‘Even if one or two come forward, I see it as a real feather in Orillia’s cap,’ says Coun. Jay Fallis of newly-approved concierge program
Interested in building a granny suite but don’t know where to start?
Orillia has just streamlined the process through the creation of a new accessory dwelling unit (ADU) concierge program approved by council this week.
The program provides a way to expedite construction of long-term rental units on private property while also increasing “attainable” rental stock in the city, say officials.
“In Collingwood when they did a similar program, they went faster by 50 per cent,” Janette McGee, Orillia’s housing coordinator, told council on Monday.
“The goal of the ADU concierge program is to rapidly increase the supply of attainable long-term rental housing units, and to accelerate the construction of new housing throughout the City of Orillia,” wrote McGee in her report.
Coun. Jay Fallis eagerly supported the program.
“It could be a real secret weapon for Orillia in providing affordable housing solutions in Orillia,” he said. “Even if one or two come forward, I see it as a real feather in Orillia’s cap.”
Coun. Tim Lauer asked how the program would speed up construction of ADUs.
McGee said she would provide the concierge service, meaning she will be the contact person to guide homeowners through the approval and permit processes faster than they could typically do on their own.
“If they come through the concierge service they would go through the approval process faster,” she said.
The program is tied into the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund. Last February, Orillia secured $4.5 million in CMHC funds for affordable housing, in four instalments over four years. The city received more than $1 million last year and needs to meet nine conditions in order to qualify for the second round of funds.
The approval of the accessory dwelling unit concierge program represents the ninth condition.
“The second instalment will be evaluated based on the progress of the nine initiatives,” wrote McGee.
“Attainable” means housing available for middle-income households. The area median income in the City of Orillia is $71,000 which means attainable housing is for households with a gross income of $56,800 to $85,200. That way, renters are not exceeding 30 per cent of their income toward housing, reads the report.
Homeowners who build an ADU must keep it “affordable” for 15 years; they could also qualify for a $50,000 forgivable loan from the County of Simcoe through its secondary suite grant program. (A forgivable loan is like a grant provided certain conditions are met.) The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) defines affordable housing as any type of housing costing less than 30 per cent of a household’s before-tax income.
“I would be the liaison with the county,” said McGee, adding the ADU concierge program builds don’t have to be affordable.
However, there are only two floor plans that are approved from the CMCH catalogue, one is 59 square metres (634 square feet) and the other is 95 square metres (1017 square feet) for the ADU concierge program.
In order to be eligible for the ADU concierge program, homeowners must meet the following five conditions:
Primary applicant is a private homeowner in the City of Orillia;
Homeowner selects one of two currently available Ontario ADU designs in the CMHC housing catalogue;
Homeowner attests the CMHC ADU from the Ontario Housing Design catalogue will be a long-term accessory dwelling rental unit;
The principal entrance to the ADU must be located within 20 metres of the property line that abuts the road; and
The lateral servicing size must be a minimum of one inch on the city’s property.
The ADU concierge program will provide homeowners with the following four services:
Prioritized application review (zoning certificate and building permit);
Single point of contact including step-by-step guidance involved in creating an ADU;
Support navigating the County’s Secondary Suite forgivable loan program and
Support with zoning requirements, and key considerations.
For more information about housing programs and incentives in Orillia the website.
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