Making the former Union Hospital site a residential area and redeveloping the Town ‘n’ Country Mall to include homes are just two housing initiatives city hall could pursue if it acquires federal funding.
Since May, consultant Wallace Insights has been preparing an application on behalf of the City of Moose Jaw for the federal government’s housing accelerator fund (HAF), which helps municipalities remove barriers to housing and develop “affordable, inclusive, equitable and climate-resilient” communities.
Ottawa announced it would provide $4 billion for the HAF program. Communities applying must have populations of over 10,000 people.
Municipalities can use the money to create HAF action plans; on affordable housing initiatives such as construction, repair or modernization, or acquiring land or buildings; on housing-related infrastructure such as drinking water, wastewater, disaster mitigation or public transit; or community-related infrastructure that supports housing such as roads and bridges, sidewalks, bike lanes, fire halls or landscaping.
Wallace Insights presented the housing needs assessment and action plan to city council during the July 10 regular meeting; council later voted unanimously to approve the document and direct city administration to apply to the HAF program.
The program is now open and closes in September.
Housing initiatives
The document lists 11 initiatives that the municipality could pursue if it received federal funding, including:
- Preparing the former Union Hospital site for residential use
- Building a mixed market townhouse project at Westheath
- Expanding housing at 15 Wing Air Base
- Pursuing a feasibility study for student housing near Saskatchewan Polytechnic
- Analyzing whether the downtown can support more housing
- Creating a new priority rezoning policy
- Assessing whether four school sites on South Hill can be used for residential development
- Creating an infrastructure servicing plan and housing feasibility report for Caribou Street East
- Redeveloping the mall to include housing
- Working with the Gabriel Housing Corporation
- Creating a support plan to implement these projects
The report says the municipality could develop more than 1,300 dwelling units if it pursued all 11 initiatives. City hall estimates it could start half of these projects before 2027, while several projects could be developed on sites that are large, underused and infill locations.
However, due to capacity issues and the fact only half the projects can be started before 2027, the document says the city could build 779 units with financial support from the HAF program — versus only 129 units without that money.
Housing challenges
“We feel that the proposal here we have (and the) initiatives (in the plan) are very, very sound. We are in a tough, competitive environment because it’s (for) communities 10,000-plus,” said Jim Dixon, manager of economic development.
Moose Jaw faces several housing challenges because of economic and population growth, specifically, international students attending Saskatchewan Polytechnic, almost 800 more workers working on big projects, and 130 participants from a Rural and Northern Immigrant Nominee program pilot project relocating here, he remarked.
Furthermore, the housing action plan has reviewed the municipality’s housing stock and found an imbalance in single-family residences versus multi-family residences, Dixon continued. The provincial average is 60 per cent/40 per cent, but in Moose Jaw, it’s 70 per cent/30 per cent.
Dixon added that the report is well done and “speaks for itself.” He commended Wallace Insights for being a great partner and bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to this project.
“Anytime we get an opportunity to get federal money, we must be quick and get our application in and … hopefully, we’ll receive some needed funding,” said Mayor Clive Tolley. “I know the report shows us behind the rest of the province in developing housing. We’ve already done some good things to address infill housing.
“This is (the) right move at the right time.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, July 24.
