Housing Accelerator Fund

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The Government of Canada and the Town of Wolfville have reached an agreement to fast track housing permits over the next three years.

The agreement under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) will provide more than $1.8 million to eliminate barriers to building the housing we need, faster.

The three key action areas below are being worked on concurrently, and will enable a variety of housing forms and densities to meet the diverse needs of the community.


1. Municipal Planning Document Review

Several projects fall under this action area:

  1. A Parking Study is underway that may offer recommendations to amend the Town's parking requirements in an effort to reduce the cost burden of minimum parking standards as required in the current Land Use Bylaw.
  2. A Secondary Planning Process for the rail corridor lands will enable more development potential on lands within the downtown, while preserving the Harvest Moon trail system.
  3. Various amendments to the Land Use Bylaw and zoning map / regulations will reduce barriers to the development of needed housing by permitting more housing types as-of-right or by site plan approval. This includes replacing the Low Density Residential (R-1) Restricted zone with a zone that permits more housing types as-of-right.
  4. Expediting housing applications and waiving development fees will also support housing development.


2. South-East Campus Secondary Planning Process with Acadia University

  1. A Secondary Planning Strategy will involve the Town and Acadia University identifying and enabling opportunities for residential development on the south-east campus, the lands near Crowell Tower.


3. Non-Market Housing Strategy

  1. Non-market housing is typically run by non-profit organizations or provincial governments and rents are often below market rate, providing a valuable, long-term option for low and moderate income households. A Non-Market Housing Strategy will be created to support the retention of existing units and encourage the development of more non-market dwelling units.
  2. Key aspects of this work will include a Land Bank of Town owned land to be considered for non-market housing use, and a Non-Market Grant program to provide financial support to non-market housing providers.
  3. This work is being supported by the Non-Market Housing Working Group.



These actions all lead to the creation of more housing, as shown below:




How is the fund being used?

The $1.8million Housing Accelerator Fund will be received in 4 advances over 4 years. Each year the Town will receive $456,900, with each future installment dependent on the progress and/or completion of the actions identified above as well as the number of development permits issued. To date, the Town has received one advance.

Some of the fund is required to execute the actions identified above. These expenses include staff wages for additional staff capacity, professional development and training, consulting services for the parking study, planning documents review, Acadia Secondary Planning process, and community engagement.

Most of these expenses will occur in the first year of the funding program, and are estimated to cost $325,000.

Any left-over funds will be allocated to the Non-Market Housing Grant Reserve. By the end of the first year, it is estimated that $131,900 will be available for the grant reserve.

With fewer expenses in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, it is estimated that the grant reserve would exceed $500,000. The grant funds are not currently available. The Town will provide an update when the grant funds are available, though it is anticipated they will not be available until further HAF advances have been received, and the funds in the grant reserve are greater.

The Government of Canada and the Town of Wolfville have reached an agreement to fast track housing permits over the next three years.

The agreement under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) will provide more than $1.8 million to eliminate barriers to building the housing we need, faster.

The three key action areas below are being worked on concurrently, and will enable a variety of housing forms and densities to meet the diverse needs of the community.


1. Municipal Planning Document Review

Several projects fall under this action area:

  1. A Parking Study is underway that may offer recommendations to amend the Town's parking requirements in an effort to reduce the cost burden of minimum parking standards as required in the current Land Use Bylaw.
  2. A Secondary Planning Process for the rail corridor lands will enable more development potential on lands within the downtown, while preserving the Harvest Moon trail system.
  3. Various amendments to the Land Use Bylaw and zoning map / regulations will reduce barriers to the development of needed housing by permitting more housing types as-of-right or by site plan approval. This includes replacing the Low Density Residential (R-1) Restricted zone with a zone that permits more housing types as-of-right.
  4. Expediting housing applications and waiving development fees will also support housing development.


2. South-East Campus Secondary Planning Process with Acadia University

  1. A Secondary Planning Strategy will involve the Town and Acadia University identifying and enabling opportunities for residential development on the south-east campus, the lands near Crowell Tower.


3. Non-Market Housing Strategy

  1. Non-market housing is typically run by non-profit organizations or provincial governments and rents are often below market rate, providing a valuable, long-term option for low and moderate income households. A Non-Market Housing Strategy will be created to support the retention of existing units and encourage the development of more non-market dwelling units.
  2. Key aspects of this work will include a Land Bank of Town owned land to be considered for non-market housing use, and a Non-Market Grant program to provide financial support to non-market housing providers.
  3. This work is being supported by the Non-Market Housing Working Group.



These actions all lead to the creation of more housing, as shown below:




How is the fund being used?

The $1.8million Housing Accelerator Fund will be received in 4 advances over 4 years. Each year the Town will receive $456,900, with each future installment dependent on the progress and/or completion of the actions identified above as well as the number of development permits issued. To date, the Town has received one advance.

Some of the fund is required to execute the actions identified above. These expenses include staff wages for additional staff capacity, professional development and training, consulting services for the parking study, planning documents review, Acadia Secondary Planning process, and community engagement.

Most of these expenses will occur in the first year of the funding program, and are estimated to cost $325,000.

Any left-over funds will be allocated to the Non-Market Housing Grant Reserve. By the end of the first year, it is estimated that $131,900 will be available for the grant reserve.

With fewer expenses in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, it is estimated that the grant reserve would exceed $500,000. The grant funds are not currently available. The Town will provide an update when the grant funds are available, though it is anticipated they will not be available until further HAF advances have been received, and the funds in the grant reserve are greater.

Page last updated: 09 Oct 2024, 09:56 AM