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Huntsville Council receives Housing Needs Assessment report

Tim Welch of Tim Welch Consulting was before Huntsville Council at its December 9 meeting with highlights from the Housing Needs Assessment conducted for the municipality.

Welch told the council that the project started in June with background documents from municipal planning staff, the District Municipality of Muskoka, Census Canada data, information from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, interviews with community stakeholders, a public survey, and an open house.

Key findings

  • The town of Huntsville is expected to grow by almost 30% over the next 30 years, slightly above the provincial average (5.8%) but not as high as all of Muskoka (at an anticipated 10%);
  • Huntsville’s population is expected to grow from 21,147 in 2021 to 24,500 residents by mid-2031 and about 29,600 residents by 2051;
  • As per the 2021 Census, more than 30% of Huntsville’s population is 60 years of age or older, which points to a need for accessible seniors’ housing to enable older residents to age in place as Huntsville will continue having a higher senior population than the provincial average;
  • Over half of Huntsville’s population has a more modest income of $80,000 or less;
  • Almost 40% of households are earning less than $50,000 a year;
  • Nearly 38% of households earn less than $60,000 a year after tax.
  • 55.3% of households earn less than $80,000 per year after tax, compared to 50.3% of the province;
  • Huntsville has a lower percentage of high-income earners compared to the province as a whole;
  • 30.1% of households earn $100,000 or more per year after tax (compared to the 36.5% provincial average).

Housing

  • 80% of housing, as per the 2021 Census, was owner-occupied, and 20% was rented;
  • Huntsville has a lower share of renter households compared to provincial averages;
  • There are close to 2000 tenant households in Huntsville, but according to the 2021 Census data, only 371 are purpose-built. That means the non-purpose-built rental housing can be taken off the market at any time;
  • Huntsville is considered to have a 0% vacancy rate, a rate it has maintained for several years. Vacancy rates below 3% can drive up rents as tenants compete for fewer units;
  • Almost 20 per cent of households in Huntsville (both rental and owned) are paying more than 30% of their income on housing, the threshold for unaffordable;
  • 18.7% of dwellings were deemed unaffordable, and 25.6% were considered unaffordable, unsuitable, or inadequate housing.

Welch said there is a significant need for rental housing at various price points, including rent-geared-to-income housing. He said fully accessible one—or two-bedroom units for seniors and people with disabilities are also needed, as are units for larger families.

He said that during public meetings, employers also noted the need for workforce housing. Welch said he heard from employers that people had to commute from other areas to find housing or more affordable housing, even though they work in Huntsville.

Some suggested strategies

  • Prioritize planning approvals for multi-residential housing, particularly those that may include affordable units;
  • More flexibility in parking requirements for higher-density developments;
  • More advocacy at all levels of government and communication with developers about programs available for affordable housing;
  • Combine housing with new municipal infrastructure, i.e., a new library;
  • Identify municipal property that can be used for housing.
  • Build more purpose-built rental housing to bring rents down by increasing supply.

Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock noted that the municipality has already embarked on some of those initiatives. “So it’s kind of neat to hear that you’re touching on a number of the things that we are currently trying to do or at least discussing.”

Councillor Scott Morrison asked the consultant what he had observed regarding more rural development. Welch said there has been more interest in accessory units.

Alcock talked about Community Improvement Plans and Tax Increment Financing to encourage more affordable housing development but questioned how to get the development community to access such tools.

Welch said publicity is important, ensuring the incentive programs are worthwhile for developers and demonstrating how those incentives could be beneficial.

Discussions about affordability were also held. Welch suggested that the municipality set a clear definition of what it considers affordable in the community and track housing progress.

Councillors also spoke about community neighbourhoods comprised of smaller houses.

Town of Huntsville staff will utilize the Housing Needs Assessment as a reference and guiding document and report back to council on policy recommendations to support the development of appropriate housing with a housing action plan.

Prompted by a question by Councillor Helena Renwick, Planning Director Kirstin Maxwell said staff could return with a framework and some immediate suggestions as early as February or March. She said if staff we were putting together a Community Improvement Plan for affordable housing, it would take longer as consultation would also need to take place.

Councillor Cory Clarke noted that a good example of workforce housing could be found when the tannery opened in Huntsville. “When the tannery opened there was a large undertaking done to build homes for their employees. A lot of the homes on Duncan Street, Caroline Street, a lot of the older areas in town… sometimes we need to look at the past to see how things worked.” He suggested it could be examined to see if the idea can be recycled with current stakeholders.

For more on the Housing Needs Assessment, you can find the consultant’s report to council HERE.

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