Affordable housing in Brampton

Brampton, Ontario has experienced substantial residential growth throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Much of Brampton is geared toward homeownership. The Spingdale subdivision, which began development in 1990, is no exception.

In keeping with the Province of Ontario’s Land Use Planning for Housing Policy Statement at the time, 25% of the housing had to be “affordable”. The Province defined affordable housing as that which was affordable to households at the 60% income percentile and below. In the development of the secondary plan for Springdale, the City of Brampton noted that it was important for affordable housing to be spread throughout the entire new community, not concentrated in any particular area.

Greenpark, a very large developer in the Greater Toronto Area, built 667 of the first 1,700 homes in Springdale. Greenpark offered a range of housing from small, affordable starter homes for young families up to million dollar mansions. In fulfilling the need for affordable housing that could be integrated throughout the community, Greenpark chose to build some Uniquattro housing.

The Uniquattro, which was designed by Greenpark, is considered to be an innovative breakthrough in providing an affordable housing option for first-time homebuyers. The Uniquattro requires a reduced lot size and has a compact built form.

How the Uniquattro Works

The affordability of the Uniquattro can be attributed to reduced lot size and a compact floor plan.

Reduced Lot Size

One of the key elements that make the Uniquattro affordable is a reduction in lot size compared with conventional single-detached houses in the subdivision.

As a townhouse the Uniquattro requires a lot width of approximately 18 feet. This is about half the width for a single-detached house in Springdale.

As the site plan below illustrates, even though the lot sizes have a reduced width, they still provide open space for each household. Access to the rear yard in Model A is achieved by using the side yard. In Model B access to the rear yard is achieved via the garage. While width is reduced, the depth of the lot stays the same as other lots in the development, which allows for mixing lots and a smooth integration with other housing types in the community. The Uniquattro yields almost 17 units per acre.

Impact on the Provision of Affordable Housing

Uniquattros sold for $152,900 (1991). The sale price was below the Province of Ontario’s affordable price guideline at the time of $157,500. Households with an annual income of approximately $55,000 could afford to purchase the Uniquattro.

Single-family houses in Springdale of similar size, but located on 41 foot wide lots (more than twice the width of Uniquattro lots), sold for $189,900 compared to $152,900 for Uniquatros; a reduction of 24% ($37,000). This reduction in price is due to the more efficient use of land.

Summary of Impact on Housing Affordability

• Uniquattros sold for 3% ($4,600) less than the Province of Ontario affordable price guideline.
• Uniquattros sold for 24% ($37,000) less than homes of a similar square foot area but situated on lots 41 feet in width — twice the width of the lot occupied by one Uniquattro townhouse.