A report compiled on Estevan's housing needs expects that the current high demand will continue to grow into the future.
The City of Estevan Housing Business Plan was put together by the Saskatchewan branch of the Canadian Homebuilders Association and is designed to help the City overcome the current housing challenges. The lengthy document, which was released to the public at the Sept. 30 regular meeting of city council, took into account a variety of factors such as population projections, demographics and affordability to come up with a series of recommendations. The CHBA also held a meeting earlier this year with local groups, businesses and individuals that was part of the report as well.
"We agree with the report in general," said Mayor Roy Ludwig in a recent interview. "I think (the CHBA) recognizes that we are working with developers in all of the areas."
Among the highlights of the report are projections on how many housing units may be needed to address future growth in Estevan. The CHBA said Estevan needs to ensure there is a supply of available land and feel that it could be a critical issue based on the projections laid out in the report.
Using their population projections, which conservatively estimate that Estevan will reach 17,000 residents by 2025, the report contends that if the city experiences a low growth pattern it will need just over 800 new housing units by 2025.
If the city has a moderate growth pattern over that period it's projected that just over 1,800 units will be needed. Based on a high growth rate, Estevan is projected to need just shy of 2,600 units.
The report also suggests the City implement a two to five-year rolling land servicing plan that would help the economy "adjust to supply side housing pressures in a more efficient manner. Since the number of serviced lots will always exceed the average number of housing units being produced on an annual basis, it allows room for fairly large fluctuations in housing production year to year.
"Enabling developers to react in a timely manner to changes in the economy is a key element to the success of a well-functioning housing market and the reason why a five-year rolling land servicing plan represents a crucial step towards stabilizing Estevan's housing market."
Based on that two to five-year rolling plan, it's suggested that Estevan will need to have enough land to accommodate almost 2,000 units based on a moderate to high period growth rate; roughly 1,500 for moderate growth and 678 units for low growth.
Ludwig said although they feel some of the CHBA's projections might be on the higher side, the City has developers in place that will help ensure land is available for future housing.
"We are doing our level best with what we can do," he said. "With Essex Developments coming on line in the spring, we feel that we can increase our units per year but as far as that number, that remains to be seen."
The lack of affordable housing was also looked at on an in-depth basis. The report notes that Estevan requires affordable housing and entry-level dwellings as soon as possible, and initiatives "should be implemented to encourage development of purpose-built rental units and units intended for owner occupancy. Efforts with respect to modular housing are a good idea in the short terms, but there must also be consideration for a long-term strategy."
The third target suggests that the City and other community stakeholders should build relationships with the private sector to advance development in purpose-built rental units for growing populations that have unique rental needs, including students, seniors, low income earners and new immigrants.
Among the priorities listed are:
develop incentives and programs that support and encourage the construction of affordable and entry-level housing on both the ownership and rental sides;
promote the development of infill housing to revitalize neighbourhoods and make use of serviced land;
encourage the conversion of existing structures such as commercial buildings in the downtown area to residential or mixed residential/commercial developments where appropriate.
Along with addressing those priorities, the CHBA also suggests the City needs to focus on increasing the supply of serviced lots, increasing the overall housing supply, increasing the availability of rental accommodations and increase the amount of purpose-built developments, which are projects aimed at a certain sector such as seniors or low-income earners.
Ludwig said along with providing some recommendations and ideas for the future, the report will also be a useful tool for developers already working in Estevan or those interested in coming to the city.
"I think it will be very helpful, and we feel that it is a good document as far as giving us a good thumbnail sketch of where we are at and where we would like to be in the not too distant future."
