The Town of Collingwood is again asking residents to consider adding an apartment to their home and offering cash for those who do.
A program started in the spring of last year has been rebranded and relaunched as the rapid additional residential unit initiative, formerly the rapid accessory unit deployment program.
The basic premise remains the same, but with more money up for grabs.
Collingwood residents can add an apartment to their basement, above a garage or in a separate building like a coach house, and if they rent it out as a long-term rental for at least five years, the town will give the homeowner $10,000 toward the cost of adding the apartment.
Mayor Yvonne Hamlin calls it a neighbours-helping-neighbours approach to addressing the affordable housing crisis.
“We’re calling on empty nesters, seniors, new homeowners – or anyone who is ‘over-housed’– to consider how that extra space might help folks in our community who are struggling to afford a roof over their head and could give you a much-appreciated bump in income in these times of rising costs," stated the mayor in a news release.
Building permits are issued on a case-by-case basis through an application program, but the town does have designs for accessory units available for residents to use, and the designs have been endorsed by the town's building department.
In this re-launch of the program, the town has increased the incentives from about $5,600 to $10,000 for property owners who add an apartment unit.
The interim chair of the town's affordable housing task force, Jack Vanderkooy, said the idea is for the incentive funding to help with some of the upfront costs and fees that come with adding an apartment.
“By agreeing to rent it out year-round, homeowners will help give our working community or other modest income households struggling to find housing a place to call home,” he said in the town's news release.
Based on the latest changes to the town's zoning rules approved by council, every residential and rural property in town is allowed to have up to four dwelling units (the main dwelling and up to three accessory units). The limitation is that all buildings on the property must conform to setbacks and lot coverage restrictions, which means some properties will not be large enough to have four units on them.
For more information on the town's accessory residential unit programs, visit the town website here, or email [email protected].
