first tenants linked to land for housing program move into new cole harbour building
5 minute read
the crosswoods by rooted, shown on tuesday, is a recently opened housing development on circassion drive in cole harbour. the crosswoods is the first site of the land for housing program initiated in 2022 to make provincial land available to developers for affordable housing projects.
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
the provincial land for housing program launched in 2022 marked an initial success story tuesday with an announcement of 93 units of affordable housing in dartmouth.
the dartmouth announcement made by growth and development minister colton leblanc came in the wake of a stark canada mortgage and housing (cmhc) update that says the province would have to increase annual housing starts by more than 7,000 over the next decade to restore affordability to pre-pandemic levels.
leblanc lauded the effectiveness of the land for housing program, which offers land owned by the province to non-profits or developers for a low fee to build affordable housing.
“one of the biggest barriers to housing development was the cost of land and as a government we recognized that as an opportunity to make our provincially owned land available,” leblanc said.
the minister said community organizations like rooted, the former dartmouth non-profit housing society, play a pivotal role in helping the province create safe, accessible and affordable housing across the province.
rooted constructed an 18-unit complex on the corner of circassion drive and forest hills parkway in cole harbour, where the news conference was held tuesday.
growth and development minister colton leblanc makes a housing announcement, along with rooted ceo nick russell, at a new 18-unit building on circassion drive in cole harbour on tuesday.
francis campbell
/
the chronicle herald
advertisement
rooted ceo nick russell said the circassion drive site was a vacant plot of land that once housed a government-owned building. the land was purchased by rooted under the
land for housing program and the new crossroads complex become a reality.
rooted has already processed applications for the new 18-unit building, 17 units of which are now already occupied. nine affordable units are included in the crossroads building, with rents for the affordable units ranging from $770 per month for one-bedroom units to $1,136 for three bedrooms.
provincial funding included $1.4 million through the affordable housing development program and $3.1 million in funding the province manages under canada’s national housing strategy initiatives.
the announcement tuesday included the preservation of an additional 84 affordable units in two buildings that rooted is upgrading at 76 gaston rd. in dartmouth.
on gaston road, rents range from $770 per month for one-bedroom units to $1,150 per month for three bedrooms.
the province provided more than $11.1 million for the purchase, including an $8.9-million low-interest repayable loan and $2.2 million in grants from provincial housing funds.
advertisement
at both the cole harbour and dartmouth properties, people qualify for affordable housing based on gross household income. for a one-bedroom, the maximum total income is $47,000 a year; for a two-bedroom, it is $60,000; and for a three-bedroom, it is $67,500.
russell said rooted doesn’t separate applications by buildings but there are hundreds of applicants on the rooted waiting list for affordable housing.
rooted owns 218 units now and 600 more exist in its development pipeline.
“they are existing properties with existing tenants,” russell said of the gaston road units. “we own them now and it is the same tenants that are in there. the whole idea is about stability and security. that’s important with even the capital work that we do to make sure that we can do it in a way that doesn’t interrupt folks’ ability to enjoy their homes, but at the same time there are obligations to fixing certain things up.
“we know how to strike that balance.”
russell said rooted will find affordability where it can.
“we’re kind of taking a pragmatic approach to determining our rent strategy. we just took these buildings over so we don’t really understand the full numbers of what it’s going to look like. once it is stabilized we can find out where we can deliver outcomes. right now, it’s just about keeping the rents status quo at the very minimum.”
advertisement
leblanc identified economic pressures that the province is seeing, the cost of building and some of the processes involved in getting developments started as factors in the delay in getting the first tenants in a land for housing development.
“we want to do more and do more faster and as a government we will do everything within our control to speed up those opportunities and those processes,” leblanc said. “we believe in eliminating red tape and working with other levels of government and working with partners like rooted, who are some of our best landlords in the province. they understand the need for affordable housing and as a government we understand the opportunities to work with them.”
suzy hansen, the new democrat mla for halifax needham,, says the houston government must act now to close the gap on nova scotia’s affordable housing shortfall.
francis campbell
/
francis campbell
leblanc said the provincial government has invested over $120 million over the past four years to preserve or create over 1,400 affordable units.
suzy hansen, the new democrat mla for halifax needham, said tuesday that every home helps but the official opposition ndp “remain deeply concerned about the severe lack of affordable homes for nova scotians to rent or buy.”
hansen said in a statement that the houston government is falling further and further behind the number of housing units needed.
advertisement
“they have to pick up the pace,” hansen said, referencing the cmhc report that says the province is short 12,000 new affordable housing units each year.
“the government isn’t even meeting half of that,” hansen said. “the result is skyrocketing rent and more and more families struggling to find and keep affordable housing with no light at the end of the tunnel. this government needs to build more units that working families can live in instead of relying on developers to fix the lack of supply.”
the cmhc report projected nova scotia’s annual housing starts from 2025 to 2035 to be 5,447 but estimated 12,539 housing starts annually would be required for the province to restore affordability.
the cmhc update described affordability as what is necessary to return housing prices to being no higher than 30 per cent of average gross household income or no higher than 2019 levels in less affordable regions.
the report’s regional breakdowns showed nova scotia and ontario having the most significant housing supply gaps.
“if the government is going to get serious about tackling the housing crisis they need to act with more urgency,” hansen said.
“that starts with having a minister of housing whose entire job is tackling the lack of apartments and homes that nova scotians can actually afford. instead of making it easier to evict tenants, the government needs to protect renters by limiting the use of fixed-term leases and creating residential tenancy enforcement.”
advertisement
hansen said some positive announcements sprinkled across the province are not going to fix nova scotia’s worsening housing issues.
“people need a government with the will to act now.”
share story
