The City of Collingwood offers its residents a financial incentive to add additional housing units to their homes.

The city is relaunching its Rapid Additions Unit (ARU) initiative after first launching it last spring.

Collingwood is increasing its financial incentives from $5,628.62 to $10,000 for property owners who build an ARU and lease it year-round for at least five years.

“Adding an ARU may require some investment, but this incentive funding will help cover some of the upfront costs and fees associated with it,” said Jack Vanderkooy, interim chair of the Affordable Housing Task Force. “By agreeing to rent the home year-round, homeowners are helping to provide a home to our working class or other modest-income households who are struggling to find housing.”

ARUs are smaller housing units that can be located within the main residence (e.g. in a basement apartment) or separate from a house.

“The Rapid ARU Initiative 2.0 is a neighbor-to-neighbor approach to addressing the affordable housing crisis,” said Collingwood Mayor Yvonne Hamlin. “We’re calling on anyone with children out of the house, seniors, new homeowners – or anyone with ‘too many homes’ – to think about how this extra space could help those in our community who can barely afford a roof over their heads and provide them with a welcome income boost at a time of rising costs.”

According to the city, smaller units are a more affordable housing option and are more likely to be rented than primary homes.

The city said the Rapid ARU Initiative includes a design gallery of pre-approved designs for freestanding ARUs to enable a faster, easier and more predictable design and approval process.