Municipality considering incentives to boost ‘gentle density’ initiative
When HRM cleared the way for backyard and secondary suites, it was expected to bring in thousands of new housing units all over HRM. But got hundreds instead.“We’ve seen a huge increase in interest, but there’s no correlation between the uptake and the interest,” saidHRM issued 398 permits for backyard and secondary suites between 2020 and Feb. 2023.
And now HRM staff is considering what incentives can be used to make these suites an option for more homeowners. Backyard suites are something new for banks around here, making the financing complicated, Watson said. In August, Halifax Regional Council directed staff to explore the development of an incentive program for secondary and backyard suites. In an update last month, staff suggested some possible options:A pre-approved permit process to streamline the development.
People are looking for a big incentive at purchase and they’re probably not as interested in deferred taxes or rebates, he added.Incentives work, said Ren Thomas, a housing researcher and associate professor of urban planning. Cities like Edmonton and Saskatoon have had success with a growth in secondary and backyard suites because of incentives.
As for incentives, Russell said he doesn’t expect HRM would be able to offer financial incentives but he could imagine relaxing some of permitting rules, allowing bigger builds for affordable housing, for example.
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