones,
- reduce minimum lot area requirements,
- allow higher housing density in commercial zones,
- introduce an E-permitting system,
- waive permit fees as well as water and sewer costs for affordable housing,
- and permit high-density conversions of upper floors in the town’s Downtown Zone.
“All these changes are aimed to streamline the process, create some good neighborhoods, and also, if we can, repurpose some older buildings here in Amherst,” says Small.
Small says when it comes to changes in density allowances, he expects there might be some pushback in some areas, while others will embrace the change. Some of the changes are already in the works, says Small, coming through the town’s Planning Advisory Committee before they come to council.
Small says Amherst is well-positioned for the growth the new housing might bring. “Over the years, we have been fortunate to construct significant water resources to supply to our town,” says Small. “We built infrastructure for sewage to handle a significant amount of increase at our sewage treatment facility. So, over the years, the town has thought well ahead in terms of making sure that we’ve got adequate capacity to handle the increase in homes in our town.”
