We're Making it Easier and More Affordable to Build Housing in Muskoka
The District Chair's Spotlight on Housing Series is a new monthly series showing how the District is making it easier and more affordable to build housing in Muskoka.
“Creating more rental housing, faster, means finding new ways to partner and making the most of our resources,” said District Chair Jeff Lehman. “We’re listening to the people who build housing, and this series is all about showing what’s possible when local action is focused on real solutions that work.”
Each month, the series will highlight practical housing solutions, from creative partnerships and funding opportunities to planning improvements and infrastructure investments, all aimed at ensuring people can find and afford a home in the communities they love.
November Spotlight - Building for Growth
The District Chair's monthly Spotlight on Housing Series highlights how the District is making it easier and more affordable to build housing in Muskoka. November focuses on the District’s commitment to growth through foundational infrastructure that supports housing.
Watch the Spotlight
Every new home relies on safe, reliable water, wastewater and transportation systems to keep communities healthy for the long term. Building homes starts long before construction begins. It starts with infrastructure.
Across Muskoka, the District is paving the way for new housing and helping address the region’s growing housing needs.
Laying the Groundwork Through Funding
Through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, the Ontario government is investing over $50 million to enable the construction of new homes in Huntsville.
This funding supports:
- Huntsville Golden Pheasant Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade
- Mountview Sewage Pumping Station new force main installation and
- Critical watermain replacement project.
This major funding will help the District by:
- Increasing capacity to allow for 3,200 homes in Huntsville
- Tackling the high cost of servicing by putting less pressure on water bills and lowering housing costs in the areas with the greatest need.
Laying the Groundwork through Streamlining of Development Planning
Building homes requires faster planning work and clear understanding of development priorities. This approach makes sure the District has the right infrastructure in the right places at the right time.
A good example of this is the Highway 118 West priority service area initiative in the Town of Bracebridge as a pilot project to accelerate growth-related infrastructure planning.
The work underway will establish water and sewer infrastructure to service this important Town corridor, meaning the District will not be required to go back in later to remove and reconstruct the road to install or upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure.
This saves money and eliminates future construction impacts to residents.
Laying the Groundwork by Working Together
Building for growth is a shared effort. Working together with all six area municipalities keeps the housing momentum going and reduces impacts to residents.
This type of collaboration is happening all over the District. For example, the Bay and Beyond project in the Town of Gravenhurst includes the District’s infrastructure upgrades along with the Town’s new and extended sidewalks and multi-use recreational trails and on-road bike lanes.
Past Spotlights on Housing
October Spotlight - Planning in Action |
October Spotlight - Planning in ActionThis month, we’re focusing on the planning updates that are making it easier and more affordable to build housing in Muskoka. Over the last five years, the District has introduced new tools and clearer processes to help applications move faster, reduce delays and give residents and builders more transparency while keeping growth in line with what makes Muskoka unique.
Watch the Spotlight
District Chair Jeff Lehman shares how planning in Muskoka is evolving. This month’s feature highlights new tools and streamlined processes that are helping the right homes get built in the right places, while staying true to Muskoka’s values.
See What’s Changed
From PlanHub and delegated approvals to new standards for studies and public consultation, we’ve made several improvements to how planning works. View the infographic to see how these changes are helping to support more housing getting built in Muskoka.
PlanHub – Submit and Track Applications OnlinePlanHub is the District’s online planning portal. It makes it easier to submit applications, track progress in real time, and stay connected throughout the process. Applicants can log in anytime, from any device, to see where their project is in the system. With PlanHub, applications are:
Launch PlanHub now to submit or track an application.
PlanHub Dashboard – Explore Development in MuskokaThe PlanHub Dashboard is an interactive map that shows planning applications across Muskoka that require District approval or comment. You can:
View the PlanHub Dashboard to see what’s happening in your community.
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August Spotlight - Unlocking Affordable Rentals |
August Spotlight - Unlocking Affordable Rentals
We’re launching creative partnerships and flexible funding to create more rental housing, faster. Head Lease Request for Information(RFI)We’re exploring a head lease model where the District would lease units from landlords and then sublease them to residents looking for affordable housing. This approach could bring more affordable rentals to market quickly. The open RFI invites landlords, housing providers, and developers to share their ideas on how this model could work for Muskoka. The RFI closes Monday, September 15th at noon. Explore the Head Lease infographic. Click to open it in a new window and learn how this model could work for Muskoka. Muskoka Affordable Housing Initiatives Program (MAHIP)“With support from MAHIP, we’ve been able to move forward on several projects over the past five years, bringing a total of 33 new affordable rental units to Muskoka. Programs like this make it possible for builders like us to take on projects that directly meet local housing needs.” - Steve Hernen – Brunel Road Management, MAHIP proponent.
Through MAHIP, the District offers funding opportunities to builders, developers, and homeowners to help increase affordable housing in Muskoka:
Capital Incentives – Through Capital Incentive Funding, the District will provide up to $100,000 per unit for developers and builders to create affordable rental housing through new construction or conversions of existing buildings.
This year’s Capital Incentive Program is fully subscribed for multi-residential units, showing strong demand and clear results when the right housing partnerships and solutions are in place. We’ll continue to share updates on future housing partnership opportunities, including when 2026 funding becomes available, through our website and email news updates. Rent Supplements – Landlords may be eligible to enter into rent supplement agreements where they receive a direct payment for a portion of the monthly rent (average of $235 per unit per month) toward rental units. Landlords interesting participating can contact the District at 705-645-2412 ext. 4326. Learn more about MAHIP: Muskoka Affordable Housing Initiatives Program
August Wrap-Up: Unlocking Affordable Rentals
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