Welland’s Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan

NPG Planning Solutions collaborated with Tim Welch Consulting Inc. to prepare an Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP) with the following objectives:

  1. Increase affordable rental housing supply throughout the Urban Area
  2. Promote the construction of affordable additional dwelling units
  3. Support the creation of complete communities
  4. Encourage a continuum of affordable housing options

Client

City of Welland

Location

Welland, Ontario

Date

2022 – 2023

Approvals

Adoption of CIP

Needs
Assessment

A needs assessment and an environmental scan were performed to better understand the type and number of households in need of affordable housing. This provided a comprehensive understanding of local policy contexts and revealed important considerations, such as what is deemed to be “affordable” when buying or renting a dwelling.

Public Engagement

NPG strongly believes in facilitating community engagement and maintaining project transparency, especially when it comes to affordable housing. The Project Team maintained a project webpage, conducted community surveys, held an open house, conducted stakeholder interviews, and maintained dialogue with the Affordable Housing Committee to develop programs beneficial for all stakeholders.

Incentive Programs

Several programs were formulated to achieve the objectives of the CIP.

  • Tax Increment Grant Program – Offers a percentage rebate on the annual municipal property taxes derived from the increased assessment value generated by an eligible project.
  • Affordable Housing Study Grant – Funding for feasibility studies deducing if affordable rental housing units can be included within new development or rehabilitation projects.
  • Affordable Residential Forgivable Loan – Designed to offset costs incurred when constructing affordable rental dwelling units on eligible properties.