St. John's CRA site earmarked for affordable housing, but advocates have questions - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 05:47 AM | Calgary | 0.6°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
NL

St. John's CRA site earmarked for affordable housing, but advocates have questions

The site of the Canada Revenue Agency office in St. Johns has been added to the Canada Public Lands Bank to build affordable houses, but housing advocates have questions about how it will be rolled out.

290 Empire Ave. has been added to Canada Public Lands Bank

A person with short hair dyed light pink pushed to the side. They are wearing a grey jacket buttoned up with a black t-shirt underneath.
Hope Jamieson, a housing researcher and consultant, says access to land has been a barrier to community organizations when it comes to building affordable housing. (Mark Quinn/CBC)

A swathof land in the heart of St. John'swhere taxes are now calculatedcould be turned into affordable housing, butadvocates have questions about how it's going to be rolled out.

290 Empire Ave., where Canada Revenue Agency has an office, has been added to the Canada Public Lands Bank in an effort to build more than fourmillion additional homes across the country in the coming years.

"Wherever possible, the government will turn these properties into housing through a long-term lease, not a one-time sale, to support affordable housing and ensure public land stays public," said a Services and Procurement Canada statement on Oct. 8.

According to Minister Jean-Yves Duclos's office, 100 housing units could be built on the land.

While housing advocatesare applauding Ottawa for making thelandavailablefor developments,they'realso looking for more details on those plans.

Hope Jamieson, a housing researcher and consultant, said the land being "unlocked" is good news, but they'reworried that any future developments won't happen soon enough.

"It is often years in the making from announcement to the actual sort of opening of a housing project," they told CBC News.

"And at the particular juncture that we are in right now, we don't have the luxury of time. So these need to be really urgent responses and the procedures don't always follow that."

An office building in the distance.
Canada Revenue Agency has an office at 290 Empire Ave., but it will soon be relocating to Kelsey Drive. (Mark Quinn/CBC)

According to the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Canadian Home Builders' Association, an estimated60,000 homes need to be builtacross the provincein the next six years.

WATCH | There's potential for 100 affordable housing units but it needs "urgent response," says Hope Jamieson:

Land is a hard nut to crack for affordable housing, but 100 units could be built at CRA site

6 days ago
Duration 1:15
Hope Jamieson, a housing researcher, says getting 290 Empire Ave. where Canada Revenue Agency has an office added to the Canada Public Lands Bank for potential housing is great, but only if it turns into action.

While currently occupied by the CRA, the Empire Avenue location will be vacated when the office is relocated to Kelsey Drive.

Jamieson wants to know how the housing units will be kept affordable, especiallyifthe land is given to developers.

"I think one of the important metrics there is the requirements for affordability and the duration of affordability that we attach to those things," they said.

Jamieson said they'd like to see a co-ordinated effort that brings together different levels of government to grant the land to a community organization that deals with affordable housing, as well ascapital and operating funding for building these new homes.

"And then to ensure long-term affordability by keeping that in the community, making sure that there are wrap-around supports associated with it to assure success for tenants," said Jamieson.

An opportunity

Doug Pawson, executive director of End Homelessness St. John's, said adding the Empire Avenue lot to the land bank is a good first step to addressing the need for affordable housing.

"Unlocking land for housing and especially affordable housing is critically important, especially in established cities where land is not always easily available," he said.

Man in grey jacket undone, wearing an orange sweater underneath. He's standing on the corner of a street.
Doug Pawson, executive director of End Homelessness St. John's, says unlocking land for affordable housing is a positive first step. (Mark Quinn/CBC)

However,Pawson has questions about how the government is going to ensure these homes go for those in need and keep them affordable.

"The real question for everybody is what are the details around affordability and how that will be ensured as part of the process."

To build affordable housing, Pawson said there has to be added incentives and subsidies to get it down. That can mean making parcels of land available to developers at a discounted rate or for free in order to keep the development costs lower, which inturncan help ensure affordable housing.

"This is a great opportunity for us to work together," he said.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.

With files from Mark Quinn