Community Improvement Plan (CIP) - Affordable Housing and Sustainable Design
On November 27, 2024, the City approved the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for Affordable Housing and Sustainable Design that establishes financial programs to incentivize more affordable and sustainably designed housing.
CIP Funding Application
The 2025 Phase 1 CIP Funding Application has closed
The application intake window opened on Monday, January 27, 2025 and closed on Friday, April 25, 2025.
On November 26, 2025, Council approved the 2025 Phase 1 Intake CIP Funding Recommendations (SRPBS.25.089). Through this staff report Council approved close to $20 million in conditional funding to support three purpose-built rental projects.
Additional Project Information
Housing Affordability
- According to the 2016 Census, Richmond Hill has the highest proportion of households experiencing housing unaffordability out of all the local municipalities in York Region. More than half (56%) of all renter households and over one-third (34%) of owner households are spending 30% or more of their income on shelter costs.
In 2021, Richmond Hill Council endorsed an Affordable Housing Strategy, which, among many initiatives, recommended a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) to implement a range of incentives to create affordable housing opportunities.
Climate Change and Sustainable Development
- Like many other communities in the GTHA and beyond, Richmond Hill has been experiencing the consequences of severe weather patterns and changing climate conditions, which include disruptions to business continuity, infrastructure damage, risks to health and safety, and increased financial costs.
- In 2021, Richmond Hill Council approved the Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) that identifies “Efficient Buildings” as a significant opportunity to achieve the City’s net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target.
Developing financial incentives to facilitate the creation of affordable housing and the development of more sustainably designed housing will contribute to the socio-economic and environmental health of the community by providing housing options for more Richmond Hill residents and reducing the environmental impacts of development.
A CIP enables municipalities to achieve broad planning and economic policy objectives by offering financial incentives to attract private investment. Through Section 28 of the Planning Act, municipalities must adopt policies within the Official Plan and approve an implementing by-law to designate a community improvement project area, which can be restricted to a specific location(s) or applied municipality wide.
Draft CIP (Spring/Summer 2024)
This phase focuses on generating ideas to inform a viable incentive program that the City can implement over the long term. This phase also focuses on gathering feedback from multiple stakeholders on the development of the CIP.
Meetings and Engagement Events
- Virtual Public Open House (7:00 - 8:00 p.m., June 18th, 2024)
- Council Public Meeting (7:00 p.m., June 25th, 2024)
Final CIP (Fall 2024)
The final recommended CIP addresses comments received from and engagement with stakeholders, and provides implementation details that will support sustainably-built, affordable rental housing projects in the City.
Committee of the Whole Meeting (9:30 a.m., November 20th, 2024)
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