About Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)
Overview of HAF Program
In spring 2023, the Government of Canada launched the Housing Accelerator Fund to support local governments in creating transformational changes to boost housing supply.
In the spring of 2025, the Town of Yarmouth was awarded $2.3 million to implement its Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Action Plan. In May of 2026, the town was awarded an additional $370,000 through the HAF, bringing the Town’s total funding to approximately $2.67 million. With this investment, the Town aims to achieve a Housing Supply Growth Target of 132 net new residential units over the next three years.
To ensure the success of this ambitious goal, the Town has developed a comprehensive HAF Housing Action Plan, featuring six strategic initiatives designed to drive housing development.
- Initiative 1: Create a Surplus Lands Program for Affordable Housing
- Initiative 2: Develop a Parking Management Strategy
- Initiative 3: Regulatory Changes to Support Housing
- Initiative 4: Create a Priority Approvals Stream for Housing Projects
- Initiative 5: Development Incentives Program
- Initiative 6: Updates to the Town’s Subdivision Bylaw and develop a new Site Servicing Design Manual
More information can be found on each initiative below.
Initiative 1: Create a Surplus Lands Program for Affordable Housing
Town of Yarmouth has been working with non-profit housing providers to provide surplus Town lands for projects that have an affordable housing component. This program will use funding to refine and formalize the existing process by identifying priority sites and making the sites ‘shovel-ready’. Program components include identifying, prioritizing, and advertising a list of potential sites, creating policy and protocol on the disposal of Town owned lands for affordable housing, and pre-zoning the sites to allow multi-residential uses. This initiative would accelerate:
- More supply of housing
- Support affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse communities
- Support complete and walkable communities with diverse land uses and access to amenities.
To learn more about this initiative, please visit: https://www.townofyarmouth.ca/surplus-land-for-affordable-housing-program.html
Initiative 2: Develop a Parking Management Strategy
This initiative will focus on developing a parking management strategy to support reduced or eliminate parking minimums for residential infill development which considers residential permitting systems, optimization, demand management strategies, and winter road maintenance activities. This initiative will be critical in supporting other initiatives including accessory dwelling units, conversion of office space, affordable housing, and conversion of existing single dwellings into multi-dwelling units.
Learn more by visiting: https://getinvolvedyarmouth.ca/parking-management-strategy
Initiative 3: Regulatory Changes to Support Housing
The Town has identified a number of current zoning regulations that impede approvals of new housing at all scales. These include restrictive zoning, the frequent use of development agreements (i.e. “discretionary” approvals), large minimum lot sizes, restrictions on residential facilities (care homes, assisted living, etc.), and unclear permission for accessory dwelling units.
This initiative would lead to the amendment of the Town’s Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw to support additional housing.
Initiative 4: Create a Priority Approvals Stream for Housing Projects
This initiative focuses on optimizing and prioritizing the housing development approval process within the town. The goal is to streamline procedures, reduce delays, and prioritize housing projects—both affordable and market-rate—to support the town’s growth and development needs effectively.
Learn more about the town's Priority Review Stream for New Housing program here: https://www.townofyarmouth.ca/priority-review-stream-for-new-housing.html
Initiative 5: Development Incentives Program
The Town is committed to fostering community development and attracting investments through the implementation of a robust Development Incentives Program. By offering strategically selected benefits and advantages, this program aims to:
- stimulate developers of affordable housing and enhance project feasibility with financial support or reduced regulatory burdens to undertake projects they might otherwise avoid due to high costs or perceived risks;
- foster community benefit with incentives tied to community-focused goals, such as affordable housing, public spaces, or infrastructure improvements and climate resilience;
- address specific housing needs within the town, such as affordable housing or mixed-use developments;
- attract investors and developers from outside the area;
- actively promote the Developer Incentives Program to developers, showcasing its potential to mitigate risks, maximize benefits, and establish the Town as an attractive and welcoming destination for development projects.
Check out the details of our Affordable Housing Grant Program here: https://www.townofyarmouth.ca/affordable-housing-grant-program.html
Initiative 6: Updates to the Town’s Subdivision Bylaw and develop a new Site Servicing Design Manual
In May of 2026, the town was awarded an additional $370,000 through the HAF, bringing the Town’s total funding to approximately $2.67 million. The new funding will help complete Initiative 6 - updates to the Town’s Subdivision Bylaw and develop a new Site Servicing Design Manual. While these may sound technical, they are important tools that help make it easier and more efficient to plan, approve, and build new housing.