Q&A: What’s my plan for affordable housing in Cobourg?
Housing touches both levels of municipal and regional government, and it helps to understand who does what. The Town controls land use and zoning, including what gets built, where it goes and what form it takes. Northumberland County is responsible for housing and homelessness, including the strategy, funding and supports. As Mayor, I will sit at both tables. Here is what I will do at each.
As Cobourg Mayor
Think of housing as a continuum: emergency shelter, supportive housing, subsidized housing, affordable rental, attainable ownership and market housing. Cobourg has many single-detached homes at one end, while large towers are increasingly being proposed at the other. What is missing is everything in between: duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, stacked townhomes, small multiplexes, secondary suites and garden suites.
These are the homes that can allow seniors to downsize within their own neighbourhoods, give young families a more attainable entry point and create rental options that fit naturally into established residential areas.
Cobourg’s Official Plan is sixteen years old. The review is underway, but the next Council must make completing it a priority and get it done within the first year of the new term. We cannot keep making major development decisions using an outdated plan or negotiating expectations one application at a time. The updated Official Plan must clearly identify where growth should go, what forms and heights are appropriate, and what infrastructure will be needed to support it.
Most importantly, it must create a clear path for that missing-middle housing Cobourg actually needs. We do not need another document simply telling us that we need housing. We need a plan that will help get the right homes built in the right places.
Here are some proposed options we could explore based on what’s working elsewhere:
Reactivate Cobourg’s existing housing incentives by asking Council to review and relaunch the Affordable and Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan.
Launch a “One Property, One More Home” program. Many Cobourg homeowners have room for a basement apartment, secondary suite or garden suite but do not know where to begin. The Town would provide a plain-language approvals guide, a single staff contact and a catalogue of pre-reviewed designs suitable for common Cobourg properties. We could also explore a modest permit-fee grant as part of the CIP for homeowners who create a legal, long-term rental unit.
Create a housing concierge for nonprofit and affordable projects. Qualifying projects would have one point of contact to coordinate planning, building, engineering and funding requirements. The Town cannot waive every rule, but we can provide a clear path through the process and help credible projects move from concept to construction.
Turn the municipal land inventory into action. In 2021, Council directed a review of Town-owned land to identify properties that could help facilitate affordable housing, followed by public engagement in 2022. Council could revisit that work, update the status and suitability of the identified properties, and select at least one viable site for a competitive housing partnership. The Town could retain ownership through a long-term land lease while requiring a defined mix of affordable, accessible or seniors’ housing. This would not come at the expense of active parkland.
Restore a formal public voice in planning. We can reinstate the Planning and Development Advisory Committee so residents and people with experience in planning, construction, accessibility and housing can help shape major policies before decisions reach Council.
As Northumberland County Councillor
The numbers show the depth of Northumberland’s housing crisis. In 2025, 1,305 households were on the social-housing waitlist, but only 60 were housed from it. The waitlist has grown by more than 200 per cent over the past decade, and waits now reach 10 to 11 years in some communities. At any given time in 2025, 187 individuals or families were also active on the County’s By-Name List for homelessness services.
We need more than temporary responses. We need to increase the supply of supportive housing, cooperative housing, housing land trusts and rent-geared-to-income rentals across Northumberland. Here’s where I will lead:
Move the Intermunicipal Taskforce’s recommendations into action. As Deputy Mayor, I served on the Taskforce alongside elected representatives from all seven lower-tier municipalities. The Intermunicipal Taskforce on Housing and Homelessness published findings and recommendations following its Northumberland Housing Solutions Workshop, which focused on identifying development barriers and accelerating diverse housing stock. Its recommendations include improving flexibility in municipal planning, streamlining approvals, enabling repeatable development models and strengthening communication between municipalities and builders. At County Council, I will push to turn those recommendations into a shared implementation plan, with clear responsibilities, timelines and progress reporting across all seven municipalities. I also encourage residents to read Co-Chair and Port Hope Councillor Claire Holloway Wadhwani’s upcoming piece in Municipal World about the Taskforce’s work.
Push to update the County’s Housing Strategy. It must reflect what is happening now, including the growing number of seniors losing their housing, the shortage of deeply affordable rentals and the need for more supportive and cooperative housing.
Move the County’s identified housing lands toward construction. We need to understand what each property requires to become development-ready, whether it is servicing, zoning, infrastructure, financing or additional project capacity. From there, we can bring together the right nonprofit, cooperative or private-sector partners and pursue the funding and financing models needed to get viable projects moving.
Build partnerships that get shovels in the ground faster. We do not need to reinvent this work. For example, Indwell has built supportive and affordable housing across Ontario by combining efficient construction with on-site health and social supports. United Ways in various communities have partnered with healthcare networks, municipalities, businesses, and non-profits to build integrated supportive housing models. Smaller municipalities such as Markstay-Warren have offered land to Habitat for Humanity to build modular homes faster and at a lower cost. These are proven and replicable models Northumberland should bring into its own housing strategy.
Work with social enterprise partners to pair housing with employment and life skills training, so people aren't just housed, they're building toward independence.
Affordable housing will not be solved by the County working alone. My experience leading community-building and infrastructure projects, managing multiple stakeholders and securing diverse funding sources has equipped me to do this work. Most importantly, I am ready and excited to bring Town and County colleagues, housing providers, builders and community partners back around the same table to turn plans into funded projects. Success will not be measured by another strategy on a shelf. It will be measured by affordable homes built and people housed.
Have an idea or experience in creating affordable housing? I’d love to hear from you. Email me at hello@nicolebeatty.ca.
