The Northern Ontario Home Builders’ Association suggests that the City of Greater Sudbury’s adoption of the new federal Housing Design Catalogue may benefit smaller homebuilders and homeowners more than larger, established homebuilders. Created by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the catalogue offers pre-approved housing designs that are free for any homebuilder to utilize. By joining the program on August 10, Greater Sudbury now accepts two accessory dwelling unit designs and two fourplex designs from the catalogue.
According to Melissa Riou, the city’s director of planning services, adopting these designs can streamline the approval process for applicants and homeowners, reducing the time required for design. Although applicants will still need to engage a professional for specific modifications to suit their property, such as grading and foundation drawings, the city aims to review a fourplex submission within 15 days and an accessory dwelling unit submission within approximately 10 days.
Morgan Rouleau, CEO of the Northern Ontario Home Builders’ Association, highlighted that larger homebuilders often have their own established designs, making the Housing Design Catalogue more beneficial for smaller companies lacking such resources. The catalogue is also seen as an attractive option for homeowners looking to incorporate one of the available accessory dwelling unit designs into their property.
Rouleau emphasized the potential benefits of the Housing Design Catalogue for increasing housing supply in Sudbury, particularly through the addition of secondary suites on existing lots. While the demand for fourplex designs is more location-specific and influenced by land costs and zoning considerations, Rouleau expressed the need for improvements in the handling of deficiencies in housing applications to expedite the development process.
Looking ahead, the association is monitoring the city’s implementation of artificial intelligence to enhance the building permit application review process. Rouleau believes that addressing deficiencies more efficiently and ensuring consistency in documentation requirements will contribute to a faster and more streamlined development process in Sudbury.