CARSTAIRS - A $25,000 housing needs assessment report has made a number of suggested actions and recommendations to ensure the housing market in Carstairs remains viable and healthy going forward.
More seniors housing in the years to comes was one of the identified needs in town.
The Town of Carstairs Housing Needs Assessment report was prepared by Urban Systems to "provide strategic directions and guidance for the council and stakeholders in evaluating the range of potential housing alternatives to address the needs identified, and how to ensure Carstairs is able to remain a desirable town for residents, new and existing, to call home."
“As the town continues to evolve and grow, the results of the assessment can be used to support changes to the local policy directions within the municipal development plan and inform key directions within future area structure plans," the report states.
The town-sponsored report was prepared through an analysis of census data and local housing market connections during the spring and summer of 2024.
It came before the Oct. 15 council meeting and was received as information.
The assessment found that Carstairs is in an “enviable position and seeking positive momentum for continued growth into the future. However, existing conditions suggest the potential for the observed mis-alignments to progressively diminish the health of the local housing stock.
“Much of the future growth and development in town will be lead by changing market dynamics.”
The suggested actions to address local conditions and evaluate and monitor changes to the housing stock over time include the following:
• Identify regulatory changes to help diversify housing offerings.
• Create a targeted approach to provide senior-oriented housing in the town.
• Strategically plan for sustainable fiscal productivity of new development.
• Establish an infill and redevelopment strategy.
• Foster coordinated economic development to support community development.
Specifically regarding fiscal productivity of new development, the report recommends council “consider implementing new policy within the municipal development plan that establishes new requirements in all area structure plans to demonstrate how the proposed development contributes to the fiscal health of the town through the preparation of a municipal financial impact assessment of new neighbourhoods.”
Other key findings of the needs assessment were that the local housing market is largely uniform in offerings and is catered towards a household demographic looking for single-family homes, and that there are few senior-oriented housing options outside the units managed by Mountain View Seniors Housing.
“The actual number of senior-aged population continues to grow who will all need some form of transitional housing that is largely unavailable in the community.”
The assessment found that a high percentage of the labour force travels outside the community for work, increasing the bedroom community effect.
“The composition of the housing market limits economic development efforts as costs are increasingly becoming unaffordable for components of the labour force. The bedroom community effect contributes to an imbalance tax base between residential and non-residential sources.
“Without a diversity of housing types, there is a risk of youth, single-occupant, and senior households needing to relocate outside to meet their housing needs.”
The town’s population has increased from 2,342 residents in 2001 to more than 5,000 in 2024. If the trend continues, Carstairs’ population could top 12,000 by 2051.
“The steep, upward trending population is likely to persist into the future as there is a grown trend in the increasing attractiveness of towns within the 40-minute drive from Calgary.”
Looking forward, the report states, in part, that, “While the town is in an enviable position regionally, experiencing consistent growth, it is important to maintain a broader perspective on how that growth impacts the overall health of the community, not only to day, but also into the foreseeable future.
“No single strategy or action will erase all challenges, nor will the town ever arrive in a perfect state. The complexity of housing may require multiple strategies and action applied concurrently to alter the characteristics of the system, which could then trigger the need for a new approach.”
Following the Oct. 15 council meeting, chief administrative officer Rick Blair told the Albertan that now that the report has been received, the town will be meeting with Mountain View Seniors Housing to discuss the need for more seniors housing going forward.
The complete housing needs assessment report is available for viewing on the town’s website.
