Councillors expected to consider halting new STRs and other ways of increasing rental housing in Huntsville

Huntsville Councillors are desperately trying to figure out ways to incentivize the creation of more rental housing in the community.

Following the suspension of rules and an open discussion about the need for more rentals in the area, councillors brought several ideas to the table at a special general committee meeting held on February 7, 2023.

Councillor Bob Stone suggested that all lands that could accommodate higher density and building heights for the construction of new rental housing in Huntsville could be identified and “have a special zoning for these areas to allow this type of growth,” he said referring to both public and private lands.

Director of planning services for the Town, Kirstin Maxwell, said it is something staff could be asked to review but it’s difficult for staff to determine what development is feasible or possible on private lands “because we don’t know what the ground is like and all those other considerations… but it’s something we could be asked to review.”

Mayor Alcock said getting the message out to developers to let them know that the Town is more flexible and amenable to getting more renal units built in the community could be done at a developers’ round table meeting expected to be held later this month. The group meets about every quarter, it includes major developers in the area as well as senior staff at both the Town of Huntsville and the District of Muskoka. Alcock said it was originally formed to discuss water and sewer infrastructure.

Councillor Cory Clarke said he liked Stone’s idea “because I think the only way we’re going to improve the situation is to increase the rental stock and what better way to do it than allowing for apartment building-types to be constructed in Huntsville,” said Clake, adding that while the Town can provide incentives for four and six-plexes, the real impact will only come with larger apartment buildings “that allow for more people to occupy rental units.”

Councillor Scott Morrison said he had a long list of requests to try and ameliorate the housing shortage in the municipality, including forming a committee or task force at the Huntsville level. “I would love to chair it or at least be heavily involved called a Community Wellness Committee.” He spoke of a three-legged stool each leg representing: affordable housing, mental health, and opiate addiction. “I believe if any one of those legs of the stool is compromised, the entire stool could fall down,” he said, adding that even people with high-paying jobs are struggling. Morrison wants to see a committee formed to look at all three issues in unison and start moving on it them quickly.

He is expected to work with staff to put the group in place. Land trusts were also discussed as well as District initiatives.

Councillor Dione Schumacher emphasized the difficulty employers have finding housing for new hires. She spoke of housing with a shared kitchen that could come in at under-market rates. “Like Solterra-type homes they have in Bracebridge where you can put a few units together combined kitchenette… so it cuts down on some cost. Students who have just come out of university are used to… that apartment style of living. You know, creating those opportunities for companies to maybe house their employees in… I know a lot of our houses have been picked up by corporate people in the area because they need housing for Tim Hortons or they need housing for, you know, Harvey’s/Swiss Chalet…”

Alcock said there is nothing stopping a group like Solterra from building housing in Huntsville. “To me, there is a lot around communication. It’s a bit like that reference to the developers’ forum,” she said, referring to getting the word out. For example, she said the last time representatives spoke to developers about inclusionary zoning (adding a certain number of units below market rent in developments) they were not in favour. “But times have changed and our ability to be more flexible has also changed so I almost think there’s still room for a housing forum to bring in all of the different players into one room for a day, a half day, whatever, to talk about all of those things because there isn’t anything stopping a group that wants to build a Solterra house.” She said there used to be all sorts of planning hurdles “but those planning hurdles are not here with us anymore. So it just takes getting the groups together, the education to do it.”

Clarke agreed and said, “I think we need to be proactive and let those folks know that we’re open for business for this type of development.”

Morrison also said he’d like to halt the approval of short-term rentals while the municipality tackles the affordable housing crisis. “I don’t believe in halting any STRs that are currently in the pipeline. If anyone bought a home and followed all the rules and did everything they were supposed to do and did what we demanded of them, I don’t think we should stop that,” he said. But going forward, so the public knows, “if you’re buying a house tomorrow and you think you’re going to apply for an STR, it may not be an option available.”

He also spoke of using some of the Town’s accommodation tax to piggyback on other funding to incentivize developers to create more housing or stay in the affordable rental housing program offered by the District. He also spoke of density bonuses and accommodating employers who want to build staff housing, which would remove those people from the rental pool, and more supply would bring down the price of rentals.

Among other possible initiatives, Morrison also suggested naming rights for Town-owned facilities and funds raised could go to affordable housing and community wellness initiatives. “We’re not trying to raise money for public works, we’re trying to raise money so people can afford to live in our communities because no matter how much money we raise for our hospitals and our facilities, if the core of our community leaves, we don’t have much. I know of a few musicians that are leaving… because they can’t afford to live here. Single moms, single dads are leaving town because they can’t afford to live here.”

He also spoke of the need to look at tiny and mobile home communities as well as secondary suites and more severances in rural communities that allow the creation of more secondary units “because not everybody just wants to live downtown.”

Morrison also spoke about talking to MPP Graydon Smith about the Residential Tenancies Act. “The Act itself is not a problem. It’s the resources that the province has put towards the Act that is the problem. You know, when somebody has to wait eight months to get rid of a bad tenant, it hurts good tenants…”

Morrison’s suggestions also included a dedicated planner to look at large developments. “Our planning department does amazing but they’re overworked. The amount of stuff that comes on their plate is huge. So rightly so, when a development comes into planning that is for affordable housing, whatnot, they can only move so fast… so maybe we look at a staffing complement to help get these units built quicker.”

Alcock said she agreed with a number of Morrison’s suggestions. She also referenced the creation of housing for employees.”We actually asked Deerhurst in their last build—they were supposed to provide housing and they didn’t,” she said, adding that ultimately it’s up to large employers to step up and build housing, and it’s not necessarily the municipality that is stopping them, but often it isn’t done until it affects their bottom line.

The issues raised are expected to return to the table but Morrison said he wants to see the issue of halting STRs return as soon as possible with information about what the municipality can legally do. The issue is expected to return to Huntsville’s next general committee meeting.

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