Tecumseh Council has voted to pause part of a local improvement strategy in lieu of the housing crisis.
Tuesday night Council moved to immediately discontinue a grant program that is part of their broader Community Improvement Plan (CIP). The grant in question is the Building and Property Improvement Grant (BPIG), which administration recommended should be paused immediately.
The recommendation to pause the BPIG would give administration a chance to review and adjust the grant's eligibility criteria to allow for affordable housing units.
Director of Development Services Brian Hillman says in the past they may have phased out the grant instead of stopping it immediately, but times have changed.
"I think if we had been having this conversation a year ago before we were using the words 'housing crisis,' it may have been slightly different, we may have looked at a scale-down. I think though, that circumstances have changed so significantly that it warrants this type of a move."
Ward 4 Councillor Brian Houston says he looks forward to the review.
"The CIP has delivered up to date, and I really think we're at a point now where the ball is rolling, and the steam is behind it." said Houston. "I look forward to seeing the report cme back of the revisions to the BPIG."
The CIP's goal is to provide a means for general revitalization, and the creation of a neighbourhood along Tecumseh Road as a walkable, mixed-use main street.
Over 6 years, 51 grants have been issued through the program to 23 properties. The total amount of funding committed amounts to just over $1-million, having generated just under $4-million in revenue.