Affordable Housing

The housing continuum represents the range of housing options available for households with different incomes and needs. The Town's current focus includes affordable rental housing, affordable home ownership, and market rental housing. 

The Town of Collingwood established the Affordable Housing Task Force in 2021 to help Council identify solutions to the local housing crisis. 

The Affordable Housing Task Force is an advisory committee of engaged citizens that provides advice, guidance, and support to advance the Council-endorsed Affordable Housing Master Plan. The Task Force serves as a forum for community conversation, relationship building, advocacy, and collaboration to promote affordable housing goals.

The Task Force provides recommendations to Council, offers guidance to Town staff, and supports education, advocacy, and community engagement initiatives related to affordable housing in Collingwood.

The Task Force hosts regular Community Conversations, bringing neighbours together to talk about housing solutions. Subscribe to the Affordable Housing E-Newsletter to learn more about future events!

The Affordable Housing Master Plan (AHMP) was prepared by N. Barry Lyon Consultants Ltd., in October 2023 and subsequently approved by Town Council in November 2023. 

The AHMP includes 26 initiatives informed through a data-driven and strategic process. The plan serves as a road map for prioritized and costed policy, process and regulatory changes, and financial approaches intended to create the greatest impact in increasing affordable housing options in the community.

The AHMP also identifies coordination and advocacy initiatives to support a comprehensive approach to housing affordability in Collingwood. Staff continue to develop and implement a workplan to guide these initiatives through 2024 and beyond. 

The County of Simcoe recently broke ground on a project bringing 30 affordable rental housing units to the Town of Collingwood. The land was donated to the County by the Town to make this project possible. Read more about it on the County of Simcoe's Website.

The Town recently launched the Collingwood Housing Incentive Pilot Program, which will allow the Town to offer financial support to for-profit and non-profit developers and housing providers.

Visit the CHIPP Webpage to learn more!

Collingwood should be a place for everyone. That means a town where there are enough housing options so people who live, work, grow up and age here can live in a home they can afford.  

Visit the What's Possible Engage Page to learn more and talk about What’s Possible when there are housing choices for everyone.

The Town awarded $25,000 to Collingwood Housing Initiative, the recipients of the 2024 Seed Funding Initiative. The funding is intended to help support new or existing organizations working to increase the availability of affordable housing units in Collingwood.

The recipients have partnered with the Collingwood Non-Profit Housing Corporation (CNPH) to explore opportunities for an affordable housing project in Collingwood. 

To learn more about the initiative, please contact Housing Development Coordinator, Claire de Souza at cdesouza@collingwood.ca or 705-445-1030 ext. 3242.

The Town Council approved a Housing Focused Zoning By-law Amendment to fast-track key recommendations from the Affordable Housing Master Plan (AHMP) to support an increase in housing supply in Collingwood. 

The Zoning By-law Amendment updated the rules for Additional Residential Units (ARUs) to permit up to four dwelling units on serviced residential and rural properties town-wide. It also revised parking requirements for ARUs and apartment buildings to help make these types of housing easier to build. 

More details can be found on our Affordable Housing Engage Page.

The Town created a Rapid Additional Residential Unit Initiative to support homeowners who can contribute to the increasing supply of year-round rental housing. 

The program provides grant incentives and pre-approved designs to simplify the building process and make it easier for homeowners to participate in this solution to the housing crisis. To date, this program has supported the creation of 80 additional rental units in the community.

The AHMP recommends the development of a Rental Replacement By-law to preserve and protect purpose-built rental buildings from demolition or conversion into condominiums.

The AHMP encourages the Town to seek creative housing solutions. The Town plans to launch a Remnant Parcels project designed to reimagine how underutilized land in Collingwood can be used for housing.