Belleville has joined a federal housing initiative designed to help communities speed up the construction of new homes.
Bay of Quinte MP Chris Malette announced the city has become a local partner in Canada’s Housing Design Catalogue, a national program offering more than 50 pre-approved low-rise housing designs for use by homeowners, builders and municipalities.
The catalogue is part of the federal government’s broader effort to increase housing construction, improve affordability and support more gentle density in existing neighbourhoods.
The designs include technical architectural and engineering drawings, accessibility options, energy reporting documents, building performance information and regional construction guidance.
Federal officials say the goal is to reduce duplication, cut red tape and help communities move housing projects through the approval process more quickly.
As a local partner, Belleville is pre-reviewing catalogue designs to help streamline approvals for projects that use the standardized plans.
The city is also developing its own pre-approved accessory dwelling unit plans through its Housing Accelerator Fund action plan. Officials say the two approaches are intended to work together to support more housing options in the community.
Mayor Neil Ellis says Belleville is proud to support the catalogue as a tool to accelerate housing construction and increase housing supply.
The federal government says it is continuing to work with local governments across Canada to encourage wider adoption of the catalogue and standardized housing designs.
The program draws inspiration from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation housing design catalogues used between the 1940s and 1970s.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
