In March of 2024, the Government of Canada awarded the Municipality of the County of Antigonish (“County”) and the Town of Antigonish (“Town”) a combined $3.2 million under the Housing Accelerator Fund to undertake a series of initiatives aimed at reducing barriers to housing development. UPLAND was hired to help both municipalities carry out initiatives specifically related to the regulatory frameworks for housing:
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- Zoning for high density housing in the Town
- Streamlining accessory dwelling units in the County
- Residential improvements by-laws in the County
UPLAND developed a series of preliminary recommendations and then worked closely with community members, developers, and each municipality’s Planning Advisory Committee to refine them. We then established formal text for amendments to municipal planning strategies and land use by-laws for six plan areas, as well as the County Subdivision By-law and Local Improvements By-law. The amendments were successfully adopted by their respective councils, and enabled, among other things:
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- Zone standards in the Town that allow for “missing middle” housing
- Streamlined approvals processes for housing in the Town
- New areas of higher density residential zoning in the Town
- Consistent permissions and definitions for accessory dwelling units across all areas of the County
- A wider range of tools to enable infrastructure development to support housing in the County
- Policy support for “inclusionary zoning” in the County
UPLAND’s diligent approach ensured both municipalities were able to meet deadlines under the federal funding program.
