Ottawa's yearly provincial housing target standards are not being met: Report
This funding agreement includes a target of more than 37,500 new dwellings through building permits issued over the next three years.
The City of Ottawa has only achieved 22 percent of its annual housing target as of August, according to a recent progress report.
To secure funding from the province’s Building Faster Fund, the city must meet 80 percent of its housing target by the end of the year.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) has set an annual goal of 12,583 new dwellings for 2024.
As of August 25, the number of dwellings in progress stands at 2,774, which is only 22 percent of the target.
These new units contribute to a broader objective of building 151,000 homes by 2031.
Despite falling short of the annual target, housing starts have increased by 34 percent between January and March, and year-over-year permits for Q2 have surged by 233.5 percent.
However, housing starts for Q2 have decreased by 14.1 percent compared to the same period last year.
The city is also eligible for funding from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). In July 2023, the federal government approved Ottawa’s action plan, making the city eligible for over $176 million until the end of 2026.
This funding agreement includes a target of more than 37,500 new dwellings through building permits issued over the next three years.
“Council is giving builders the permissions like re-zonings they want, but they’ve only pulled permits on 16 percent of those units since tracking began in January 2023,” Ottawa City Councillor Jeff Leiper posted on X after the meeting. “We need to hope that signals like reduced inflation and interest rates spur builders to build.”
During the same meeting, the committee approved a zoning amendment to support the development of low-rise homes in Orléans, located west of Provence Avenue.
The municipality acquired the site through a land exchange agreement in 2022.
The amendment will preserve the Nantes Woods woodlot for the city and facilitate the completion of the community to the east of the area, aiming to maintain the natural state of Nantes Woods and create nature trails that connect to the existing trail system.
