Housing Accelerator Fund Update

HRM zoning used to make housing crisis worse

by Deny Sullivan

Buildings demolished in preparation for development on Spring Garden Road. Picture by Antionia Zwissler

It’s been over two years since Halifax enacted its latest strategy to fight the housing crisis. Spurred on by the federal government (and its promise of cash for reforms), HRM hastily debated and ultimately passed new rules to make building homes easier, aka the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) reforms. The reforms included measures to increase the allowed units per lot in residential areas from one or two (plus a basement suite) to four; allow additional units (up to eight) in the regional centre (the peninsula and Dartmouth within the Circumferential Highway); and increase density along major corridors and in select high potential sites (usually strip malls and car dealerships).

The reforms also included changes like incentives for more affordable housing, designating additional heritage areas, and promoting environmentally friendly wood-frame construction. With just over two years under this new planning regime, it is worth revisiting the changes and whether those changes on paper have translated into new homes in the real world.

On the first point, the uptake of fourplexes has been strong. Fourplexes have leapfrogged duplexes to become the second most commonly permitted type of housing (after single-family homes, of course).

Over 400 fourplexes have been approved since the reforms, represent ing 1,600 homes that are or may soon be available. On this front, the data speaks—city councils’ past building rules did in fact limit housing.