Cambridge affirms pledge to build 19,000 homes by 2031

Councillors have confirmed Cambridge, Ont.''s pledge to build 19,000 new homes by 2031.

It's part of the province's More Homes Built Faster Act, also commonly called Bill 23, which aims to accelerate the construction of 1.5 million new homes across Ontario over the next 10 years. 

Council unanimously passed a motion Tuesday that outlines how the city plans to meet its target. Part of the motion also asked staff to submit its pledge to the province by March 22.

As part of the new legislation, the province has tasked 29 large and fast-growing municipalities — including Kitchener and Waterloo — with growth targets they need to achieve by 2031. 

Councillors in Kitchener and Waterloo are set to discuss their housing pledges later this month. Kitchener's housing target is 35,000 new homes by 2031, while Waterloo's is 16,000. 

Cambridge's plan

To meet its goal, Cambridge plans to focus on eight items within three main sections to meet its target, according to the motion approved by councillors.

Those three sections are:

• A development services review, which looks to streamline approvals and review city owned surplus sites for affordable housing, as well visualize a wide range of housing options.
• Advance work on two secondary plans to expedite development in the areas of Main Street and Dundas Street, as well as areas near transit stations, which includes those in the Hespeler Road Corridor.
• The city will also looked to update zoning bylaws to support this growth and allow for more mixed housing options and residential dwellings.

19,000 new homes 'within range'

During the meeting Tuesday night, Coun. Adam Cooper asked whether 19,000 new homes was something the city could feasibly achieve.

"That's approximately 2,400 per year. Is this a realistic goal? And what, if anything, happens if we don't meet it?" Cooper said.

The city's chief planner, Lisa Prime, said based on development approvals in recent years, 19,000 new homes in Cambridge by 2031 is "within range."

"The initiatives in the pledge are things that we have going on," she said.

"The list of eight items, those are activities that we have happening that will support the principle of getting there and that's our contribution through the pledge."

Prime also said future development projects can also be taken into account. She added that the province has not said what would happen if cities don't meet their targets.