Coquitlam is checking off boxes to fast-track home construction.
On Monday, April 14, the city’s council-in-committee OK’d a progress report from civic staff outlining how they’re speeding up partnerships with non-profit groups to get non-market housing up.
The changes come after Coquitlam–Port Coquitlam MP Ron McKinnon announced $25 million to the municipality last year through the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF); another $2.4 million was added last month.
Renée de St. Croix, Coquitlam’s director of urban planning and design, told the committee the non-market component is one of eight HAF pieces that Coquitlam needs to complete for Ottawa.
And the new model for non-market housing on city lands will follow its S.U.C.C.E.S.S. partnerships for 602 Sydney Ave. and 290 Laval Sq. to build seniors housing.
Last year, with the help of the city to pre-zone and relax parking restrictions early, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. clinched money under BC Housing’s Community Housing Fund to get their projects going.
The new guide for non-profit housing partnerships is expected to cut wait times by about 32 per cent — from concept to the project award stage, said Andrew Merrill, Coquitlam’s general manager of planning and development, in a report to the committee.
As well, the city is in the middle of creating a Priority Application Review Policy for non-profits to cut costs and time, and to attract more affordable housing proposals (priority projects are defined as those where all of the residential component is owned/operated by a non-profit housing provider like Robert Nicklin Place at 3011 Ozada Dr., and Hoy Creek Zones 1 and 2 at 2905 and 2901 Glen Dr.).
City hall plans to boost its staff support to help non-profits with their bids and to waive fees for inquiry meetings.
Coun. Matt Djonlic, committee chairperson, said he’s happy to see the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. projects moving ahead while Coun. Dennis Marsden raised concern some projects — on city or privately owned lands — that have rental and non-market units in the same building may not qualify for senior government money.
Coquitlam has until Nov. 30, 2025, to complete its HAF policy requirements.
The HAF is a federal program for municipalities that’s designed to ease the housing crisis across Canada. In February, the City of Port Coquitlam also received $10.3 million from McKinnon.
Coun. Brent Asmundson was not at Monday’s committee meeting.
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