Town Amends Housing Policy to Help Housing Shortage

The Town has taken another important step to help increase the supply of housing in Saugeen Shores, while allowing neighbourhoods to retain their character.

The Town has amended its Official Plan and Zoning By-law to facilitate the construction of Additional Residential Units (ARUs).  These are self-contained residents with kitchen and bathroom facilities, on a property already containing a single-detached house, semi-detached house or townhouse.

The change includes permitting up to three (3) ARUs per property, inside or outside of the original dwelling.  The Town has also aligned building requirements for ARUs to be the same as their respective zones.

“These changes give us another tool to help solve our current housing ‘crunch’,” says Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau. “We will continue to look for ways to leverage our growth so we can make Saugeen Shores a place where everyone can find a place to live.”

The Town is also researching various planning tools to streamline the approval process for attainable homes, in order to increase housing supply and diversity.

For more information on the updated ARU policies, as well as best practices and How to Apply for an ARU, go to www.saugeenshores.ca/aru/.  

To find out more about the Town’s other actions on housing please visit www.saugeenshores.ca/AttainableHousing/.