Canada/Sherbrooke adopts a framework to accelerate housing starts

The City of Sherbrooke is adopting an application framework to enable it to accelerate housing starts on its territory. As a result, certain housing projects could be fast-tracked. The framework resolution was adopted at the city council meeting on Tuesday evening.

Following the introduction of a moratorium on the development of 20% of Sherbrooke's urban perimeter last Feblast February, the city presented a number of mitigation measures, including the possible use of Section 93 of Bill 31.

This new power allows municipalities with a population of over 10,000 to more quickly authorize a housing project that deviates from existing local urban planning regulations. The law also makes it possible to impose additional conditions on the authorization of a project. The project must be authorized by the city before February 21, 2027.

According to Sherbrooke's mayor, Évelyne Beaudin, it should therefore be easier for developers to develop in sectors not covered by the moratorium, with a few exceptions.

Generally speaking, this should be seen as a simplification of the administrative process. As we all know, these urban planning procedures can be very long and complicated. So it's less cumbersome and quicker," she explains.

We had discussions with members of the Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec (APCHQ), and there were some concerns. So we've come up with a solution that says, yes, we need to take a break in certain sectors to correct overflow structures, but on the other hand, the processes will be less cumbersome," adds Mayor Beaudin.

In addition to the minimum conditions stipulated by law, the city maintains that projects must include at least 12 dwellings. For collective housing projects, there must be at least three units, with the exception of rooming houses. Application fees will be equivalent to those for the Projet particulier de construction, de modification ou d'occupation d'un immeuble (PPCMOI). Applications will be analyzed and submitted to the central planning advisory committee (CCU).

By setting the number of dwellings required at 12, the mayor hopes that developers will want to improve their projects.

There's no exact science to the number of units we've asked for. We relied on what the urban planning departments told us, and they told us that there was an incentive for developers to want to make certain modifications to benefit from this accelerated passage," she says.

According to the decision summary documents provided by the City, an application could take some 45 working days, from the first step, i.e. the CCU, to the application coming into force.

Room rentals: consultations to come

The City of Sherbrooke is inviting the public to public consultation meetings on regulatory changes concerning the rental of rooms in single-family dwellings.

The amendments could increase the maximum number of rooms that can be rented (from 2 to 4) and authorize the practice in dwellings such as semi-detached, two-family and three-family detached residences, throughout Sherbrooke.

It should be remembered that, in the context of the housing crisis, the higher education institutions had sent out a signal to increase the need for accommodation for the student community. The city is now seeking the public's opinion.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/