LA RONGE – The Town of La Ronge is moving forward with a residential development strategy, which administration and council hope will help guide residential land development and encourage housing construction.
Jeff Long, deputy CAO and manager of planning, development and regulatory services, said developing and servicing land in the North is very expensive due to the extreme climate and the presence of bedrock and organic soils.
“Unlike most places where the private sector undertakes land development in tune with local economic and market conditions, the Town of La Ronge must act as a developer to bring serviced land onstream for housing construction,” Long said.
The town hopes to build 58 dwellings. These can be any self-contained residential unit in any form of residential development, including single-detached, semi-detached, duplex, multiplex, townhouse, apartment, mobile or modular homes, Long said.
At its meeting on Jan. 27, town council adopted a policy that is a key component of the strategy. It will implement a housing incentive program that would provide a cash payment of $10,000 for each new dwelling unit in developments of up to three units, while $15,000 would be offered for developments of four or more new units.
“This, combined with a residential development tax abatement, will make the town a much more competitive option for developers and builders alike and help incentivize opportunities to bring more serviced lots onstream and spur housing construction,” Long said.
These programs will also be attractive to those considering building a home or an accessory secondary suite, garage suite or garden suite in La Ronge. The tax abatement policy is already in effect, and the application portal is available on the town’s website.
“Given the need to address the housing shortage in the town and region as a whole, the town is moving forward with a residential development strategy to help guide residential land development and encourage housing construction. With a recent federal contribution of $1.1 million and a secured overall budget of $2.6 million, the town is poised to move forward with various projects and incentives that will provide for a range of housing types to be constructed.”
The housing incentive program policy will also be available soon.
