By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
More than 100 people attended the town of Bromont’s first Housing Forum (Forum sur l’habitation), held Sept. 20 at the Centre communautaire de Bromont.
In the morning, town officials met with property developers and community organizations working to improve access to housing. In the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to take part in six workshops designed to collect their opinions and impressions about the housing situation in Bromont. The first workshop was focused on the town’s housing report, released in August, which indicated that access to property, access to affordable rental housing and population growth would continue to be major concerns in the coming years. The second, third and fourth workshops dealt with types of housing, regulations around add-on housing units and best practices for integrating new residential building projects into the urban landscape. The fifth session covered affordable housing, and the sixth gave participants the chance to “make a wish” for the future of housing in the municipality.
Access to affordable housing is a major challenge in the municipality, for homeowners and aspiring homeowners as well as renters. The housing report found that a two-person household would have to earn just over $130,000 – $30,000 more than the current median household income – to afford to buy a home, and that the rising cost of home ownership meant people who would otherwise decide to buy a home are renting longer, increasing demand for rental units and pushing rents upward. One in five renters and one in 10 homeowners spend 30 per cent or more of their income to stay in their homes. The majority of people who work in Bromont don’t live there, and the report suggests housing costs are a factor.
Mayor Tatiana Contreras told the BCN the forum was the first of a series of planned consultations about the housing policy and the long-planned revision of the town’s urban plan. The town also recently created a $300,000 affordable housing fund, to incentivize developers to propose affordable housing projects.
“I found it extraordinary that so many people wanted to participate on a beautiful Saturday afternoon,” she added. “People talked about what they were most worried about – densification and preserving the landscape. I really want to thank them for their enthusiasm.”
Those who didn’t attend the in-person event but still want to express their concerns can fill out an online questionnaire on the town website until Oct. 4. The form is available in French only, but answers written in English will be taken into account. After the Oct. 4 deadline, town staff will compile the data and “use it to help us put together a housing policy to make sure projects respond to the needs of the population,” Contreras said.
Contreras said the consultation was “the first step in an ongoing process” of determining the future of residential development in Bromont. “There will be a new council [after the Nov. 2 election] but council will continue to work on this.” She expects the housing policy to be released in January, before the new urban plan.
“This forum marks a significant step in our public participation approach, essential for fueling reflection on the revision of the urban planning scheme and the development of our future housing policy,” communications director Amélie Casaubon said in a statement. “Other discussions with stakeholders will be organized so that we can hear all points of view, in accordance with our public participation policy.”