Province To Fund Hundreds Of Affordable Housing Units In Dartmouth
DARTMOUTH—Days after it took control of nine “special planning areas” in the Halifax Regional Municipality, the provincial government has approved a major affordable housing development.
March 28, the province announced an agreement with Clayton Developments to build 373 new, affordable housing units in the Southdale-Mount Hope area of Dartmouth.
The energy-efficient townhomes, fourplexes, and multi-unit buildings will be included as part of a larger development of close to 900 homes in the area.
Clayton Developments is already seeking a development agreement for a mixed-use community on the former Penhorn Mall lands on Portland Street.
John Lohr, the province’s Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, called the project “a great example of how we can work with our partners, both in the private and non-profit sectors, to address the housing crisis in Nova Scotia.”
The province says rent for the new, affordable units it is funding will range from 60-80 percent of the average market rent.
The exact cost of rent will be finalized “just before construction begins.” The most recent data on rent in Dartmouth is from a Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation survey done in October 2021.
Based on that data, rent would range from $605-$807 for a one-bedroom apartment, or $814-$1,086 for a three-bedroom apartment.
The province says construction of the new units is “expected” to begin in the fall and the first units will be available a year later. Rent prices will be noticeably higher by that time.
However, the units must remain affordable for 20 years.
The $22-million project represents a significant slice of the $35-million the provincial government has committed to create more than 1,100 new affordable housing units across Nova Scotia. Those 1,100 units also include 425 new rent supplements.
Province-Wide Grants For Community Housing
Meanwhile, the government also announced March 28 more than $916,000 in grants for community housing organizations located across the province.
The Community Housing Capacity Building Program is jointly funded through the Canada-Nova Scotia Bilateral Agreement under the National Housing Strategy.
The grants will fund governance and operations reviews, growth and development plans, create community land trusts, and other capacity-building needs.
Trevor Nichols is the associate editor of Huddle, based in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].