This N.S. town is growing faster than others and expects to be short 800 new units in coming years
Loss of a handful of affordable units has raised concerns in Wolfville amid shortage
When Calvin Phillips moved to Wolfville, N.S., after decades in South Korea, he was grateful to find an apartment above a commercial space along the town's vibrant Main Street.
He didn't have a car, so being able to walk everywhere while paying just $650 a month was perfect — even though his unit was in "dire need of renovation."
But he learned last year that his landlord was planning to renovate the seven one-bedroom units in his building and he'd have to leave. After searching for new accommodations for months, he was forced to move in with his sister and her family until his hunt eventually yielded results.
"I couldn't find a place, right, because I just discovered there's a housing shortage," Phillips said.
"And certainly not $650 a month, right? No, no, I was looking more at $1,500 and up."
The loss of even a few affordable units has raised concerns in a town that's facing a housing and affordability crisis.
A municipal housing needs assessment for Wolfville, commissioned by the province and conducted by Turner Drake & Partners, found at the end of 2022 there was a gap between demand and supply of about 165 units, including both market-priced housing and subsidized units.
Over the previous five years, Wolfville's population grew by a whopping 21 per cent to 5,195 people, the report said, significantly faster than the five per cent provincial average.
While some of this increase may be due to people moving to the area, given there was a "noticeably strong growth among 15- through 44-year-olds," the report said it may be related to how Acadia University students reported their permanent residence during the census.
Acadia does have on-campus residences, but the report said about 2,800 students each year — half of Wolfville's reported population — look for off-campus housing.
Regardless, the Annapolis Valley town is expected to keep growing, the report said, and will need a total of 830 units in the next three years as a result.
'Every affordable unit is important'
Residents also find the cost of living too high, the report said.
At least 84 per cent of couples and 99 per cent of single-person households earned below the estimated income required to afford the 2022 median sale price of a local home.
For rentals, 75 per cent of single residents earned below the estimated income required to afford the average rent in 2021, while 41 per cent of single parents and 19 per cent of couples earned below that threshold.
Looking at non-market housing, the report said as of January, Wolfville had a public housing inventory of 56 units, of which just two were for families and the rest for seniors.
"There's such a need for affordable housing. It's so sad," said David Daniels, a lawyer with experience in tenancy law who lives in the town.
Daniels said given the crisis, "every affordable unit is important."
That's why he was disappointed to learn the seven affordable apartments at 360 Main St., where Phillips lived, were being renovated with the intent that Devour! The Food Film Fest will eventually take them over and charge rents in keeping with current rates on the market.
Nova Scotia developer John Lindsay and his wife Anne Campbell have owned the Main Street property since March 2021.
Michael Howell, executive director of Devour, said their non-profit is leasing and renovating the attached one-story section of the building from the couple. It was once home to Pete's Frootique and Cuts Meats Market, and has become a new culinary studio.
Devour plans to eventually buy the entire property containing the studio, attached mixed-use apartment building and Tim Hortons.
Two of the apartments have been expanded into the neighbouring units, so there will be now five units in total: three one-bedrooms and two two-bedrooms. Howell is also living in one of the units, so only four will be available for rent in the near future.
CBC News contacted Lindsay about what the rents will be on the renovated apartments but did not hear back by deadline.
Aiming for 120 units in 3 years
Town officials are now looking at ways to accelerate housing construction. Typically, Wolfville only adds about 25 units to its stock each year, the report said.
Mayor Wendy Donovan said given the scale of the problem, they need help from other levels of government.
"It is a really important thing for the town," said Donovan.
In September, Wolfville town council applied to the federal housing accelerator fund. A staff report said they would be looking for about $1.5 million to fund consultants, a grant program for affordable units, and a new staff position to help create 120 units over three years.
If funding comes through, Donovan said her priority would be working with Acadia to create more student housing on campus, which would have the added benefit of freeing up current homes in town.
Another important goal is finding more housing for L'Arche Homefires, Donovan said, which supports adults with developmental disabilities. She added that L'Arche, the Wolfville Area Inter-Church Council and other groups are working together to calculate the local need for affordable housing.
"If somebody gave me a bag of money and said use this on [the Main Street units] — there's so many places we could do that," Donovan said.
"This is not a low-hanging fruit for me. And would it give us one or two [units]? I'd rather create 60. So that's where I'm going to focus my energy."
Donovan said while she's hopeful that federal funding comes through, the town is considering what else it can do on its own, including increasing density limits in residential areas, increasing building heights and waiving fees for affordable projects.
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