The Government of Canada and the Town of Whitby announced Monday that they reached an agreement to fast track the development of more housing units in the community.
The Town of Whitby said it has been allotted $24.9 million in funding through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). This funding will support the creation of 656 additional housing units in Whitby. This will be achieved through nine local HAF initiatives:
- Increase Height & Density – to support new housing units close and connected to transit
- Inclusionary Zoning – to support more affordable housing units near transit
- Urban Area Expansion – to expand the available land for development
- Surplus Land Inventory and Disposition Strategy – to inventory lands currently owned by the Town to determine possible partnerships and lands that can be dedicated to housing development
- E-permitting Expansion – expansion of online services that support housing permits and development
- Legal Additional Dwelling Unit Program – to expand the number of residential housing units on residential lots
- Build Innovative Greatness (BIG) – to streamline processes and approvals and drive innovation to support housing development
- Low-Carbon & Climate Resilient Whitby – to support sustainable development through the implementation of the Town’s Climate Emergency Response Plan, Whitby Green Standard, and Zero Carbon Whitby projects
- Community Improvement Plan – to spur mixed-use residential development in Downtown Whitby
Updates on the nine HAF initiatives will continue to be shared as they move ahead over the next three years, said a town statement.
The Town of Ajax received a similar fuding recently (see below).