Town of Stratford funded by CMHC

The Town of Stratford has been funded by CMHC for their project Overcoming Zoning Challenges in Land Use Planning. Learn More about the project details.

Stratford has encountered resistance to increased density. The perception is that preserving the character of the town is an impediment to affordable housing.

This project addresses this resistance through:

• education and awareness of the implications of planning and development decisions over the longer term
• building more collaborative processes that could be adopted by other municipalities in future

Zoning barriers have been established that discourage diversification of housing stock. Considerable resistance to change exists, yet the town is facing an anticipated shortfall of housing to meet population growth over the next 20 years.

The town will carry out a comprehensive public education and social media campaign to engage and educate community members and decision-makers on:

• housing needs
• development trends
• land use planning

The goal is to deconstruct the stigma around higher density and diversified housing needs.