Burlington looking for community feedback on housing affordability

The City of Burlington is asking for feedback as it updates its community improvement plan (CIP) to deal with housing affordability.

A statutory public meeting on the topic of housing affordability is set to be held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Housing affordability has been on the city’s agenda for some time now – after adopting its housing strategy in 2022.

The current CIP includes 10 financial incentive programs for landowners and developers to create a variety of affordable rental housing options in the city’s urban area. This includes things like grants, municipal fee waivers and assistance with development charges.

Burlington mayor Marianne Meed Ward spoke with CHCH News ahead of the meeting about the city’s housing plan.

“A community improvement plan allows us to offer grants, incentives, breaks on government fees, things of that nature. We can also target it to exactly the kind of units that we want to incentivize. So it could be three-bedroom apartments, it could be townhomes, missing middle, that kind of thing. But it’s all aimed at providing a level of market affordability to get more people able to buy a house or rent a house,” said Ward.

The mayor also emphasized the need for community voices and getting an understanding of what the citizens of Burlington feel is the city’s biggest need.

“We need to hear from people. You know, what do you think we need to build or incentivize? What are you looking for?” said Ward. “We want to hear from residents: what are the types of incentives, who should get them, what are the controls?”

In addition to the financial incentives, the city’s housing strategy also outlines the administrative recommendations as the city forges ahead with its efforts.

For example, the city recently underwent a significant overhaul of its zoning bylaw, with the changes aimed at increasing housing density and streamlining development approvals.

Those who live in Burlington can attend the meeting in-person at 9:30 a.m. or tune in virtually through the city’s website.

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