Huron County Senior Planner, Denise Van Amersfoort, presented the county's Housing Friendly Lens to county council recently.
Van Amersfoort explains, the goal of the Housing Friendly Lens is to make sure that their zoning bylaws and other planning documents are designed to deliver the number of units our communities need.
"So we want to make sure the zoning bylaws and other planning documents are designed to deliver the number of units our communities need, now and into the future, but also the range of units, in terms of different sizes, different types of units and also units of different types of affordability."
Van Amersfoort says in the past there has been some resistance to anything but single family homes, but she says that's beginning to change as the needs of the communities change. She points to the number of multiple attached units being built the last few years.
"The county has seen a number of multiple attached units being built the last few years and they're really great, in terms of meeting the needs of our seniors and other people in our community. So, I think that we are starting to see this change is happening and generally, it's a really great thing."
One thing that adds some urgency to the housing problem is the message the county is getting from employers all over the county. Van Amersfoort says they're being told by employers that one of the number one issues in terms of attracting work force to the county has been the lack of housing stock.
"We've certainly been told by employers, one of the number one issues in terms of attracting work force to the county has been the lack of housing stock available and it's something we are doing different initiatives at the county level to try to make sure that we're responding to this housing crisis."
Van Amersfoort says some employers have been very clear that, ultimately, if they can't find employees here, they'll have to relocate to somewhere where they can find employees.
