The federal government and the City of St. John’s have reached a $10.4-million deal to build up housing in the capital city
MP Seamus O’Regan says the money, from the housing accelerator fund, will be put toward over 280 homes being built over the next three years.
Through various policy changes, they also expect some 4,100 homes to be built in the city over the next decade.
O’Regan says the policy changes include “serious incentives” to build multi-unit homes, such as by easing parking requirements and property tax reductions for each unit in the building.
They will also be looking at zoning.
O’Regan says the city will work with the province to re-write zoning rules to clarify where developers can and should build, they will change the laws to allow backyard units, and they will automatically permit four units to be built on a single lot where they know this can happen.
O’Regan says the permitting process will be sped up through a new online system whereby city land can be turned over for housing, and pre-approving standardized designs for backyard housing.
Mayor Danny Breen calls the funding a “win” because they’ll have the fiscal capacity to deal with some of the challenges they’ve been facing.
He believes they’ll be able to spur new development, and it’s the “start of a new era” in terms of housing development.