Written By Jan Sims
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - Middlesex Centre is taking another stab at getting federal funds to build more housing.
The municipality has applied for money under the second round of applications to the Housing Accelerator Fund. It’s a $4 billion initiative overseen by CMHC to “…drive transformational change within the sphere of control of local government regarding land use planning and development approvals,” according to a staff report presented to council. Across Canada the objective is to create at least 100,000 more housing units.’
“The initiatives that were identified represent commitments for us to explore these ways of reducing barriers and supporting growth,” Stephanie Bergman, Manager of Planning & Development told council. Bergman added that the application includes initiatives that are already underway in the municipality, including zoning changes to promote flexibility, increasing efficiencies, and seeking out grants to encourage diverse housing types.
The staff report outlined a number of areas the Housing Accelerator Funds could be used for such as expanding wastewater facilities in Komoka and Ilderton, hiring more planning and engineering staff, and even constructing new sports fields for growing communities.
Bergman told council that Middlesex Centre is hoping for $8 million from the fund, and says that dollar amount could be adjusted by the fund administrators.
Middlesex Centre had applied for round one of the funding but was turned down. Bergman told council that money from the fund was mainly directed at larger municipalities, including London. “Because the funding went to a lot of the larger centres, it’s more likely they’ll be looking at ‘our size’ municipalities for the second round,” said Bergman. “They did indicate we had a strong application the first time around,” added Bergman.
