North Bay needs small, simple and attainable starter homes for young families, working people, seniors and first-time buyers. They should be scattered across the city, built from pre-approved simple plans and fast-tracked through permitting.
Start where the city holds full authority: city-owned land, transferred using the strongest legally enforceable owner-occupancy and resale structure confirmed by the City Solicitor, including a community land trust or long-term lease model where necessary. Every home created under the program must be individually occupied as a primary residence by the purchaser. No corporations. No REITs. No numbered companies. No investor portfolios. No Airbnb conversions.
In one line: Homes for families, not portfolios.
North Bay has identified approximately 10.6 hectares of city-owned land that may be available for housing. The city also received $10.6 million through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund, and its existing program already reduces or waives development charges for qualifying entry-level and starter homes.
The first pilot will:
Select a serviced or serviceable city-owned site through a public land inventory
Commission a small set of pre-approved, code-compliant designs
Offer lots or community-land-trust leases through a transparent lottery or scored application for owner-occupiers
Establish the legally enforceable primary-residence, resale and anti-flipping mechanism before land is transferred.
Recover surveying, legal and design costs through eligible housing funds or land-sale proceeds
Publish the all-in land, servicing, fee, construction and mortgage assumptions
Cost and funding: Maximum $150,000 one time for design, survey, appraisal and legal work. Use Housing Accelerator Fund money only if the federal agreement permits this owner-occupied pilot; otherwise recover the amount from land-sale or long-term lease proceeds. No general property-tax levy. Roads, water and sewer extensions must have a separate lifecycle cost and cannot be hidden in the home price.
Public measure: Lots released, qualified applicants, permits issued, time from application to permit, completed homes, final all-in price, owner occupancy and resale compliance.