City council is going to leave it up to the federal government to decide if Windsor's application to the Housing Accelerator Fund is acceptable or not.
Council voted 8-to-3 Monday to submit the city's application to the $4-billion HAF program by the end of that day.
The city and the government have been in disagreement over a condition that cities agree to a re-zoning amendment that would allow four residential units as-of-right, anywhere in the municipality, to gain access to the funding. The city currently allows three residential units as-of-right.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says if anyone wants to build a four-plex or any dwelling in a neighbourhood, there is an established piece of legislation that spells out the process and it includes public consultation.
"What's being proposed here is removing the process of all of that consultation, and guess what? The federal government, who is not constitutionally responsible for housing, it's a provincial responsibility to assign to municipalities. They're coming in saying we'll give you money and we need you to do this. They're not constitutionally responsible for this," he says.
Windsor's application to the fund will see four-plexes as-of-right along major transit routes, in most parts of downtown, and in other areas across the city.
It would also allow multi-unit builds and several-story builds, including four-plexes, across almost 1,000 acres and nearly 50 kilometres of arterial roads with bus routes available. The city would also allocate enough land to build thousands more units than required for Windsor to meet its HAF housing targets.
The city's application also calls for public consultation.
Dilkens says we not are saying no, we have pivoted in our original position.
"We are saying, 'we will explore this' but embedded in this, in 1A in the resolution, is the requirement for public consultation," he says. "Before any changes are made, we are going to consult with the public and make sure that we hear ward by ward and neighbourhood by neighbourhood, what they feel about this particular issue."
Dilkens says with the rules in place today, if someone wants to build a four-plex in a neighbourhood it requires a review of the underground infrastructure to make sure it can support the type of development being proposed.
"What's being purported to be given away here is the ability to even look at that. If you passed a motion that just changed a zoning bylaw amendment, someone can come into your building department and say 'I want to build a four-plex. I know the lot size, I have the set backs right, here's my application, here's my money.' They have no way to stop it," he says.
If the application is approved, Windsor could be eligible to receive around $40 million in base funding, and potentially $30 million more if the municipality reaches its aggressive housing targets by encouraging purpose built units to address missing middle and affordability.
Dilkens says all indications are that the federal government wants to get money out the door by the end of January, so they hope to hear very quickly about the submission to the fund.