Daily News: Centre for Cities, Cross Border Institute Supporting Community Partners on Federally Funded Housing Data Research

(21 January 2022) The Windsor Law Daily News highlights the Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs) project, led by Sarah Cipkar and Frazier Fathers, UWindsor Masters of Arts graduates in political science.

ADUs are small residential units built by homeowners on their existing property, usually in backyards or laneways. A number of municipalities, including the City of Windsor, have created zoning bylaw provisions to allow ADUs over the years, but data tools to support their design, approval and construction have been limited. After receiving proof of concept funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in 2021, a Windsor-based team led by Family Services Windsor-Essex developed an ADU data tool: ADUSearch.ca. The online interactive mapping tool allows users to see if it is possible to build a detached ADU in compliance with the local zoning bylaws on an individual property.

Last week, $2.2 million in funding was announced by Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk to support the ADUSearch.ca tool being scaled nationally over the next year and a half. The tool will provide data on the 100 largest municipalities across Canada. The funding comes through CMHC’s Housing Supply Challenge, which funds projects aimed at supporting innovative solutions to Canada’s housing crisis.

Read the full article here.

Photo Credit: UWindsor Daily News