CARSTAIRS - A town-funded needs assessment will evaluate existing and potential housing stock in Carstairs and identify any gaps in the housing supply going forward, say officials.
The move came by way of motion at a recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
Once completed the assessment report will be used to inform planning, set priorities, and guide budgeting and communications, said mayor Lance Colby.
The project will hopefully help the municipality attract more residents, businesses, and development, he said.
“We are hoping to get out of it information on what our housing needs are, what the demographics are,” Colby told the Albertan. “It will be good information for people and developers.
“It should also help us when we are looking at the RCMP and seniors housing and the different things we will need in our community to serve the demographics, whether it’s the young or the seniors or in between.
“Whenever people want to build, we can say this is what we have for demographics and here’s our growth patterns.”
The town will spend between $18,500 and $25,000 the project, with the funding being included in the 2024 budget, he said.
The assessment will be prepared by Calgary-based Urban System in cooperation with town staff and will consider three overall questions.
• Given the supply of seniors-focused housing options available in surrounding communities, how can Carstairs generate locally relevant analysis of the supply and demand for seniors housing?
• Given the recent growth that has come to Carstairs, how has this increased supply of housing contributed to affordability in the community relative to changes in household income?
• With the expansion of the housing stock, how is this contributing to the diversity of housing types and densities? How does this availability, or lack of, a variety of housing option impact the town’s local economy and expansion and retention of the labour force?
The objectives of the study include determining the suitability of the overall housing supply relative to current composition of the population and any available projections for future growth and development.
It will also evaluate the affordability of housing relative to the changing household incomes in the community and the percent of income spent on housing, and identify potential partnership and/or funding sources that would enhance the town’s ability to advance any recommendations.
The study will also establish a series of recommendations that would support the town in planning policy and regulatory updates to facilitate addressing the findings from the housing gap analysis.
The assessment will involve four phases to identify local housing challenges and potential solutions that can be used to establish recommendations.
Phase 1 will involve an information review that will focus on quantitative data, background documents, and information available from public organizations.
Phase 2 will include stakeholder engagement to gather input from residents and others.
Phase 3 will involve analysis of information gathered and will include the preparation of final analysis summary report.
Phase 4 will involve reporting back to council and will outline trends, projections and recommendations. The final housing needs assessment report will be released during this phase.
The Town of Carstairs has worked with Urban Systems in the past.
“We know them and we like the work they do,” said Colby.
The project should be completed within four to six months.
Mayor Colby noted that the town’s 2024 draft budget is in the final phases of being prepared and will likely come before council early in January for consideration.
“Administration is working on it right now,” he said, noting council has adopted the 2023 budget as the interim 2024 budget pending approval of next year’s budget.
