By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
The Town of Brome Lake (TOBL) released its new housing policy late last week. Town officials hope the document will help citizens and private developers interested in building in Brome Lake better understand the town’s housing strategy.
“This initiative is a first step in the development of the future urban planning and is in line with the Town’s desire to support two types of clienteles in particular – seniors and young families – by offering solutions adapted to their needs,” TOBL director of communications and citizen relations Ghyslain Fortier said in a statement.
The post-pandemic housing crunch, an influx of new residents and inflation have made affordable housing hard to come by in Brome Lake and in the wider region. “The municipality also faces a rapidly aging population, highlighting the importance of attracting younger households for the balance of the community. However, this capacity of attraction is significantly hindered by housing,” the policy document states.
According to the policy document, the town intends to build 300 new homes by 2035, as a first step toward “a future where everyone will find a home that meets their needs.”
Coun. Lee Patterson leads the town’s urban planning committee. He explained that the policy was developed as part of the periodic, provincially mandated revision of the town’s urban plan, after discussions with an urban planning consultant, several meetings with citizens and a survey of residents that drew more than 1000 responses.
“Because we have so many issues regarding housing, access to property and construction, the council thought it would be important [to make a strategic plan specific to housing],” he said.
Currently, 82 per cent of TOBL residents are homeowners, making rental housing particularly hard to come by; the 2022 rental vacancy rate stood at 0.0 per cent. First-time homebuyers face skyrocketing house prices – a household had to earn an annual income of over $145,000 to afford a home in the area in 2022 – leading many to rent longer. The town’s housing strategy will focus on rental housing aimed at young families and seniors, particularly former homeowners who want to “downsize” into an apartment. Patterson said the next steps in the strategy involve identifying sections of land which would be well suited for certain types of housing, talking to landowners and planning out a “soft densification” strategy, aiming to add 30-40 units per year over the next decade to “preserve the town’s charm while addressing the housing crunch.” He said the town planned to take steps to make it easier for homeowners to build additional dwellings on their land. “Now that the Quebec government has authorized that [as part of the housing reform passed earlier this year known as Bill 31], we’re working on facilitating it and adapting our bylaws.” The town also plans to encourage the development of housing co-ops.
Patterson said private promoters have already shown an interest in working within the new housing strategy. “We’ve had some promoters ask us, ‘What kind of project would be ideal for us to build?’”
Patterson encouraged people with questions or concerns about the housing strategy or specific development projects to attend public meetings of the urban planning committee. “The meetings are not something that people attend normally, because they are usually dry, but they do provide an opportunity for people to see how decisions are made.”
The housing policy can be consulted in English or French on the town website.