In the hope of accelerating the construction of affordable housing, the City of Montreal has brought together a committee made up of promoters and representatives of organizations working in the housing field to explore new strategies. This group will have to propose innovative concepts to be put in place to help the City reach its goal of building 60,000 affordable housing units within ten years.
The committee includes promoters, including Roger Plamondon, president of Groupe immobilier Broccolini, Christian Yaccarini, president of Société de développement Angus, as well as representatives of social economy enterprises or organizations such as Édith Cyr, general manager of Bâtir son quartier, and Nancy Shoiry, Executive Director of the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM).
A tactical team
Mayor Valérie Plante has given this “tactical team” the mandate to examine four specific projects likely to give new impetus to the construction of affordable housing.
In the coming months, the members of the committee will have to look into the city’s land and real estate strategy, examine the taxation and financing of projects, propose new regulatory arrangements to facilitate the realization of projects and analyze the role of the SHDM. The City wishes to test new formulas within the framework of pilot projects.
“To protect the affordability of the metropolis and the roof of future generations, we must act now and forcefully before it’s too late,” believes Mayor Plante.
Montreal has several tools to stimulate the construction of affordable housing, such as the Regulation for a mixed metropolis (also known as the 20-20-20 regulation) which obliges developers to provide social, affordable and family housing in their real estate projects. . It also holds a right of first refusal which allows it to acquire land for housing projects.
But the City believes that it must step up the pace given the housing crisis in which the metropolis is plunged.
It also wants to maintain housing affordability for at least 40 years.
The head of housing on the executive committee, Benoit Dorais, mentioned the possibility of resorting to land trusts and opting for regulatory relaxations likely to facilitate the realization of projects.
What is affordable housing?
Asked about the definition of the term “affordable housing”, Mayor Plante remained evasive and did not want to mention a specific amount. “What we’re doing right now should have been done ten years ago,” she said.
Remember, however, that the Regulation for a mixed metropolis stipulates that affordable housing must be offered at a price 10% lower than the market price.
For the opposition at City Hall, time is running out. The City does not have the leisure to procrastinate given the housing crisis that is hitting the metropolis, advances the leader of Ensemble Montreal, Aref Salem.
“It is disappointing to see that the administration of Projet Montréal is still at the discussion stage rather than offering Montrealers a roof over their heads,” he said. “After five years in power, we would have expected concrete actions rather than simply creating committees. The mayor can’t even define what affordable housing is when she promises thousands. On that account, everything can be calculated as affordable housing to fulfill its promise. »