Current Incentives for the Development of Affordable Housing

The City of Greater Sudbury is committed to promoting an appropriate range of housing types and densities, including affordable housing, to maintain and enhance a healthy and complete community.

The affordable housing strategy targets seniors and those who have low incomes in order to address gaps and support population health through affordable housing options.

The affordable housing strategy focuses on:

  • innovative affordable housing options
  • removal of barriers to the housing development process
  • development incentives
  • using surplus municipal property to increase affordable housing options

Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan

One of the key action items of the strategy was the development of an Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan. The Affordable Housing CIP was approved by Council on July 10, 2018 and provides incentive-based programs for the creation of affordable housing. The purpose of the AHCIP is to facilitate the development of more affordable housing units in locations where they will benefit from proximity to public and private facilities and services as well as maximize the use of existing infrastructure. More information on the ACHIP and other incentives can be found in the drop-down menu below.

Strategic Core Areas CIP

The City of Greater Sudbury has adopted a new Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for the downtowns and town centres of Sudbury, Capreol, Chelmsford, Copper Cliff, Flour Mill, Kathleen Street, Levack, and Lively called the Strategi Core Areas CIP.  Seven financial incentive programs are available under the CIP to help stimulate development and redevelopment.  The available programs are:

•    Tax Increment Equivalent Grants Programs
•    Façade Improvement Program
•    Planning and Building Fee Rebate Program
•    Residential Incentive Program (Per-door grant)
•    Commercial Vacancy Assistance Program
•    Business Improvement Area Tenant Attraction Program (Interest-Free Loan)
•    Feasibility Grant Program

Please visit the City’s Strategic Core Area CIP website for more information

Brownfield Incentives

The City’s Brownfield Strategy and CIP helps breathe new life into vacant commercial and industrial properties, such as old manufacturing sites and gas stations – otherwise known as brownfields.  The City has a number of programs to reduce the upfront costs associated with the redevelopment of both urban and rural brownfields.

Please visit the City’s Brownfield Strategy and CIP website for more information.

New Multi-Residential Property Tax Class

The new multi-residential property tax class lowers the tax ratio of new apartment units reducing a developer’s overall operating costs.  Land used for residential purposes that has seven or more self-contained units, vacant land principally zoned for multi-residential redevelopment is eligible to be classified under the new multi-residential tax class.  Eligibility is assessed at the time of redevelopment.

Additional Dwelling Units

A secondary dwelling unit is a self-contained unit consisting of a room or rooms in a single detached, semi-detached, row house dwelling, street townhouse or an associated accessory building.  The secondary dwelling unit may be contained in any part of the house, not just the basement.  It may also be contained within an addition to the existing dwelling.

Residents applying for the addition of secondary dwelling units to their dwellings are no longer required to apply for a re-zoning of their property.  However, secondary dwelling units must still comply with Building and Fire Codes, and Zoning and Property Standards By-laws.

Please visit the City’s Secondary Dwellings Units web page for more information.

Development Charge Exemptions and Reductions

Development charge exemptions are available within certain areas of the City and for developments subject to an Affordable Housing Agreement with the City of Greater Sudbury. Reductions are available for multi-unit development within defined Nodes or along Corridors, and for small residential dwellings under 1000 square feet.

For details, please visit the Development Charges webpage.