Our Official Plan Update is underway and as part of this process we can seize the opportunity to modernize our housing policies…use ALL the tools available to us to create action focused policies that better ensure affordable and attainable housing for the next 30 years and beyond.
Last night Council had before it a motion that I put forward that asked Council to seize the opportunity to increase access to affordable housing options through the development of an evidence-based, community informed Affordable Housing Action Plan.
There is a housing crisis in Canada and community leaders across the country are responding to an urgent call to action on addressing that crisis. There is broad consensus that more must be done at the municipal level to move from policy to action.
Aurora can heed the call to action by developing our own made in aurora plan – an Aurora Affordable Housing Action plan – to address housing affordability in our community both now and 30 years from now.
We already have the building blocks for a workable plan. Our Official Plan already includes policy options to foster the development of a diverse housing stock; through the inclusion of affordable units and low-rise intensification in designated MTSA and along transit corridors we have policies in place that encourage the growth of housing options to meet the needs of all residents, including young families and seniors.
And these are great initiatives
But with provincially mandated projected growth of another 30% over the next 30 years, we are going to need to do more, if we are to meet the housing needs of the future.
Simply saying we need more affordable housing is not a plan
What we need is a plan for action.
We need a made in Aurora Affordable Housing Action Plan.
The Official Plan update allows us, as a municipality, to develop issue specific plans designed to meet a community planning need. And clearly access to affordable housing is a critical community need.
But the success of that plan – any housing plan for that matter – depends on evidence-based action.
Through the development of a collaborative, community focused plan driven by engagement with residents, builders, community groups, local partners and other stakeholders, The Aurora Affordable Housing Action Plan will provide clear objectives and measurable targets for affordable housing options that are specifically designed for implementation within the local Aurora community context.
Thus the addition of an Affordable Housing Action Plan to our Official Plan update is critical to ensure that we proactively plan to meet the housing needs associated with growth in our community.
The success of Aurora’s Affordable Housing Action Plan will, of course, be dependent on our ability as a municipality to enforce it… to enforce our Official Plan. Unfortunately, we have seen, time and time again, Provincial over reach into municipal governance matters especially when it comes to land use planning decisions. From the increased scope of authority of the Ontario Land Tribunal to the increased as of right over-development, the combined effect of recent legislation is the reduced authority of municipalities to plan their own communities
But in this case, I believe we will not meet any resistance to our Official Plan.
We – the Province and Aurora – are united in a common cause – increasing the availability of affordable housing and increasing access to a diversity of housing options:
More family sized rental units,
more two and three bedroom units,
more duplexes and triplexes,
more low rise density,
more housing options that afford seniors the ability to age in place and newcomers to get a home to call their own.
I am proud that Council unanimously passed this motion allowing us to seize the opportunity to use the tools available to us to develop a Made-in-Aurora Affordable Housing Plan, and take another bold step forward in Aurora’s movement to plan responsibly for our future.
