THUNDER BAY —City residents and developers interested in taking advantage of grants available for the construction of new housing units can now apply to the program online.
The City of Thunder Bay announced on Tuesday that submissions for funding under the Housing Community Improvement Plan may be made through the city's website.
The plan is supported by the federal government's Housing Accelerator Fund, under which the city has been allocated $20 million to develop over 600 new housing units over three years.
"Thunder Bay is growing, and we need more housing units and greater density to support that growth and improve affordablity," Mayor Ken Boshcoff stated.
Grants are available both to add dwelling units to existing residential or mixed-use buildings, and for constructing new multi-unit buildings.
Funding for creating units that are accessory to an existing structure can be up to a maximum of $20,000 per unit, plus up to $10,000 through a servicing grant for upgrading water and sewer connections.
Applications for this grant will be accepted on an ongoing basis while funding lasts.
For new maximum-density multi-unit projects, grants are capped at $25,000 per unit (above the 70 per cent density threshold of the zone) and $300,000 per property.
The application period for this grant expires on Oct. 27.
The city said property-owners who applied for a building permit after Feb. 29, 2024 remain eligible to apply for either of these programs.
Also available is a grant of up to $10,000 toward fees for planning applications or building permits.
