Gander's Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan

In response to these challenges, the Town of Gander has developed a comprehensive HAF Action Plan designed to stimulate housing development and ensure a broader range of housing options that meet local needs. Key initiatives of the plan include:

• Housing Needs Assessment Update: identify local growth trends and associated housing requirements, housing options currently available, affordability and other barriers in relation to resident needs. Implement policies, practices and tools to help overcome identified impediments.
• Affordable Housing Incentive Package: assess, develop and launch a suite of targeted incentives that support housing development in order to expand the supply of housing that is affordable.
• Housing-Based Zoning & Regulatory Reforms: evaluate, define and amend regulatory tools (including zoning bylaw) to support housing affordability and permit a broader range of multi-residential housing options in the community.
• Middle & High-Density Housing Tools: facilitate the development of ‘missing middle’ and higher density housing forms using targeted regulatory practices and incentives.
• Innovative Practices in Housing Delivery: promote innovative practices aimed at expediting the timely delivery of appropriate, affordable and resilient housing options.
•  Establishing a Municipal Land Bank: develop a municipal land inventory and associated mechanisms to acquire and utilize public lands suitable for housing development.
•  Property Utilization Strategy: establish a formal strategy and implementation tools for maximizing the use of serviced lands and existing developments for housing, thereby promoting the effective use of land and infrastructure.
• Capacity, Partnership and Education Strategies: create capacity, partnership and education strategies that build additional stakeholder capacity, foster beneficial housing partnerships and broaden awareness of housing issues among the general public.
• Implementing 4-Unit As-of-Right City Wide: implement an “as-of-right” policy, permitting multiplexes of up to four units on residential lots, without requiring additional zoning or discretionary use approvals.

Anticipated Outcomes: The Town’s Action Plan sets ambitious targets, aiming to bring development activity back to historical levels by adopting a more responsive regulatory regime. Expected outcomes include the construction of at least two hundred units across the HAF 4-year funding period; including seventy “missing middle” housing units and sixty-eight “other form” multi-unit housing - 35 percent of which will be affordable units.

Alignment with Provincial Recommendations: Gander's HAF Action Plan aligns with recommendations from the "Pull Together: Addressing Housing Insecurity" study by MNL/Choices for Youth, including ending single-family home zoning, creating zoning provisions for higher density housing developments, and prioritizing affordable housing projects.