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The Housing Continuum

The housing continuum represents the spectrum of housing types available from very low to above moderate-income households. Housing ASAP focuses on the areas from “Affordable Rental Housing” to “Market Home Ownership” portion of the Housing Continuum.

PROJECT UPDATE

Read the Housing Attainable Supply Action Plan:

The Housing Attainable Supply Action Plan (Housing ASAP) was endorsed by Council. It is intended to identify tactics, strategies, and tools that can be implemented by the County and/or lower-tier municipalities/City of Orillia over the next five years to increase the supply of attainable housing provided by the private market.

Attainable housing is defined as market-provided housing that is affordable for households with incomes between 80-120% of the County’s median household income. The Housing ASAP recommends prioritizing the following action items:

  • Creating a Development Navigator Program to facilitate priority housing
  • Creating a Public Land Program and Candidate Sites Catalogue
  • Encouraging local municipalities to update the planning framework to support new housing development
  • Coordinating with local municipalities to simplify the development process and fast-track priority projects

This project addressed three fundamental questions related to attainable housing within Simcoe County:

  1. What is Attainable?  In each sub-region of the County, what is the target sale price and target rent that is within reach of the working individual and family?
  2. What is Missing?  What are the number and types of dwellings that need to be integrated into each sub-region for the private sector to deliver market-based housing that is attainable?
  3. How can we help?  What can municipalities do to help facilitate the attainable units that are needed?

The action plan identifies advocacy tools to be used either at the County level or suggestions/options at the local level.​ ​These are actionable directions to help address the housing crisis in Simcoe County. ​

The work undertaken as part of the project considers the market housing supply and delivery system, with a focus on workforce and missing middle housing in Simcoe County. The recommendations influence an increase of attainable and workforce housing supply in Simcoe County within the realm of municipal control (upper or lower tier). Additionally, some other recommendations may require municipal advocacy (advocate for changes in legislation, policy, funding, etc.). ​

Component 1 – Gap Analysis, Background Review

Component 2 – Public and Stakeholder​ Engagement

Component ​3 – Best Practices & Potential Solutions Review

Component 4 – Recommended Action

    The County of Simcoe’s Final Attainable Housing Supply Action Plan was endorsed by County Council on June 24, 2024 and endorsed by Orillia Council on July 15, 2024.


    Based on the categories of implementation outlined in the Housing ASAP, the County’s Planning Department has prepared an implementation plan that would pursue the following five (5) priority actions. 

    An Implementation Report CCW 2025-052 was presented to Council identifying the Priority Actions for 2025.


    The priority actions include:

    1. Explore a Development Navigator Program to facilitate priority housing;
    2. Create a Candidate Sites Catalogue with local municipal input;
    3. Prepare a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS) Template;
    4. Draft a Standard Rental Replacement By-law Template;
    5. Set foundation for potential future Financial Incentive Programs.

    Invitation to Project Information Session
    To view our news advisory issued on October 29, 2025 regarding our Community Planning Permit System Project information session, please click here.

    Stage 2: Presentation to Stakeholders

    COMMUNITY PLANNING PERMIT SYSTEM TEMPLATE
    BACKGROUND     
    One of the recommendations of the County’s Housing ASAP included the preparation of a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS) Template to support the delivery of market-provided housing that is affordable for households identified as the missing middle.

    A CPPS is a land use planning tool that municipalities can use to help plan the future of their communities, streamline development processes and achieve land use planning goals. This planning tool replaces the traditional Planning Act application process and combines zoning by-law amendments, minor variances and site plan control into one permit planning process.   

    The advantage of this combined process is a one-permit approval process, the ability for staff to approve applications and land use planning provisions and conditions that are specifically designed to achieve strategic objectives. A CPPS can provide more certainty and transparency for the community, landowners and, and developers.  It addresses local needs such as affordable housing to support growing communities. 

    The overall goal of the CPPS project is to equip local municipalities so they may enact their own CPP by-law to offer a new tool which can build capacity in the Simcoe housing system, streamline and simplify development approvals, and increase the supply of housing opportunities. 

    This initiative is being developed with the assistance of our Planning Consulting, Planscape, to create the templates and guide the CPPS development process.  This project will produce a template by-law and Official Plan Amendment (OPA) as tools for use by our local municipalities to streamline the development approval process for attainable housing. 

    The project includes the following three stages:

    1. Project Initiation and Background Review
    2. Draft Documents and Engagement, including CPP By-law, OPA Template & Implementation Guidelines.
    3. Final Model CPPS, including CPP By-law Template, OPA Template

    RESOURCES

    BACKGROUND

    A Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is a financial incentive program which refers to a plan for community improvement in project areas to incentivize certain types of projects and/or investments, including affordable housing. With regard to affordable housing, municipalities may pass a CIP By-law to offer grants or loan programs to incentivize specific housing forms and increase funding opportunities for the proponents of affordable housing.

    A CIP focused on affordable housing would increase future flexibility for the County in providing financial incentives for new housing that the market may otherwise not deliver on its own by reducing the cost of development.

    Under section 28 of the Planning Act, a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) enables municipalities to support community improvement through tools such as grants and loans. These plans can address a range of priorities, including affordable housing, infrastructure, intensification, environmental standards, energy efficiency, mixed-use and transit-oriented development, accessibility, and employment.

    The County of Simcoe will formally request that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing designate the County as a prescribed upper-tier municipality under Ontario Regulation 221/07, pursuant to section 28(2) of the Planning Act.

    This request aligns with Council’s resolution dated September 23, 2025, following the presentation of Report CCW 2025-225.

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    Attainable Housing refers to rental or ownership housing provided by the private market with no government assistance that is:

    • Adequate in condition (no major essential repairs needed),
    • Appropriate in size (bedrooms appropriate for household),
    • Reasonably priced (households earning between 80-120% of the Area Median Income should not need to spend more than 30% of their income on housing), and
    • Available (a range of housing options)​


    There are a number of affordable housing related initiatives that have been undertaken by the County, City of Orillia, City of Barrie, and Town of Collingwood such as:

    The CPPS process enables municipalities to provide greater controls and conditions regarding aspects of development that fall under community benefits such as affordable housing and those that typically fall outside of zoning such as urban design, landscaping, tree removal, site alteration, natural feature protection and flood plain and natural hazard limitations. An in effect CPP by-law would allow municipalities to issue development permits if a planning application related to housing meets the standards set out in the CPP by-law.

    To implement a CPPS, each municipality must adopt an OPA for the CPPS area and pass a CPP by-law. The finalized model templates will be provided to local municipalities to customize to meet their local needs, including the permitted land uses, development standards and any land exemptions, following the legislative and regulatory requirements. The intent of providing a County level template is to enhance municipal ability to adopt a strategically developed tool to achieve attainable and affordable housing targets.

    The CPPS could be applied to specific lands such as settlements, residentially designated lands, or as surplus or underutilized public lands across the County.

    A Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is a financial incentive program which refers to a plan for community improvement in project areas to incentivize certain types of projects and/or investments, including affordable housing. With regard to affordable housing, municipalities may pass a CIP By-law to offer grants or loan programs to incentivize specific housing forms and increase funding opportunities for the proponents of affordable housing.