Cambridge alternative housing project slated for 2021

An alternative housing pilot project in Cambridge is in its final stages of approval.

The region's committee of the whole approved a motion on Tuesday that would advance funding for the six one-bedroom units slated for 121-161 Bechtel Street, a Waterloo Region Housing site. It would also make way for design work and community consultations.

This stacked-style alternative housing is said to be more self-contained and made up of untraditional and innovative construction methods. The $1.3 million project is meant to make affordable housing more accessible and engage community partners to identify new strategies to increase affordable housing supply, the report suggests.

Staff members highlighted the cost of the project in Tuesday's meeting, indicating it may not be significantly cheaper than traditional construction, but it will be faster and more energy efficient.

Upon full council approval, staff will issue a letter outlining conditions ahead of signing a funding agreement.

"This is exciting," said councillor Jim Erb in the meeting. "The good news is that we're going to have people living in these six units in the spring."

The units will be completed and ready for use in June 2021.

Inclusionary zoning

The committee also moved forward a recommendation that would enable municipalities to apply inclusionary zoning across their communities.

Inclusionary zoning is a tool that allows cities to require developers to build a portion of their affordable units within multi-unit housing developments near major transit stations, according to the report.