Housing Accelerator Fund
New Westminster was awarded an $11 million grant from the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) program. This program, established by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), provides financial support that enables the City to advance initiatives aimed at improving the housing approval process, increasing housing supply, and expanding housing choice.
All of the work identified in the action plan seeks to realize objectives in Council’s 2023-2026 Strategic Priorities Plan, which includes Homes and Housing Options as a focus area. The Strategic Plan focuses on clearing the way for all types of homes needed by people today and tomorrow, and prioritizing homes for those with the greatest need.
In receiving the grant, New Westminster has committed to implementing an action plan that includes seven initiatives to meet the housing supply targets outlined below:
- Development Approval Process Acceleration: Redesign the development application process to speed up the review timelines and increase efficiency. This initiative was launched in the spring of 2023. The resulting work identified a range of action items to increase efficiency in the approval process, which Council directed staff to implement on July 8, 2024. See the Council report for more information.
- 22nd Station Area Bold Vision: Create a vision for a net zero, transit-oriented, master planned neighbourhood in the 22nd Station area, using a planning process structured to advance decolonization of development approvals. This initiative was launched in June 2023. Visit the 22nd Station Bold Vision webpage for more information. Or, participate in the process through the Bold Vision project engagement page.
- Infill Housing Acceleration: Pre-zone in order to permit up to six residential units in single detached dwelling zones in alignment new Provincial housing legislation. This initiative was launched in May 2024. Participate in the process through the Infill Housing project engagement page.
- Townhouse Acceleration: Pre-zone lands to make it easier to construct new townhouse units. The process would explore the possibility of allowing larger units and the inclusion of lock of units. Consideration would be given to expanding the townhouse land use designation to more areas of the city. Participate in the process through the Townhouse Acceleration project engagement page.
- Affordable Housing Acceleration: Amend the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw to allow affordable housing as of right on residential zones in order to remove the barriers for projects on properties owned or long-term leased by non-profit organizations. Participate in the process through the Affordable Housing Acceleration project engagement page.
- Inclusionary Housing Acceleration: Update the inclusionary housing policy to better reflect current market and development conditions to enable the creation of affordable rental units.
- Family Friendly Housing Acceleration: Amplify the Family Friendly Housing Policy by mandating that a larger number of family friendly units be provided in all new projects to create more suitable housing options for families. Participate in the process through the Family Friendly Housing Acceleration project engagement page.
HOUSING SUPPLY TARGETS
The Housing Accelerator Fund helps the City increase the supply of new homes. It ensures that the City can resource and quickly advance a number of key initiatives aimed at improving the processes around the planning and development of the infrastructure and amenities needed to support more homes and people.
With this fund, New Westminster has committed to facilitating 2,300 new units by January 2027, including:
- 1,829 multi-unit housing units located close to SkyTrain
- 187 infill housing units (duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, etc.)
- 269 additional multi-unit housing units.
Additionally, 9% of these units are projected to be affordable units.
ABOUT THE HOUSING ACCELERATOR FUND PROGRAM
In April 2023, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) introduced the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) program, a $4-billion initiative that will provide funding to local governments to fast track the development of 100,000 more housing units across the country. The objectives of the HAF program are to:
- Support the development of complete communities that are walkable, consist of appropriate residential density and a diverse mix of land uses, and provide access to a wide variety of amenities and services through public and active transportation.
- Support the development of affordable, inclusive, equitable, and diverse communities that encourage clear pathways to achieving greater socio-economic inclusion largely achieved through the equitable provision of housing across the entire housing spectrum.
- Support the development of low-carbon and climate-resilient communities.