Collingwood Housing Incentive Pilot Program

Eligible applicants include non-profit and for-profit developers and housing providers.

If multiple applications are recieved, the evaluation matrix will award more points to non-profit housing providers to increase their competitiveness. 

Applicants must have experience with residential rental housing development and operating rental housing or retain the services of an organization with this experience. Experience will be assessed based on the number of years in operation and/or number of projects executed. 

Stream 1

Eligible units include ARUs that meet the definition of ARU in the Town’s Zoning By-law. Units can be either ARUs within detached accessory structures or internal within a main structure.

Stream 2

Eligible units shall generally include Apartment Dwellings that are within a structure that meets the definition of Apartment in the Town’s Zoning By-law. The Town may consider projects that do not fall under the definition of the Apartment Unit built form. Additionally, units can be located within mixed-use and mixed-income buildings, however only the affordable units are eligible for Capital Grants under the CHIPP.

View the Collingwood Zoning By-law 2010-040 – Consolidated April 2026

Eligible units cannot exceed the following rental rates:

• Bachelor: $1,003
• 1-bedroom: $1,309
• 2-bedroom: $1,539
• 3+ bedrooms: $1,758

Affordable units must be maintained as affordable rental units for a minimum of 25 years. Successful applicants must commit to verifying tenant income for affordable units for the duration of the agreement, particularly through the initial rental application and upon unit turnover in accordance with the Municipal Housing Project Facility Agreement. 

To ensure affordable units are made available to moderate income households as targeted by the Town’s Affordable Housing Master Plan, the maximum household tenant income will be capped at $80,000. The Municipal Housing Project Facility Agreement may establish permitted rent increases during the term of the agreement, generally aligning with the Province of Ontario’s prescribed rent increase guidelines for buildings constructed before 2018.

Funds awarded through CHIPP may be staked with any other Town, County, Provincial or Federal grant or incentive program. Applicants are encouraged to explore other incentives and funding programs to supplement project feasibility. 

1. Projects must be geographically located in the Town of Collingwood.
2. Applicants must be seeking incentives for a minimum of 1 affordable ARU and a maximum of 3 affordable ARUs per lot for Stream 1 and a minimum of 1 affordable rental unit and a maximum of 5 affordable rental units per project for Stream 2. Based on program uptake, this maximum threshold may be adjusted at the sole discretion of the Town.
3. Projects must be new construction requiring a building permit (i.e. new building, an addition to an existing building, or conversion of a building or portion of a building) resulting in net new Affordable Housing Units. For clarity, existing market rental units that are converted to Affordable Housing Units simply by virtue of lowering the rent and/or undertaking minor renovations are not eligible for Capital Grants under CHIPP.
4. Projects must be located on land owned by the applicant (or an entity related to or affiliated with the applicant), or on land for which the applicant (or an entity related to or affiliated with the applicant) has secured a documented long-term lease.
5. Projects may include a mixed-income building with a mix of market and affordable rental housing and may include a mixed-use building. Projects may also include a mix of rental and ownership units, but only affordable rental units will be eligible for Capital Grants under CHIPP.
6. Projects must be shovel ready or demonstrate the ability to become shovel ready within a reasonable timeline as determined by the Town.

Lead applicants must be non-profit or similar entities with a dedicated mandate for affordable housing.

Applicants must demonstrate experience with affordable residential rental housing development and operating affordable rental housing. Experience will be assessed based on the number of years in operation, the number of projects executed, project successes and viability, and/or board and staff experience.

Partnerships between for-profit builders and non-profit operators, or between multiple non-profit organizations, may be considered. However, the leaseholder or landowner must be a registered non-profit or similar entity.

Eligible units cannot exceed the following rental rates:

• Bachelor: $1,003
• 1-bedroom: $1,309
• 2-bedroom: $1,539
• 3+ bedrooms: $1,758

Affordable units must be maintained as affordable rental units for a minimum of 25 years. Applicants that intend to maintain the affordable units for longer than 25 years will be awarded more points through the evaluation. Successful applicants must commit to verifying tenant income for affordable units for the duration of the agreement, particularly through the initial rental application and upon unit turnover in accordance with the Municipal Housing Project Facility Agreement. 

To ensure affordable units are made available to moderate income households as targeted by the Town’s Affordable Housing Master Plan, the maximum household tenant income will be capped at $80,000. 

The Municipal Housing Project Facility Agreement may establish permitted rent increases during the term of the agreement, generally aligning with the Province of Ontario’s prescribed rent increase guidelines for buildings constructed before 2018. A future project must contain a minimum of 51% of affordable units. Proposals with a higher number of affordable units will be awarded more points through evaluation.

Financial benefits from the CHIPP may be stacked with any other Town, County, Provincial or Federal grant or incentive program. Incentive Stream 3 may be stacked with Streams 1 and 2 in the CHIPP once a project becomes shovel-ready.

1. A future project may include a mixed-income building with a mix of market and affordable rental housing. However, a majority of the units (i.e., 51%) must meet the programs definition of Affordable. Projects that include a higher percentage mix of affordable units would be allocated more points in the evaluation.
2. The housing component of a future project must be rental housing only. A future project may include a mixed-use building, with a maximum of 25% of the total GFA dedicated to non-residential uses.  Additional points may be available through evaluation for non-residential uses that meet an identified community need or provide a community benefit.  Small-scale neighbourhood retail or service uses should also be considered in conjunction with the affordable housing units, recognizing a need for amenities in the south end of Town.
3. The design shall be compatible with and sensitive to the built form of the surrounding neighbourhoods, at minimum in accordance with the compatibility policies of the 2024 Official Plan as amended or superseded and should be a housing development of mid- or high-rise built form and density, with appropriate flexibility depending on the market conditions at the time of construction.
4. The design must meet minimum density requirements that achieve a minimum range of 50 - 100 units on the site or provide rationale if that minimum density range cannot be achieved, with greater points available through evaluation for a greater number of units and noting the maximum permitted density in the 2024 Official Plan is 3.5 FSI and 7.0 FSI for mid-rise and high-rise built forms respectively and subject to compatibility policies being met, which may be amended or superseded in the future.
5. The project must demonstrate the ability to become shovel ready within 3-5 years after access and servicing is confirmed as available to the site or within a reasonable timeline as determined by the Town, including confirmation of other available funding sources or partnerships necessary for project viability. 

The Town-owned lands are located at High Street and Poplar Sideroad. The information below can be used to prepare a proposal. 

• Site area: 0.7 hectares or 1.7 acres.
• Official Plan Designation: Future Neighbourhood
• 2010-040 Zoning By-law: Holding Six Residential Third Density Zone [(H6)R3] 
• Access will be established from the adjacent subdivision, known as Summitview Phase 3.

Please review the Evaluation Criteria before submitting an application. 

Stream 1 Evaluation Score Card

Stream 2 Evaluation Score Card

Stream 3 Evaluation Score Card