The Town of Petawawa engaged SHS Consulting to conduct a Housing Needs Assessment. The purpose of the Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) study was to gain a better understanding of housing needs and opportunities in Petawawa and to look at housing gaps as well as housing affordability with a look towards alternative forms of housing, specifically seniors housing. This information will be used to form policies within the Official Plan, and it has already been incorporated into the Housing Action Plan that was prepared to support the Town’s CMHC Housing Accelerator Fund Application.
The HNA is based on a review of detailed data sets looking specifically at the demographic profile, the housing profile, and overall housing needs within the Town of Petawawa. The consultant utilized key indicators, emerging issues, housing market gaps, and contributing factors to highlight areas for which the Town may want to prioritize. This data was obtained from Statistics Canada, CMHC housing starts, rental market information, and data from the Town and County of Renfrew.
The Housing Needs Assessment outlines three main housing gaps:
There is a need for the construction of purpose-built rental units. The analysis showed that only 44 units of purpose-built rental units have been constructed over the past 10 years. That has left individuals wanting to rent with, in many cases, having to rent existing single dwellings or secondary rental units created within those single detached dwellings. These units tend to be of older stock and often require more major repairs. This trend has created a sharp increase in rental prices and a decrease in vacancy rates within Petawawa. The data within the report shows that it is the renter households who are experiencing the greatest issue with affordability, spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
The Town’s population tends to be the youngest overall in the County of Renfrew and yet the senior age cohort, those people over the age of 65, is the fastest growing cohort in Town. These are also the households that are more likely to be low-income and require a range of options to be in a position to age in place. The majority of the housing stock that seniors own are single dwellings which may be too large and difficult for empty-nesters or single seniors to maintain. There are no long-term care homes or retirement homes in Petawawa and yet the County reports there is a demand throughout the County of Renfrew for seniors housing which is evident through the substantial waiting list that they maintain.
The study found that the growth in one or two-person households accounted for almost three-quarters of the total household growth between 2016 and 2021. The consultant identified that at the same time, the needs for family-sized households need to be considered. The number of 3 or 4-bedroom rental units has not changed since 2011, and they are also the most unaffordable units on the rental market in Petawawa. The family-sized units tend to be single detached dwellings which continue to increase in price and are unaffordable for moderate-income households.
Households experiencing the most affordability issues were one-person households and lone-parent households. These households are currently struggling to afford their housing accommodations.
Immigrant households require various forms of housing whether it be transitional in nature or multigenerational household accommodations. Diverse housing options that would include apartment units, tiny homes, and multiplexes would provide more options for a range of household sizes and types.
The comprehensive HNA report includes solution-based case studies from other communities that staff can consider as they utilize this data to advocate for and effect change to address these needs and gaps relative to our housing stock and capacities.
In the stakeholder sessions with builders and developers, it was very apparent that upfront costs were a significant factor in housing developments and the reason for the predominance of single detached dwellings which can be built and sold more readily. Municipal staff will be looking for options to support builders and developers in overcoming these cost challenges to realize more purpose-built rental units for all community residents.
The full HNA report is available as a document download in the file section of this webpage.
The Town of Petawawa has engaged SHS Consulting to conduct a Housing Needs Assessment. The objective of the Housing Needs Assessment is to:
Please take a few minutes to complete this Housing Needs Assessment Survey which will help inform the future direction of housing development in the Town of Petawawa. The survey is now CLOSED. Thank you to all who provided input.