'I think we’re making a big mistake': Windsor city councillor wants new report on multi-million dollar housing application

A Windsor city councillor wants to have a second look at the revised application to a federal housing program worth millions of dollars in funding “in light of new information” that may allow more time to consider the issue.

On Friday, Kieran McKenzie issued a news release that suggested the urgency council faced in making a decision in a special meeting on Dec. 13 was misplaced following the communication of different timelines for the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) from members of Parliament.

“I actually got the report literally as the meeting convened,” McKenzie told CTV News Windsor in an interview. “It was a pretty complicated report.”

McKenzie said city hall has been in discussion with the federal government concerning the program, but could not provide a specific deadline date.

The potential for a revised deadline changes the game for the Ward 9 councillor.

“That timeline now is altered,” said McKenzie. “It’s my understanding that we can make this decision as late as middle or early January as opposed to before the holidays as was presented to us in the meeting.”

McKenzie isn’t asking for a reconsideration of the previous motion, which would require a councillor on the winning side to get two-thirds council support to revote on that motion.

Instead, the councillor wants administration to bring back an entirely new report to consider the issue.

He pointed to the funding as critical in meeting Windsor’s housing needs as it rapidly grows and the affordability crisis in Ontario flirts with its worst-ever housing crunch — which includes mortgage carrying costs in Windsor growing to nearly 40 per cent of household income according to a new RBC report.

“If we don’t deal more effectively with the housing crisis and on this issue leverage major funds that are being made available by the federal government, I think we’re making a big mistake and one that will put us even further behind,” said McKenzie.

The councillor stressed he does not blame administration for how it handled bringing the report to council, but wants another “clean shot” at this issue not “under the duress” council was faced with, as he put it, at the previous meeting.

A house under construction is seen in Windsor, Ont. in this undated image. (CTV News Windsor)

 

REVISED APPLICATION

The report to council boiled down the concerns with the HAF application to the issue of fourplex as-of-right zoning — which would allow four units on residentially zoned land earmarked for single, semi-detached and street townhomes.

The province has already mandated municipalities in Ontario allow three units as-of-right as part of its own housing pledge. Windsor’s target under that framework is 13,000 new units by 2031.

The report called for an update to its HAF application, which seeks upwards of $40 million in funding to support housing construction, to avoid missing the money and putting it at risk:

“Should council decline to permit four residential dwelling units, there is a risk that the city may fall short of its targets. Further, such a decision may place the funding requested through the Housing Accelerator Fund in jeopardy,” reads the report.

Instead, council sought to find middle ground with Ottawa and approved the four unit zoning only for designated areas along major corridors, transit lines and certain neighbourhoods in the city, potentially killing its pursuit of the cash.

“The federal government has made it clear that the funding is only going to be made available to communities that are bringing forward the strongest application that meet the criteria and the objectives that they’re trying to achieve,” said McKenzie. “So, the opportunity to access the funding would be lost, is essentially what the decision was in front of us.”

Ottawa has reached agreements with 16 municipalities across the country including London, Mississauga and, most recently, Toronto, which received $471 million.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens has raised concerns about the ability of the city’s infrastructure to manage the load of more fourplexes. He also noted in his opposition to Ottawa’s requirement the move would be disrespectful to existing homeowners.

“For us to wholesale say, ‘You know what, we don’t mind if a fourplex is built next to you,’ I think that’s disrespectful to people in neighbourhoods throughout the city,” Dilkens said.

The $4 billion HAF is part of the federal government’s National Housing Strategy and aims to incentivize municipal governments to increase affordable house supply with a target of 100,000 new middle class homes by 2024-25.