Why Attainable Housing Keeps Failing — and What Could Actually Fix It

The housing crisis is not caused by lack of ideas, builders, or capital. It is caused by process, fear, and fragmentation.

A recent meeting on workforce and attainable housing revealed a blunt reality: the current planning, regulatory, and political environment is actively blocking delivery of the housing our communities desperately need.

The Scale of the Problem

• Local rents have drifted far beyond what service workers, care workers, and young families can afford
• Units under $1,500 are increasingly rare; $900–$1,200 units are virtually nonexistent
• Workers critical to the local economy—healthcare, childcare, hospitality, retail—are commuting long distances or leaving entirely
• Emergency and social services report households spending 60–75% of income on rent, living in unsafe conditions, or cycling through temporary housing

Workforce Housing Is Not One Product

Housing need is fragmented across many groups:

• Seasonal workers
• Full-time service workers
• Couples without children
• Singles on fixed or assisted income
• Families priced out of ownership

A single “affordable housing” model does not work. Shared accommodation, small self-contained units, modular builds, accessory units, and mixed-use developments are all necessary parts of a broader solution.

Land Is the First Choke Point

• Zoned residential land is quickly absorbed by high-end development
• Attainable housing is only feasible on unzoned or under-designated land acquired before rezoning
• Once land enters the formal planning pipeline, carrying costs and speculation kill affordability

Planning and Approval Are the Core Failure

This is where most projects die:

• Developers are willing to build high-density, mixed-income, transit-adjacent housing
• Projects collapse after years of studies, re-studies, and shifting requirements
• Staff risk-aversion and fear of “making the wrong decision” drive endless delays
• Each delay increases costs until developers abandon commitments to affordability and pursue maximum profit—or walk away entirely

NIMBYism Dominates Outcomes

• Objections consistently come from adjacent, higher-income homeowners
• The people who need housing no longer live locally and cannot advocate
• Councillors respond disproportionately to the loudest opponents, not the economic reality
• The result is political paralysis despite acknowledged housing emergencies

Development Charges Are Actively Harmful

• Development charges ranging from $60,000–$130,000 per unit make low-cost housing mathematically impossible
• Charges now exceed the historical cost of entire condo units
• Even when exemptions exist on paper, land prices and uncertainty erase their benefit
• These charges also suppress commercial development, worsening employment shortages

Conservation Authorities Add Another Layer of Friction

• Floodplain modeling and cut-and-fill restrictions dramatically reduce buildable land
• Appeals are limited or nonexistent
• Projects are stalled by repeated environmental studies even on previously farmed land
• Infrastructure upgrades are blocked by opposition to tree removal or visual impacts, even when systems are failing

Infrastructure and Housing Are Interdependent

• New housing cannot proceed without pumping stations, sewer upgrades, and transit
• Opposition to infrastructure prevents housing; lack of housing prevents workforce stability
• Public transit gaps force workers into car dependency, compounding affordability problems

Incentives Alone Are Not Enough

Small grants ($10k–$15k) do not move the needle. Accessory unit conversions routinely exceed $60k–$100k once septic, servicing, and code compliance are included.

What does work:

• Pre-approved unit designs
• Streamlined approvals
• Predictable outcomes from day one
• Reduced study burden
• Certainty that a compliant project will be approved

What Actually Needs to Change

1. Political leadership willing to override obstruction when housing need is clear
2. Planning certainty instead of iterative gatekeeping
3. Targeted land acquisition before rezoning
4. Reduced or eliminated development charges for attainable units
5. Pre-approved modular, ARU, and small-unit templates
6. Housing policy integrated with transit, infrastructure, and employment planning

The Bottom Line

The housing crisis is not caused by lack of ideas, builders, or capital. It is caused by process, fear, and fragmentation.

Until municipalities prioritize certainty, speed, and scale over optics and delay, attainable housing will remain a talking point rather than a delivered outcome.

Have questions about housing development opportunities in Grey County, Blue Mountains, or Collingwood? Get in touch — I work with buyers, sellers, and developers navigating these challenges every day.