Leduc secures funding to bolster local housing market

LEDUC -- The City of Leduc is looking to strengthen its housing market.

The city is planning a bevy of new housing initiatives as part of $7,600,000 in new funding from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Housing Accelerator Fund. According to city staff, the new funds will go towards the implementation of various projects to boost housing supply for residents, and put Leduc in a better position to meet the needs of its growing population.

Leduc Mayor Bob Young says the plan is to vastly increase the amount of available housing across the city.

"Our goal is to create 1,330 new housing units by the end of the three-year program," said Mayor Young. "That means we'll be creating about 240 more housing units than normal."

With a new Land Use Bylaw expected to be completed within the next two years, the city will be launching several initiatives as part of their Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan. This will include the consideration of zoning changes to allow greater flexibility for homeowners, developers and builders, and new parking and transportation strategies. The city will also be adding tools to create a greater variety of housing choices while attempting to remove barriers that keep people from being able to live in Leduc. 

Leduc's Director of Planning and Economic Development Teaka Broughm spoke to the One FM about some of the other local initiatives being explored through the new funding from the CMHC.

"Once we encourage more housing supply and make the process easier, we'll focus on affordable housing and specific housing that are underrepresented in our community right now," said Broughm. "Most of which we learned from our housing assessment strategy."

The recent housing assessment for Leduc highlights the need for more studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom rental units, as well as duplexes, triplexes, and up to and including 3-storey multi-unit housings. With Leduc's population set to exceed 40,000 people in the next five years, Mayor Bob Young says the new housing initiative will go a long way to ensuring the city is prepared for its rapid growth.

"I think this is huge, one of the reasons people choose Leduc is our affordable housing," said Mayor Young. "We're growing at an incredible rate which has really increased the demand for affordable housing, and so we know the funding we're getting is really going to help us meet that demand."

The city's housing assessment also shows that by 2029, Leduc will likely see 35% more households -- compared to 2021 -- spending more than 30% of their income on shelter, while living in units with too few bedrooms for their household size.