Huron County's Planning Manager Presented County Council With A Report On County-wide Residential Building Activity At This Week's Council Meeting
by Bob Montgomery
Huron County Planning Manager Denise Van Amersfoort says the data they have indicates that housing starts are returning to that 2016 – 2020 average across the county.
She says they saw well above average numbers in 2021 and 2022. “This report looks after the last number of years and certainly in 2023 and 2024 we're slightly below the average but we're starting to resume more of those normal levels and we expect those numbers to continue moving forward.”
Van Amersfoort says another factor is the increase in things like row housing, apartment buildings, and additional residential units in urban centres or farm properties, and more and more people are taking advantage of those new options that make it easier to build more dense forms of housing in the county. She also points out that the people looking at moving into Huron County include a wide range of jobs and incomes and they're very encouraged by the triplexes and fourplexes that are available here for someone just out of school or looking for something to rent rather than buy. She says there are a lot of benefits to a community in having a wide range of housing types.
Van Amersfoort says she believes the shift to a variety of housing types is here to stay, but there will still be singles, but they'll be smaller than single homes we've seen in the past. Another factor is the new long term care investments that are being made in the county. She says that's being driven by the projected increase in seniors living in Huron County. Between 2021 and 2041 we will see a doubling of the population over the age of 75 and we have to be planning now for how we're going to accommodate that population group. Long term care homes and apartments will be critical, but other types of supportive housing environments are going to be just as critical. Aging in Place is the most affordable option for seniors but, she says, there are also so many benefits to inter-generational living. So a detached rental unit in a backyard would provide accommodation for loved ones without taking away their independence but there is still the support that's there when it's needed and the seniors are less likely to experience social isolation.
