City updates, streamlines housing regs to tap into fed fund

North Bay City Council unanimously approved several updates and amendments related to housing during Tuesday's regular meeting.

Coun. Justine Mallah, the chair of the council's community services committee, said before the vote, "Council heard loud and clear that the citizens of North Bay are concerned about the housing crisis, particularly affordable housing options ... Housing is a social determinant of health, and we are taking action ... The Housing Action Plan is intended to identify changes the City can make to drive transformational change regarding land use planning and development approvals with the goal to accelerate housing supply."

According to the accompanying staff report, each of the seven approved initiatives will "either independently or in combination with other initiatives, create additional and enhanced opportunities to create additional housing units in the City of North Bay ... The City of North Bay’s target is 840 new housing units over the three years of the program, of which 337 are intended to be directly related to Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) incentives."

The City of North Bay is receiving $10.6 million thanks to its successful application to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund, administered by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). HAF was established to provide incentive funding to local governments to improve housing processes and ultimately create more housing units, per the report. The funding is meant to remove barriers and support the development of affordable, inclusive, equitable and climate-resilient communities by supporting housing-related local initiatives.

Council has directed staff to come up with an applicable definition of "affordable," after several members questioned the viability of continuing with an 80 per cent of CMHC rent model that does not factor in utilities.

The local application identified seven initiatives to improve housing processes and create additional units to bolster North Bay’s housing supply:

1. Allow four units as-of-right within the Settlement Area, where a property is connected to municipal services; 

2. Make municipally owned lands available for housing;

3. Update the Growth Community Improvement Plan (GCIP) to expand the Housing Target Area and provide top-up funding for the GCIP;

4. Introduce e-permitting, delegation of authority and 3D mesh/digital twin-increase processes efficiency;

5. Comprehensive review of development charges and fee schedules, including waivers for affordable housing;

6. Development Application Review Team (DART), a prioritized and enhanced development approval process for rental and affordable housing, which provides a concierge service for affordable housing development; and

7. Reduce parking standards and promote active transportation. 

MAJOR UPDATES

The City’s Housing Action Plan has been amended, thanks to the council's support, and now reflects the seven initiatives found above.

Four units as-of-right are now permitted within the City’s Urban Settlement Boundary. This initiative allows for up to three Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs) — up from the previous two — for a total of four units as-of-right on an urban serviced lot within the settlement area.

According to the report, "In 2024, the City had 36 ADUs created, which represents 36 per cent of the new housing starts in 2024. This was also up from 20 and 22 ADUs in 2022 and 2023, respectively. ADUs support new housing unit opportunities, which are generally less expensive than new residential units and can be relatively easier and quicker to create. It is anticipated that this trend will continue and is an appropriate way to create new residential units."

In 2024, North Bay City Council approved the expansion of the Housing Target Area to the entire designated Settlement Area within the City’s Official Plan. The City plans to provide financial incentives to property owners for infill and intensification of residential development:

• 100 per cent of municipal fees rebated (building permit, Planning Act fees;
• 100 per cent of development charges rebated;
• Up to 50 per cent to a maximum of $5,000 to assist with professional services for housing unit design; and
• A property tax benefit would be available to property owners who create affordable rental units with a 100 per cent tax rebate of the incremental tax payable increase each year for six years.

Approved on Tuesday, top-up funding of 75 per cent of expenses, up to $25,000 per unit for new housing units. This initiative is specifically focused
on rental housing projects and aims to encourage the development of ADUs and new multiple residential apartment dwellings. This top-up funding is
supported by Official Plan policy and regulation development that ensures continued ADU and multi-unit housing construction.

Per the report, "The goal is to incentivize the creation of varied housing types, including the missing middle, non-market, and market rental housing throughout the city by offsetting a portion of the cost of construction. The overall objective of these initiatives is to stimulate the creation of new housing units, promote diverse housing options, and facilitate the intensification of residential development within the City ... staff are proposing to create detailed guidelines and provide for strict development timelines to ensure that housing units are coming to market as quickly as possible. Preference will be given to construction-ready projects.

For more on the seven housing initiatives, see the full report here.