Lumby Approves Affordable Housing Plan

Lumby Council has adopted an Affordable Housing Strategy.

It’s something council has been working hard on for some time.

Acting Mayor Randal Ostafichuk says it contains a number of steps that can be taken.

“Including looking at different ways of utilizing lands that we’ve already got, so village owned property. Seeing if there’s anything we’ve got in our own inventory that can actually be used to facilitate.”

Other steps include property tax exemptions for developers, coach houses, detached secondary suites on properties.

Also being looked at is how to form partnerships with other industries and other groups to work together in applying for grants, which could allow for greater success in getting grants.

Pictured: Randal Ostafichuk, Acting Mayor Lumby

Staff broke it down to one to three year and three to plus year timelines.

“Such as an inclusionary bylaw as well as a sub-division zoning bylaw. Both of which are, again, incorporating affordable housing into them.”

With that is the idea of a tool kit, of sorts, for developers.

“Get them a kind of one pager that actually has a lot of the information about what it takes to get development happening in Lumby including all the associated costs and timelines. Just to make it so that it’s easier for anybody who wants to develop to actually get started.”

The idea is to make sure red tape out of the way early to help speed along the process

Ostafichuk says council wants to be proactive to attract young families and ensure that seniors housing is available and affordable.

The housing strategy ties in to Lumby’s Strategic Planning Strategy for the year, which includes a sub-division servicing bylaw that is a priority for staff.