Chapter 11 Housing Page 11-1

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1 Housing Page (1) Municipal Standards for Condominium Developments That the following minimum Municipal Standards for condominium developments be established: Minimum Municipal Standards Parking - 1 space per unit for condominium rowhouse in the Central Business District spaces per unit for condominium rowhouse in the Central London Area spaces per unit for condominium rowhouse elsewhere in the City - 1 space per unit for condominium apartment units in the Central Business District. - 1 space per unit for condominium apartment units in the Central London Area spaces per unit for condominium apartment units elsewhere in the City Recreational Facilities - suitable recreational facilities including children's play area, such area to be fenced when adjacent to street with heavy traffic. Rental and Condominium - should be discouraged Building in Same Project particularly where shared facilities are proposed. Interior Storage cubic feet of usable storage space in addition to closets within each unit which does not have a basement. Quality of Asphalt Pavement on Internal Lack of Snow Storage Area - 10" granular B, 3"granular A, 2-2 ½ asphalt, Roads actual requirement developed with soils engineer and Department of Environmental Services - additional landscaped area between parking lot and street line and between parking lot and buildings. ADOPTED FEBRUARY 19, 1979; AMENDED FEBRUARY 17, 1986; CONFIRMED MARCH 7, 1988; AMENDED MARCH 18, 1991 [11(1) AUG 1999]

2 Housing Page (2) Demolition Control By-law and Rental Housing Protection Act That a policy be established whereby an application for and Council's approval of demolition of a rental residential property under the Rental Housing Protection Act, R.S.O Chapter R.24 be deemed also to be an application for and Council's approval of demolition under the City's demolition control by-law passed under the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter P.13; and that the policies and procedures in respect of the Rental Housing Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter R.24 be applied in the circumstances instead of those in respect of demolition control. ADOPTED OCTOBER 20, 1986 [11(2) AUG 1999] 11(3) Heritage Properties That a policy be established whereby the City will endeavour wherever possible to achieve the conservation of buildings of historic or architectural value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O.18 by an agreement with the owner under section 37, as complementary to the designating by-law or alternatively by an agreement between the owner and the Ontario Heritage Foundation; and that the following procedure be established in the preliminary stages of designating property under the Act prior to City Council directing the City Clerk to give Notice of Intention to designate under Section 29(1) of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O.18: (a) (b) (c) (d) the London Advisory Committee on Heritage shall report to the Planning Committee that its Stewardship Sub-Committee is about to undertake a study of the architectural or historic merits of a property with a view to possibly recommending its designation, and the Advisory Committee, after so reporting, will communicate its architectural or historic interest in the property to its owner; the London Advisory Committee on Heritage shall make a recommendation to City Council through Planning Committee that approval in principle be given to designating a property to be of historic or architectural value or interest; upon Council's adoption of the recommendation, the Administration shall contact the owner to either negotiate a suitable agreement or meet with Planning Committee, and it shall also undertake a title search, survey and preparation of description where appropriate; the Planning Committee on the advice of the Administration shall make a recommendation to City Council that: - Final approval be given to designating the property to be of historic or architectural value or interest, - An agreement be entered into with the owner incorporating the terms set forth in the recommendation,

3 Housing Page The City Clerk give notice of Intention to designate under Section 29(1) of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O.18; (e) (f) (g) (h) with respect to the properties which have already been recommended for designation, the London Advisory Committee on Heritage be requested to supplement its advice to Planning Committee with an adequate description of the amount of land surrounding the building which ought to be designated as an amenity to the building; in instances where reports of the London Advisory Committee on Heritage include recommendations to give notice of Council's intention to designate properties without the owners' consents, the City Clerk be instructed to advise the owners, either by telephone or in writing, of the Advisory Committee's recommendations and the date on which such recommendations will be submitted to the Planning Committee; and in instances where owners of properties do not respond to the London Advisory Committee on Heritage's initial letter asking for their consent and approval of the reasons to designate their properties, the City Clerk be authorized to send a second letter informing them that the Municipal Council could proceed with the designation without their consent, only when requested to do so by the Advisory Committee. as a final step in the process leading to the heritage designation of individual buildings, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, permission will be sought from the heritage designated property owner to apply the Heritage (HER) Zone. If such permission is granted, the City will initiate a zoning amendment application to add the HER Zone to the site. ADOPTED JUNE 21, 1976; AMENDED APRIL 15, 1991 [11(3) FEB 2004] 11(4) Affordable Housing Reserve Fund Implementation Policy That an Affordable Housing Reserve Fund Implementation Policy be established as set out in Appendix 11(4A), it being noted that the policy takes effect on January 1, ADOPTED DECEMBER 3, 2001

4 Housing Page (5) Housing Partnership Policy Purpose Under the Housing Partnership Policy, the City of London will provide a grant to those groups in the not-for-profit sector that do not qualify under existing government affordable housing funding programs, to support the creation of new affordable housing in the City of London. Eligibility Criteria Applications for funding under this policy will be evaluated for compliance with the following eligibility criteria: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) proponents must be housing related groups or agencies with not-for-profit or charitable status; requests must be presented through a business case to the City of London Housing Division; the maximum allocation is $24,000 per unit to be provided as a grant to offset the cost of municipal fees and charges; units must be located in the City of London; the allocation cannot be stacked onto any other municipal housing contribution; grants must be approved by Municipal Council; groups must acknowledge City of London contributions; the proponents must agree to meet the affordability targets specified by the City of London; and $100,000 maximum allocation per year. Source of Financing Funding for the delivery of the Housing Partnership Program will be drawn from the Affordable Housing Capital Reserve Fund." ADOPTED AUGUST 13, 2007

5 Housing Page (4A) Appendix to Affordable Housing Reserve Fund Implementation Policy 1. Purpose and Objectives The purpose of the Reserve Fund is to provide capital grants on a per unit basis to eligible not-for-profit organizations or partnerships of not-for-profit organizations and the private sector to assist in the development of: a) Affordable permanent housing targeted to low income individuals or families determined to be in deep core housing need; or b) Transitional housing that will facilitate the movement of individuals and families from situations of homelessness or risk of homelessness to longer-term, independent housing with the consent of the Community and Protective Services Committee and Municipal Council. The intent of the funding is to create an environment in which the private sector and community providers will be willing and able to develop affordable housing that does not involve direct City operating subsidies, for people with a range of housing needs that are not currently being met in the market. It is not intended that all monies be allocated to one form of housing. The City s goal is to provide affordable housing which meets the long term housing needs of those least able to find accommodation within the private sector. Until a review of funding allocation is undertaken at the end of 2002, fifty percent (50%) of available funds will be reserved for each of permanent and transitional housing. It is not intended that the Reserve Fund will serve as a sole source of funding support for affordable housing projects. Reserve fund contributions are intended to supplement funding or in-kind supports provided by senior levels of government, sponsor groups, service providers, businesses, community organizations and private donors. Provisions will be put in place to accommodate donations, from the private sector and individuals, to the Fund. The objectives of the Reserve Fund are to: Increase the supply of affordable housing in the City of London for those households most in need. Promote partnerships in support of affordable housing development.

6 Housing Page 11-6 Leverage the contribution of federal and provincial funds, not-for-profit and private sector financing for affordable housing development. Target municipal investment in affordable housing development to individuals and families in greatest need. Create replicable models for affordable rental projects. Develop projects which are self-sustaining and do not require a municipal contribution to operating costs beyond those available through social assistance programs. 2. Eligibility Criteria Affordable housing development proposals that will be considered for Reserve Fund contributions include the construction of new affordable housing, the acquisition and conversion of non-residential buildings to affordable housing, the acquisition and rehabilitation of substandard residential buildings and the expansion of existing affordable housing stock to provide adequate, affordable housing. Projects may include a mix of affordable rental units and units that exceed affordable rent levels. However, the consideration of funding will be limited only to those units that will satisfy the affordability criteria. The focus of the Reserve Fund contributions will be the creation of affordable rental units. Reserve Fund contributions will also be available to assist the development of transitional housing to meet the needs of individuals or families who are moving from a situation of homelessness or near homelessness. Transitional housing addresses needs that extend beyond affordability to include various social and health-related support services that facilitate the transition to longer-term, independent housing. Due to the limited funds, proponents seeking Reserve Fund contributions must focus on those households in the greatest need and must satisfy the following criteria: a) Proponents must be not-for-profit organizations acting independently or in partnership with private sector developers or other not-for-profit organizations (or proponents must have a commitment to a not-for-profit designation which must be in place prior to final commitment date). b) Proponents must have a mandate that relates to the provision of housing. c) Proponents must be able to demonstrate a capacity to implement the project within the timeline and budget proposed.

7 Housing Page 11-7 d) Proponents must demonstrate the ability to achieve the affordability criteria and agree to maintain rents for a period of not less than twenty-five years below the affordable rent limits specified in Section 6, as adjusted from year to year. e) Projects that involve the displacement of any existing tenants will not be considered unless the proponent includes a satisfactory relocation plan. f) Proponents must be able to demonstrate that the project to be created, including any proposed support services, will be sustainable. g) Projects must be located within the City of London. h) Proponents must identify a site or building that can be reasonably developed for its intended purpose. The City may contribute land, subject to Council approval. i) Proponents must prepare a tenant selection process that will form part of any agreements with the City and ensure that affordable rental units will be occupied by individuals or households whose household incomes are below the income limits specified in Section Evaluation Criteria Proposed projects will be evaluated for conformity to the purpose and objectives of the Reserve Fund and for compliance to the eligibility criteria listed in Section 2. In addition, through the evaluation process, preference will be given to projects that include the following characteristics: Proponent Qualifications: Experience and qualifications of the proponent to develop affordable housing/transitional housing. Experience and qualifications of the proponent to manage affordable housing/transitional housing. Financial Plan: Level of partnership commitment for funding from other government and philanthropic sources. Credibility of cost projections for the development and the ability to finance as required. Cost effectiveness and per-unit funding requirement for the proposed project. Management and Service Plan:

8 Housing Page 11-8 Tenant placement plan in relation to targeted households (those households in greatest need). Extent to which the proposed project s management plan, including staffing and operating cost projections, is developed. Extent to which the proposed project s service plan represents an adequate and financially viable response to the target client group. Commitment that service providers and funders are making to this project (sustainability of program). Development Plan: Ability to proceed quickly; extent to which a proposed project is ready to go from the perspective of site acquisition, land use approvals and the securing of any additional funding commitments. Extent to which the proposed development reflects good land-use planning and responds appropriately to the community context. Extent to which architectural design reflects the needs of the target client group. 4. Eligible Costs Contributions from the Reserve Fund are to the total project. There will be no phase funding (ie. land acquisition only). Grants from the Reserve Fund may be applied to the following project capital costs: Construction costs for the development of new affordable housing or the rehabilitation or conversion of existing buildings for affordable housing including acquisition of land and buildings. Costs associated with the cost of affordable housing development including architectural, legal, engineering and project management fees; development charges and building permit fees; park fees; connect fees; and interest charges. 5. Assistance Levels Contributions from the Affordable Housing Reserve Fund to selected projects may be approved in amounts of up to $15,000 per unit plus a grant upon completion of the project to off-set any municipal fees or charges incurred in the development approval process. 6. Affordability Criteria a) For transitional housing projects, it is expected that rents to be charged will not exceed the maximum shelter component provided under the Ontario Works Act or the Ontario Disability Support Program Act.

9 Housing Page 11-9 b) For affordable rental housing projects, the maximum rent levels for affordable rental units will be set annually at 70% or below of the CMHC average market rent for rental housing within the City of London. The CMHC core need income thresholds are adjusted to include utilities. Maximum affordable rents for 2002 will be set at: Unit Type CMHC at Oct/01 Affordable Rent Bachelor $433 $303 1 bedroom $547 $383 2 bedroom $683 $478 3 bedroom + $852 $596 c) For affordable rental housing projects, the maximum household income of the tenant households shall not exceed the following levels: Percentile Household Income Cut-off Rent at 30% 10 th $6,983 $ th $11,919 $ th $15,260 $ th $19,270 $ th $24,457 $ Project Selection Process The intent is to fund those projects that meet the eligibility criteria, with the greatest potential to provide affordable housing for delivery in the short term for the most needy households. a) A request for Proposals for contributions from the Affordable Housing Reserve Fund will be issued at approximately six-month intervals, provided funds are available. b) The Director of Housing and the Affordable Housing Development Officer will conduct an information meeting with prospective proponents and housing interest groups to clarify City requirements and facilitate networking and partnerships among proponents and groups. c) Proposals will be evaluated by a committee of City staff chaired by the Director of Housing and including: - the Affordable Housing Development Officer - the Commissioner of Planning and Development

10 Housing Page the City Treasurer or designate - the Commissioner of Community Services or designate - the Manager of Realty Services d) The Evaluation Committee will recommend selected proposals to City Council through the Community and Protective Services Committee, for approval subject to the adoption of a funding agreement with the proponent. e) The City will prepare the funding agreement and authorizing by-law for Council s approval.