Windsor eligible for more housing money

The City of Windsor is on the right path to adding much needed housing inventory to the stock, according to city officials.

“Adding additional housing stock to our community is only going to be a net positive for the folks who need it,” said manager of housing at Family Services Windsor, after hearing the city has surpassed housing targets for the year by eight percent.

There have been 1,179 housing starts leaving the city in a position to access provincial funding through the Building Faster Fund (BFF).

"There's probably a thousand ways we could use that money, but our goal is to make sure that we invest it in housing, enabling infrastructure,” said mayor Drew Dilkens, who points the funding isn’t move the world money but can incrementally improve the community through construction among other things.

“A lot of capital work that has to be done to help support the growth related to Sandwich South, growth related to economic development at the airport.”

By surpassing its targets for the year, the city is in line to receive over $3-million from the BFF.

“Three to $3.5 million may sound like a lot of money to you and I if we had that in our bank account but from a municipal capital perspective, it's a good start,” Dilkens said.

There have been over two-thousand planning approvals for residential units and close to 1,300 building permits issued for new residential units.

The city has added more resources, which has helped speed up the planning and permitting process. Approvals take under six months,which the city claims is the fastest in the province.

“Residents down here (in the downtown area) want the intensification,” said Jelena Payne, Commissioner of Economic Development and Innovation. “They want this development and that in itself is going to be a catalyst that links to Strengthen The Core, housing solutions made for Windsor that the city has invested in.”

The value of construction linked to residential permits is over $300 million this year. Various groups tied to housing are encouraged by news of housing targets being surpassed.

“We do always like to keep in mind the focus on affordable and low income housing that’s kept as a priority when they’re passing these approvals but overall, it's a net gain for our community,” Rock said.