In September 2024, the Village of Radium Hot Springs was approved for a Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) grant worth up to $613,000 over four years. This federal program, delivered through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), supports local governments in taking action to increase housing supply.
Radium Hot Springs’ Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan
By receiving the HAF grant, Village Council has committed to implementing an action plan that includes six initiatives to support housing supply and adequate housing development in Radium Hot Springs.
Through these initiatives, the HAF has helped the Village of Radium Hot Springs achieve many of Council’s strategic priorities related to housing. Ongoing work by Village staff, with the support of the CMHC, has helped the Village deliver on these commitments.
The Six Initiatives:
1. Housing partners. The Village has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Columbia Valley Housing Society to partner on the development of rental housing in the Village. The Village is interested in expanding this MOU to include other local governments as opportunities arise.
2. Incentives to encourage affordable housing. The Village has recently implemented several incentives to encourage affordable housing development in Radium Hot Springs. These include a priority application process, lower off-street parking requirements, and municipal tax exemptions for purpose-built rental projects. Other incentives include a development cost charge waiver for properties rented at an affordable rate.
3. Land acquisition. In 2025, the Village acquired just over four acres of land in north Radium with support from the Housing Accelerator Fund. Work toward development of purpose-built rental housing is underway for this property.
4. Infrastructure planning. The Village is updating several plans and reports to ensure adequate infrastructure capacity to support development. These include the Village’s Interim Housing Needs Report, Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw, Development Cost Charge Bylaw, Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw, water utility hydraulic model, and sewer utility capacity model.
5. Allowing increased density. The 2026 draft Zoning Bylaw includes draft policies allowing for greater density across all zones, encouraging better use of limited land resources. For example, the Village’s lowest density residential zone would allow construction of duplexes in addition to single-family homes, and the Village’s most dense residential zone would allow construction ranging from fourplexes up to 150 units per hectare.
6. Waiving public hearings. Similar to many communities across BC, the Village of Radium Hot Springs has removed the requirement for public hearings for residential property rezonings which are consistent with the Village’s Official Community Plan . This speeds up the approval process for housing projects that align with community planning goals.
For more information about the Housing Accelerator Fund program, visit CMHC’s Housing Accelerator Fund page.
