Residents in Tecumseh will have a chance to have their say, and ask any questions on the Housing Accelerator Fund.
A public meeting will be held next week, on March 11, regarding the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments that would need to change to allow the Town to move forward with initiatives tied to the HAF. Four initiatives will be spoken about during the meeting.
Initiative 1 is expected to be the topic of the evening, as that would allow four residential units as-of-right in areas of the Town's urban neighbourhoods, requiring sufficient frontage with a minimum of 80 feet, and would need to be capable of providing the required off-street parking and driveways.
Initiative 2 will look to permit missing middle housing to build up to a maximum of six-storeys - up from four-storeys - in a sectioned area mainly north and south of Tecumseh Road between Lesperance Road and Banwell Road. Initiative 3 looks to rezone lands in the Manning/Tecumseh District to allow for residential intensification.
Lastly, Initiative 4 focuses on revising parking standards to 1.25 spaces per dwelling unit for all multi-unit dwellings.
Tecumseh deputy mayor, Joe Bachetti, says the four units as-of-right is a contentious topic.
"The proposed Initiative 1 is to look at residential lots that are 80 feet or larger, and if they fit the criteria. So, there's a lot of restrictions in terms of side yard, front yard, parking regulations, so it's not an automatic. So, it's important that residents come out to the meeting to ask questions and clarify exactly what is being proposed."
He encourages residents to attend and ask questions.
"We're doing our best in trying to get the word out through our social media, but it's important that residents do look at the website and if they can't make the meeting to look at it. It is live streamed, I know it's during March Break and many families and residents may be out of town, so it still gives them that opportunity to be able to observe the meeting."
Bachetti says no decisions will be made by council during the special meeting.
"That's the wish of council in terms of having that feedback, and then administration will provide a report to give us a flavour of what the residents are saying, and in terms of the decision that we can make based on a recommendation."
The public meeting will be held at Tecumseh Town Hall from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Those wanting to attend as a delegate must register. A live stream will also be available for those unable to attend in person.
In March 2024, the town was awarded $4.4-million from the federal government's fund to expedite the construction of 137 housing units over the next three years.
Tecumseh has committed to nine initiatives as part of the funding, which include reducing development fees, reviewing zoning by-laws, and fast-tracking permit applications for medium-density, duplex, and multi-family homes such as townhouses and multiplexes.