Federal housing program returns to council agenda

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This article was published 20/01/2024 (969 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon’s application to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund appears to be moving forward, according to the agenda for Monday’s city council meeting.

A report attached to the agenda says the city is ready to enter into an agreement with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to finalize the city’s application to the program, but authorization from Brandon City Council is required first.

The report states that CMHC has requested “information regarding the amount of funding and the housing targets must not be made public until a funding announcement is undertaken by the federal government.”

Last summer, the city’s application to the fund requested $7.2 million in funding for programs in 2024 through 2027.

Once an agreement is signed, the report states Brandon has three years to meet agreed-upon growth targets. Additionally, the city has to implement changes to how it handles housing in terms of strategy and regulation.

The report includes a list of seven initiatives the city is proposing to meet CMHC’s goals.

One is to change zoning rules to reduce the number of public hearings generated by conditional use or variance applications.

Under that initiative, Brandon is proposing to allow multi-unit dwellings as big as four-plexes to be built in areas zoned as residential low density and reducing parking requirements for affordable and transitional housing developments.

Another initiative proposes to incentivize the construction of smaller one-bedroom and affordable housing units by increasing the number of allowable units in developments in medium-density residential zones.

A related initiative proposes the creation of a new housing incentive bylaw, tax offsetting grants and cash incentives for developers to build affordable housing across the entire city and market housing specifically in downtown Brandon.

To promote development in established areas of Brandon, city administration is proposing to modify its policies to more clearly define what neighbourhoods are suitable for increased density.

As part of the city’s efforts to modify the development cost charges that are levied on developers as contributions toward municipal infrastructure that will benefit them, an initiative proposes to change the timing of when those charges are due.

Currently, 50 per cent of the charge is paid when a development agreement is signed. The report says developers commonly ask the city if these payments can be phased in closer to when they’ll receive revenue from their developments to improve cash flow.

“This initiative will explore the timing of development charges and make a change to defer a greater portion of the charge to a time closer to where the developer is receiving revenue,” the report states.

Because the city’s land transaction policy has seen it sell off the majority of land that could have been used for affordable housing, one of the initiatives proposes to use funding through the Housing Accelerator Fund to pursue opportunities to buy suitable land as it becomes available.

“As the City is not a builder, these lands will be made available to not-for profit and for-profit groups to develop through market and request-for-proposal processes,” the document states.

The last initiative proposes the creation of a “housing liaison function” to co-ordinate the efforts of for-profit and non-profit housing providers to meet the city’s housing goals.

Also on the agenda, representatives from the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon Riverbank Inc., the Brandon Downtown Development Corporation and the Westman Multi-Cultural Festival will make presentations that include annual funding requests to the city.

Lois Ruston of YWCA Westman is scheduled to appear to request the continuation of landfill fee waivers associated with the demolition of Meredith Place in 2024.

Resident Brian Dornn is on the agenda for a presentation about recurring flooding issues on Park Avenue between 11th and 13th streets.

Finally, city council will consider an application from Keller Developments to purchase city-owned land at 2630 McDonald Ave. for $1 for the construction of eight units of affordable housing at the property.

That request also includes applications for $420,000 in funding from a Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation grant provided to the city and $300,000 from the city’s affordable housing reserve.

Council meetings take place on the second floor of Brandon City Hall starting at 7 p.m. For those who cannot attend in person, meetings are broadcast live on WCGtv and the city’s YouTube page.

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