Build Up Gander: A Housing Expansion Initiative

Build Up Gander: A Housing Expansion Initiative

Gander is a growing community of 11,880 with a population increase of 23 per cent since 2001. In recent years, there has been a surge in the demand for housing. Housing is a crisis nationwide, with Gander facing its own particular challenges. Council is exploring ways to meet the increased demand, including changes to regulations that better facilitate development opportunities.

To address Gander's housing supply needs, we introduced "Build Up Gander" as a strategic initiative. Recognizing dynamic socio-economic changes, we are committed to preserving Gander's character while creating an inclusive community that encourages growth.

We acknowledge the delicate balance between housing solutions and preserving neighborhood traditions. 

In consultation with community members and private / public stakeholders, several ongoing strategies under the banner of “Build Up Gander” have been introduced to address the increased housing demand, while also promoting sustainable development and community well-being.

Housing Incentive Program

As part of Build Up Gander, the Town of Gander received $4.35 million through the Government of Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). Of this funding, $2.2 million was allocated to incentives that support the development of new housing in Gander.

The application period for these incentives is now closed.

Multi-Unit Housing Incentives

Units Grant Amount (Per Unit)
Private Housing Development Grants
Secondary Suite/Apartment $5000
2-3 Multi-Unit $5000
4-12 Multi-Unit $7500
Non-Profit Housing Development Grants
2-3 Multi-Unit $7500
4-12 Multi-Unit $10,000
Bonus Incentives
Affordability Top-Up $10,000
Accessibility Top-Up $5000
Energy Efficiency Top-Up $5000
Large Multi-Unit Developments
12+ Units Direct negotiation opportunities

Applicants receiving funding through an eligible federal or provincial affordable housing program may also qualify for an additional $10,000 per affordable unit through the Town’s affordability top-up.

These incentives were developed to help encourage the construction of new housing, increase the range of housing options available in Gander, and support affordable and accessible housing development.

Housing Accelerator Fund

The Town of Gander received $4.35 million through the Government of Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) to support initiatives that increase the supply and variety of housing in the community.

The Housing Accelerator Fund supports municipalities in removing barriers to housing development, speeding up approvals, encouraging new types of housing, and increasing overall housing supply.

Addressing Gander’s Housing Needs

Gander’s population grew by approximately 23% between 2001 and 2021, increasing demand for housing across the community.

Housing affordability has also become a growing concern. In Gander, 17.5% of households experience housing affordability challenges, while 32.8% of renters spend more than 30% of their household income on housing costs.

At the same time, rising construction costs, higher interest rates and limited housing supply have made it more challenging to build new homes and provide a range of housing options.

Through the Housing Accelerator Fund and the Town’s Build Up Gander initiative, the Town is taking steps to support new residential development, increase housing choice and make it easier to build homes in Gander.

Key initiatives of the plan include:
  1. Housing Needs Assessment Update: identify local growth trends and associated housing requirements, housing options currently available, affordability and other barriers in relation to resident needs. 
  2. Affordable Housing Incentive Package: assess, develop and launch a suite of targeted incentives that support housing development.
  3. Housing-Based Zoning & Regulatory Reforms: evaluate, define and amend regulatory tools to support housing affordability and permit a broader range of multi-residential options.
  4. Middle & High-Density Housing Tools: facilitate the development of ‘missing middle’ and higher density housing.
  5. Innovative Practices in Housing Delivery: promote innovative practices aimed at expediting the delivery of appropriate, affordable and resilient housing options.
  6.  Establishing a Municipal Land Bank: develop a municipal land inventory to acquire and utilize public lands.
  7.  Property Utilization Strategy: establish a formal strategy and implementation tools for maximizing the use of serviced lands and existing developments.
  8. Capacity, Partnership and Education Strategies: create capacity, partnership and education strategies that build additional stakeholder capacity, foster beneficial housing partnerships and broaden awareness of housing issues among the general public.
  9. Implementing 4-Unit As-of-Right City Wide: implement an “as-of-right” policy, permitting multiplexes of up to four units on residential lots, without requiring additional zoning or discretionary use approvals.
Anticipated Outcomes: The Town’s Action Plan sets ambitious targets, aiming to bring development activity back to historical levels by adopting a more responsive regulatory regime. Expected outcomes include the construction of at least two hundred units across the HAF 4-year funding period; including seventy “missing middle” housing units and sixty-eight “other form” multi-unit housing - 35 percent of which will be affordable units.

Municipal Plan Amendment No. 5, 2024 and Development Regulations Amendment No. 7, 2024

The Town Council of Gander has adopted the Gander Municipal Plan Amendment No. 5, 2024 and Development Regulations Amendment No. 7, 2024. It is Council’s intention to add Apartment Building and Apartments Over Permitted Uses to the Discretionary Use Classes of the Commercial Shopping Centre (CSC) zone. A change will also be initiated to the Commercial Shopping Centre policies of the Gander Municipal Plan in support of these additions.

Development Regulations Amendment No. 9, 2024

Amendment No. 9, 2024 will eliminate the existing maximum height restriction of 15.0 metres for apartment buildings in the following zones:

  • Residential Medium Density
  • Residential High Density-I
  • Residential High Density-2
  • Town Centre
  • Commercial General
  • Commercial Local

Furthermore, the maximum height restriction of 15.0 metres for non-residential buildings will also be removed in these zones:

  • Rural Residential
  • Town Centre
  • Commercial General
  • Commercial Shopping Centre
  • Commercial Highway
  • Commercial Local
  • Commercial Light Industrial
  • Industrial General
  • Public Institutional

The previous maximum height standard of 15.0 metres will be replaced with the following: “No maximum, subject to airport height limitations.”

Housing Needs Assessment

The Town of Gander is situated in proximity to Newfoundland and Labrador’s northeast coast and has grown to over 11,800 in population in recent years. Prominent industries situated in the Town include transportation, communications, education, public administration, defense, and an impending mining industry. The Town also plays an important regional role, acting as a service hub for the more than 80,000 people situated in 130 communities that lie within a 100km radius of the Town. In recent years there has been a surge in demand for housing, even as recovery continues from the negative impacts of the recent COVID pandemic. Regional economic opportunities have also emerged which could accelerate this recovery.

Current projections suggest that more than 700 new homes could be added over the next 10 year. Council is exploring ways to address this demand within the shifting housing landscape. Specifically, the Town is undertaking a Housing Needs Assessment Update to support these efforts. The original Assessment was conducted in 2015 and since that time, there have been considerable changes in demographic and employment trends. Like other communities across the country, Gander has also experienced considerable shifts in the housing market and in particular, housing affordability.

Re/fact Consulting has been retained by the Town to assist in completing the Update. Using data analysis, growth trends and research, the Update will identify key local housing issues. Insights gathered from stakeholders and the broader public as part of the consultation process will help to augment these findings. An examination of options and opportunities for addressing these challenges in an impactful way will also be undertaken as part of the process.

Some specific areas that the Update will explore include:

• Current and project growth trends as well as the housing requirement this will generate
• The range and type of housing options that are available in the community
• The affordability of housing in relation to local residents needs
• Barriers and impediments to meeting housing needs
• Policies, practices and tools to help overcome identified housing barriers

This work is intended to provide an updated baseline for local housing needs and issues as well as projected housing requirements over the next 10 years. Ultimately, the Update will be used as a foundation to support the efforts of the Town as it develops a comprehensive Housing Action Plan to address housing issues and guide future municipal decisions.

The consultation strategy is intended to provide a multi-faceted way to gather information and facilitate feedback from a range of housing stakeholders and the broader community that can be used to inform the Housing Needs Assessment Update. The purpose of this strategy is to identify emerging housing issues, gaps and priorities; develop opportunities to create more affordable housing; and determine where efforts should be focused to get the best outcomes.

The planned consultation strategy includes:

Community Town Hall Sessions: Two Town Hall sessions took place during both the Needs Stage (Dec. 12, 2023) and Policy Stage of consultations (April 23 & 24, 2024). A presentation with group discussion targeting community members, stakeholders and general public interested in housing issues, was facilitated by Re/fact Consulting.

Focus Group Sessions: Smaller group discussions with a cross-section of targeted community stakeholders that have specific perspectives on housing and development, using structured questions and facilitated by the consultant group.

Key Informant Interviews: Individual interviews using guideline questions that target individuals from key entities or organizations with specific insights on housing issues. Informant interviews would also help to facilitate key partnerships, secure resources that address priorities, and determine ways of overcoming barriers to development.

Community Housing Survey: Our on-line survey, which ran through December 2023, until mid-January 2024, was designed to gather information related to housing issues in the community. Community members, various stakeholders and general public interested in housing issues were encouraged to participate - with over 450 individuals and groups offering responses.

Webpage for Project Info: Launched on Nov. 27, 2023, the "Build Up Gander" Housing Needs Assessment Update page will provide ongoing general information about this project including post-project updates, Town Hall presentations, Town Hall sessions, event announcements, and public survey results / outcomes.

Project Mailbox: the buildupgander@gandercanada.com email was established to provide an ongoing mechanism for open ended feedback, subject to the perspectives shared by the public.

Needs Stage (Dec. 12, 2023)

Policy Stage (April 23 & 24, 2024)

Final Report

Build Up Gander Initiatives

Following a public briefing on March 30, 2023, Council unanimously adopted Development Regulations Amendment No. 5, 2023 at its Regular Meeting on August 30, 2023.

The amendment updated the Town of Gander Development Regulations 2019–2029 to allow cluster developments in certain zones within the Town’s Planning Area and municipal boundaries, subject to Council approval.

A cluster development includes two or more buildings located on a single property. These may include single detached homes, semi-detached homes, row houses, townhouses, duplexes, apartment buildings, residences or commercial uses.

Cluster development can provide greater flexibility in how land is used and can support more efficient site design, shared servicing and open space. It can also help reduce some construction and long-term maintenance costs.

By allowing multiple buildings on one lot, this amendment creates more opportunities for different types of housing and supports the Town’s goal of encouraging more diverse and attainable housing options for people of different ages, abilities and incomes.

Infill development involves building new housing on vacant or underused land within existing developed areas. It can help increase housing supply while making better use of existing roads, services and neighbourhood infrastructure.

As part of its housing work, the Town reviewed potential infill development opportunities on Bennett Drive, Johnson Crescent, Nungesser Avenue, Magee Road and Grandy Avenue.

Following technical review and community engagement, recommendations were developed for each site based on factors such as density, surrounding land uses, access to services and potential community impacts.

Recommendations

  • Bennett Drive and Johnson Crescent: Consider High Density 2 zoning with appropriate buffers between new development and surrounding properties.
  • Nungesser Avenue: Advance the proposed rezoning, subject to further technical considerations.
  • Magee Road: Develop a strategy for the property, which is currently zoned Commercial Local.
  • Grandy Avenue: Remove the property from the proposed rezoning process based on market considerations.

These recommendations are intended to support additional housing opportunities while ensuring future development is appropriate for each location and surrounding neighbourhood.

Proposed land to re-zone for Infill Developments

Housing Resources

Co-operative housing is a well-documented success story. For over 50 years, co-ops have provided good quality, affordable housing owned and managed by the community members who live there.

The Co-operative Housing Development Program will provide $1.5 billion in funding, in the form of forgivable and low-interest repayable loans, to support the development of thousands of affordable rental co-operative housing units in Canada.

New co-ops built through the Co-op Housing Development Program will result in inclusive, strong communities that meet the needs of today and anticipate the needs of tomorrow. Co-op units created under the program will be available for a minimum of 20 years at a lower rental rate compared to newly constructed purpose-built rental units. These projects will also foster a sense of security, dignity, agency and belonging to community.

Visit Co-op Housing Development Program to apply, or for more information, you can download the applicant guide and program highlight sheet. The current application intake window is July 15 to September 15, 2024.

CMHC Co-operative Housing Development Program Funding:

  • CMHC will fund up to 100% of eligible costs
  • Funding will be committed over 4 years starting in 2024-25
  • The program uses a combination of forgivable and repayable loans
  • Forgivable loans will be the lesser amount of:
    • One-third of the total contract amount, or
    • The amount needed for the project to be financially viable

Co-op Housing Development Program loan structure:

Funding is a combination of both repayable and forgivable loans. CMHC will fund up to 100% of the eligible soft and hard project costs (repayable and forgivable combined).

Repayable loans:

  • Up to two-thirds of project costs are available as repayable loans to fund projects
  • Repayable loans will be low-interest and can be amortized up to 50 years
  • Proponents have a 10-year term with the option to renew for a second 10-year term

Forgivable loans:

  • Up to one-third of project costs are available as forgivable loans when combined with repayable loans
  • Will be forgiven over 20 years and forgiveness is earned annually

Benefits:

Forgivable loans and low-interest repayable loans to build rental co-operative housing to support a new generation of non-profit co-operative housing

Property type:

  • New construction of residential development
  • Conversion of nonresidential to residential
  • Property type may include multi-unit, stacked townhouses, semi-detached buildings
  • Properties must be rental co-operative housing

Eligible applicants:

  • New and existing non-profit housing co-operatives:
    • As stand-alone co-operatives or in partnership with another non-profit (for example land trusts
    • Student housing co-operatives
    • Senior's housing co-operatives
    • Indigenous co-operatives, including those in partnership with Indigenous governments and organizations – both on and off reserve
  • Land Trusts

Minimum number of units:

  • Large urban centres (CMAs or populations over 100,000): 75 unit minimum
  • Small and Medium urban centres (CAs or populations of 10,000 to 99,999): 30 unit minimum
  • Rural and Remote, Northern, and Indigenous: 5 unit minimum

Affordability requirement:

Rents for 100% of the units must at or below 110% of the median market rent of post-2000 builds in the subject area, for a minimum of 20 years

Energy efficiency requirement:

Must achieve Step 2 of the 2020 NECB or Step 3 of the 2020 NBC

Accessibility requirement:

  • Minimum 20% of all units must meet or exceed accessibility standards with access to the project and its common areas being barrier-free, or
  • Full universal design throughout the entire project

Housing is a key component of community social and economic well-being. In addition to the need for affordable, supportive, and accessible housing, a lack of available housing has direct impacts on economic development and tourism.

Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) and Choices for Youth have released a new report on housing needs: Pull Together: Addressing Housing Insecurity in Newfoundland and Labrador and Executive Summary.

The information garnered through this work reveals a rapidly deteriorating situation with respect to the availability and affordability of housing. Measures are needed to rapidly stimulate the creation of large amounts of rental housing, ensure adequate income for the population, and increase the availability and diversity of related services in rural areas.

There is a strong desire from municipalities and service providers to work together with other government agencies and foster greater understanding and mutual action. There is likewise a strong imperative for economic and social well-being and a call from those experiencing the impacts of this crisis to address these issues with the urgency they deserve.

KEY FINDINGS:

  • Renter households are much more likely to live in unaffordable housing than their owner counterparts; about one-third of renter households in the communities studied live in unaffordable housing, though in some cases this is as much as 44%.
  • Point-in-time counts from shelters outside the Avalon region in NL show a nearly tenfold increase in usage between 2019 and 2023.
  • All case study communities (which included Gander) reported challenges with both the availability and affordability of housing; these challenges have increased in severity since the onset of the pandemic.
  • Lack of funds for both building and operating housing were cited as barriers to resolving these issues, as well as jurisdictional issues, informational resources, and delays relating to municipal and provincial approval processes.
  • The cost of development was frequently noted as a perceived contributor to insufficient housing supply and the high cost of housing.
  • A lack of housing options for seniors living in their family home is a major issue, especially as the median age in the communities generally studied tracks well above the provincial median age. Many seniors are living in homes in which maintenance and heating are cost-prohibitive and their needs for accessibility are not met. Fixed incomes mean that seniors who do not own their homes are unable to afford increasing rents.

The MNL report is calling on Municipal Governments to:

SHORT-TERM…

  • End single-family home zoning, making, at a minimum, subsidiary suites and townhomes a permitted use in all residential zones
  • Create zoning provisions for the creation of smaller, more dense housing developments for seniors, including lowering minimum lot and dwelling sizes. Where no such provisions exist, create zoning and definitions for apartment zones
  • Prioritize development approvals and waive development fees for affordable housing projects
  • Implement a tax on vacant rental properties
  • Apply the tourism accommodation tax to short-term rental properties
  • Consider offering in-kind contributions of servicing to affordable rental housing projects on surplus municipal land

MEDIUM-TERM…

  • Establish inventories of municipally owned land and underutilized buildings and a transparent process for their distribution for development of rental housing
  • Consider options for pre-emptive rezoning and advance development approvals for land and buildings identified in the inventory to expedite development once the land is awarded
  • Streamline municipal processes to expedite the approval of rental construction projects, especially multi-family housing
  • Create agreements with providers of purpose-built multi-family rental housing to offer rebates of municipal property taxes for an agreed-upon period during which affordability thresholds must be maintained (for example, a certain percentage of units at 80% of median market rent)

LONG-TERM…

  • With Provincial cooperation, introduce inclusionary zoning for multi-unit developments at 10% of units or minimum 1 unit for developments of 10 or fewer units or cash in lieu at the municipality’s discretion; in the case of cash in lieu, all revenues should be reinvested in affordable housing initiatives
  • Replace tax sales with repurposing properties for redevelopment into affordable housing projects where those properties are appropriate for such development; create an evaluation matrix to identify which properties would be suitable for this purpose
  • Create unified inventory and application process for developable surplus provincial and municipal land and buildings with clear and transparent criteria and application process for interested non-profits and developers through the creation of a community land trust

Contact Us

Town of Gander
100 Elizabeth Drive,
Gander, NL A1V 1G7 Canada
709-651-8696
service@gander.ca

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