The Village of Radium Hot Springs was recently announced as the recipient of a Housing Accelerator Fund Grant from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

The grant may be worth as much as $613,000 over four years and will be used to support Radium council’s strategic priority of facilitating housing creation.

Over the next several months work will be undertaken on the deliverables in the village’s successful application, which was developed with support from the Columbia Valley Housing Society.

These include: support for regional partnerships to help with the housing availability shortage; village incentives to encourage affordable housing; aligning village infrastructure planning to support housing development; support for housing density; and streamlining rezoning applications which are consistent with the village’s planned land use in its official community plan.

“The Housing Accelerator Fund announcement is great news for Radium,” said Mayor Mike Gray. “It can be a tool to help council meet our goal of greater housing availability in Radium Hot Springs.”

Since current village council was elected in 2022 the following actions have been undertaken to support housing availability in Radium Hot Springs:

• January, 2023 – Council establishes Rental Housing Availability as a strategic priority for their term.

• August, 2023 – Village of Radium Hot Springs purchases a three-unit long-term rental housing unit, to be managed by the Columbia Valley Housing Society. It is the first dedicated, long-term rental property in the Village of Radium Hot Springs.

• November, 2023 — Village of Radium Hot Springs Long-Term Rental Housing Revitalization Tax Exemption Program Bylaw No. 497, 2023 is adopted by council.

• February, 2024 – Radium Hot Springs Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw renewal initiated. When adopted these new bylaws will reflect priorities of density/affordable housing encouragement as well as be compatible with new provincial regulations for small scale multi- unit housing.

• March, 2024 – Partnership Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Columbia Valley Housing Society.

• June, 2024 – Minor amendment to village’s existing zoning bylaw adopted by council to make the bylaw compatible with incoming provincial small scale multi-unit housing regulations.

• July, 2024 – Update of outdated village water utility model initiated to support residential development within the Village of Radium Hot Springs.

• Spring/Summer, 2024 – Design of second settling pond and second water intake project initiated to support the village’s water utility. Construction of this approximately $5,500,000 capital project is expected in 2025.

Per CMHC: “The Housing Accelerator Fund asks for innovative action plans from local governments, and once approved, provides upfront federal funding to ensure the timely building of new homes as well as additional federal funds upon delivering results. Local governments are encouraged to be bold in their approaches.”

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