Help Shape Niagara Falls’ Housing Incentive Program

As part of the City’s Community Improvement Plan (CIP), Niagara Falls is developing a Housing Incentive Program to help support the creation of more affordable and attainable housing in our community.

Community Improvement Plans allow municipalities to offer financial incentives that encourage investment and help address local priorities. Through this program, the City is exploring incentives to support new housing development and help address barriers to the delivery of affordable, attainable homes in Niagara Falls.

Through public and stakeholder engagement, we are seeking feedback on:

  • What incentives could help increase housing supply
  • What barriers developers or housing providers face
  • What tools could support the creation of affordable and attainable housingDraft program options will be presented at an upcoming Public Open House and through meetings with stakeholders.

Your input will help guide the development of the final program.

What Can Affordable/Attainable Housing CIP Incentives Do?

Housing incentives delivered through a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) can support housing development in several ways.

They can:

  • CIPs can be used to incentivize housing types where there is limited market interest or delivery capacity, such as housing for low- and moderate-income workers.
  • CIPs can aid in the construction of housing by supporting project viability, for transitional, supportive, and deeply affordable units, that require operating funding beyond the CIP to make them viable.
  • CIPs can help reduce early-stage and up-front development costs, lowering financial risk for both non-profit and for-profit developers.
  • CIPs demonstrate local municipal commitment to Provincial and Federal funders. This “skin in the game” can be leveraged by housing providers and developers to attract additional investment.

It is important to note that while housing incentives can support development, they are only one tool among many. A Housing CIP alone will not solve all housing challenges, but it can play an important role as part of a broader housing strategy.

How This Fits With Other Housing Strategies

The City of Niagara Falls is pursuing several complementary strategies to support housing in the community.

The proposed Housing Incentive Program will work alongside other local, regional, and provincial initiatives to support:

  • Market housing
  • Affordable housing
  • Community housing

Programs may also support transitional and supportive housing projects, where eligible.

ProgramsSource: Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation, About Affordable Housing in Canada

Different organizations use different definitions of housing affordability. To provide clarity for developers and housing providers, the City aligns with Niagara Region and Provincial definitions using Average Market Rent (AMR) as a benchmark.

There are multiple definitions of affordability used across municipalities, governments and funders

  • CMHC Rental Market Survey
  • Development Charge Bulletin
  • Local income-based calculations

The table shown here aligns with the Province and Niagara Region & provide clarity for developers and housing operators.

Unit SizeAffordable (<100% AMR)Attainable (100–125% AMR)Market (126–170% AMR)
Studio$1,005$1,256$1,709
1-Bedroom$1,203$1,504$2,045
2-Bedroom$1,395$1,744$2,371
3-Bedroom+$1,438$1,798$2,445

Sources: Data for Niagara Falls, Affordable Residential Units for the Purposes of the Development Charges Act, 1997

Under the Niagara Region’s definition:

  • Affordable housing rents for less than 100% of the Average Market Rent
  • Attainable housing rents for 100–125% of Average Market Rent
  • Market housing typically falls above this rang

Affordable purchase prices are also defined under the Development Charges Act.

Current benchmarks for Niagara Falls are:

Housing TypeAverage Purchase Price
Affordable Purchase Price (all unit types)$326,400
Detached House$730,000
Row / Townhouse$610,000
Condo$490,000

Sources: Data for Niagara Falls, Affordable Residential Units for the Purposes of the Development Charges Act, 1997 Bulletin

These benchmarks help guide programs that support affordable homeownership opportunities.

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Shannon McKie

Associate/Principal Planner

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