Dieppe, N.B., developing housing plan as growth erodes affordable housing stock – New Brunswick | 24CA News
The metropolis council in Dieppe, N.B., adopted a measure on Monday to put aside $250,000 in grants for residential builders to encourage them to construct extra inexpensive housing items.
Projects began in 2023 are eligible so long as at the very least 30 per cent of the items are inexpensive and are additionally receiving funding from a provincial or federal program.
Dieppe metropolis planner Charles-Éric Landry stated the transfer is a primary step to deal with residents’ rising concern over inexpensive housing.
“We are also working on a housing-needs assessment that will lead to a housing strategy,” Landry stated Friday in an interview.
He stated information from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) confirmed that the median lease of a two-bedroom condominium rose by $300 previously two years.
Dieppe is rising quickly as a part of the Greater Moncton Area, which is the quickest rising group within the nation.
Matthew Hayes, a spokesperson for the New Brunswick Coalition for Tenant’s Rights, says whereas the grants are a step in the appropriate course, he desires to see New Brunswick municipalities undertake extra aggressive inexpensive housing insurance policies.
“Without spending any money, they could start regulating Airbnb. That would bring a sizeable number of units back onto the long-term market and that would have a meaningful impact for tenants,” he stated.
Landry stated town is “looking at” regulating Airbnbs sooner or later.
“We know that it’s a big worry of a lot of people. It’s kind of hard to work with that. We’ve seen some examples in Charlottetown and Halifax that we might get inspired by,” he stated.
Charlottetown regulates Airbnbs by limiting them to the proprietor’s main residence.
The similar will probably be true for Halifax AirBNB operators who dwell in residential zones, beginning in September.
Hayes stated municipal councils throughout the province appear unwilling to undertake inexpensive housing measures that would inconvenience property builders.
“Measures that need to be taken to provide more affordable housing for people in the community will have to be inconvenient for some of those interests. Councils have been completely unwilling anywhere in New Brunswick to take the measures that need to be taken,” he stated.
He stated with out lease management, which is a provincial jurisdiction, initiatives like grants for builders gained’t quantity to tangible change for tenants.
Landry says town is hoping to have the housing-needs evaluation accomplished by the autumn.
He stated the housing coverage will probably be influenced by the findings of the evaluation.
He stated whereas town desires to encourage residential building to accommodate the rising variety of residents, there have been insurance policies in place to restrict city sprawl.
“We do have an urban boundary within which housing developments can occur. Outside of that, we don’t plan on growing the services, the sewer or (water supply),” he stated.
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