Housing crisis declared in Town of the Blue Mountains

The Town of the Blue Mountains officially ratified the declaration of a housing crisis in Monday's council meeting, three weeks after voting in favour of the motion.

The ratification does not carry any specific call to action, but Town staff said they would continue working with the province and Grey County to increase housing stock.

"We are the second fastest growing municipality in Canada, but there is a lack of mixed housing in order to be able to for us to be able to meet all of our community needs," said Mayor Andrea Matrosovs. "It's come to the point where we really have to be able to respond to this in an urgent manner."

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A real estate expert confirmed to CTV News that the popularity and growth of the ski resort continues to be great for tourism but not for local housing.

"The focus on investment property is driving up the prices, limiting the availability of affordable houses for the local residents and seniors looking to downsize," stated Liliana Grovu from eXp Realty.

According to the Town, the average price of a single detached home in the Blue Mountains is $ 1.37 million, while a townhome is $800,000 on average. Single detached homes make up 82 per cent of the Town's housing mix, while townhomes make up 12 per cent, and apartment-style units make up six per cent.

Further, owners tend to prefer quality over quantity when it comes to monthly rentals.

"There are a lot of places into the range of between $3,000 to $6,000 [per month]," said Grovu. "Investors are willing to keep [properties] empty for a long time until they find the quality and the person that can afford that."

The Town's Community Improvement Plan suggests incentivizing the construction of apartment-style properties and adding secondary and tertiary units to existing builds.

In a statement to CTV News, a Grey County spokesperson said they currently support 60 affordable housing units in the Town of The Blue Mountains and provide some rental support. However, their next affordable housing builds are intended for Dundalk and Owen Sound.