CambridgeToday received the following letter from former Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry.
Housing. Whether you are needing it, building it or investing in it, housing is a hot topic in the media and at political tables.
Complex reasons exist as to why it is so difficult to not only to build housing, but to get the right types of housing built. Cities provide building permits. Builders and developers build housing. Regressive property taxes are not designed for cities to build it. Provincial funding is difficult to access for affordable units.
Recently, the Building Industry and Land Development Association has criticized the provincial government for “no coherent housing plan”, despite the focus from government, stakeholders, industry and labour.
Simply put, current conditions such as increasing costs of building materials, interest rates, labour shortages, market forces and policy uncertainty, have slowed the pace of housing starts.
Land costs are part of the cost of building housing. What if those who build actual affordable housing paid only $1 per year to lease city owned land? And use city-owned parking lots to build apartments over top while retaining those parking spaces?
As land owners, the city could allow non-profit developers to build actual affordable housing units; near public transit, near infrastructure that can support new builds, and near amenities such as professional services, shopping and recreation hubs.
Such is the essence of the motion that Coun. Scott Hamilton is bringing to council Dec. 19. Indeed, this is an out-of-the-box, innovative idea that could help get housing built more rapidly, as provincial policy continues to languish.
I have criss-crossed Ontario this past year, facilitating provincial political discussions with many rural and urban municipalities. I noted the 2 most important topics on local politicians’ minds are health care and the lack of housing. Homelessness is It is a critical issue with few options and Ontario is seeing an alarming rise in homelessness including among our seniors. Cambridge is no exception and The Bridges Shelter notes an increase in seniors who need housing.
Cambridge has an opportunity to lead in Ontario with this initiative to get affordable housing built in our city. Will council boldly seize this opportunity? The well-being of our people depends on a place to live for all of us and means a healthier community and economic outlook for our city.
Kathryn McGarry
Cambridge
