Moncton to get $1.2M in additional federal funding to boost housing supply

Moncton is getting an additional $1.2 million in federal housing funding. 

It's money on top of $15.3 million previously announced to boost the city's housing supply.

The new funding, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Housing Accelerator Fund, is expected to be used for grants, studies and planning department staff. 

Councillors reviewed the plan at a committee meeting Monday with final approval expected at a council meeting June 3.

Josh Davies, Moncton's manager of long-range policy planning, said the funding came after the city showed success with another housing initiative. 

Some of the funding will replenish grant programs launched with the initial funding. 

"The grant programs have been very strong," Davies told reporters. 

One of the grant programs offered $10,000 to homeowners building an accessory dwelling unit, such as a garden home. The funds for that program had been spent within the first year. The new money will allow for 26 more grants. 

Some of the additional funding would also go toward a grant program providing $20,000 per unit for non-profit housing as the initial amount is nearly all spent. The additional money would allow for nine more grants. 

Other funding would cover studies the city is carrying out, including plans for areas that have yet to be developed in the city. The studies could look at transportation and utility servicing, zoning and land for public purposes.

Heritage housing study

Another study expected to start next year would examine how heritage buildings could be repurposed to increase the housing supply. 

Davies said the study would look at larger heritage buildings, including some currently used for commercial space, that could be renovated to add more housing units. 

"Not to say we're going to turn them all into small apartments," Davies said. "But where can we find wins? And what type of buildings may be more appropriate for conversion? Which ones not so much?"

He said the goal is to preserve what gives the property heritage value. 

"We want to make sure that remains intact, while also looking for opportunities to increase density when we can."

Coun. Daniel Bourgeois asked city staff to shift some of the funding toward a program to cover "soft costs" non-profit builders face "so that we can help them fund the legwork."

Those costs can include engineers, site surveys and other work carried out before construction begins.

Davies said the initial round of funding included grants to help cover those costs, but there wasn't significant uptake. 

"There hasn't been as much knocking on the door for the soft-cost program," he said.

Coun. Shawn Crossman asked about $220,000 budgeted for more planning department staff. 

Davies said it would be spent on contracts for people to assist on certain projects and that he doesn't expect it would result in additional full-time staff. 

The initial funding came with a target of more than 2,500 new housing units created over three years. Davies said the first year finished around 100 units higher than targeted and he is "anticipating a similarly strong year." 

"We're off to a good start with respect to our building permits and unit counts," Davies said.