Land for Housing

LAND FOR HOUSING INITIATIVE

The Land for Housing Initiative supports the creation of new affordable housing supply by making provincially owned land available for housing development. To aid in offsetting some capital costs, land sites considered suitable for housing will be made available to private and community housing developers in return for a commitment to create and maintain several new units at affordable rates. 

The Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking proposals for affordable housing developments. See the Property Opportunity Notices below for currently available sites and be sure to check back regularly as more sites will continue to be made available. 

See current Property Opportunity Notices

ELIGIBILITY

Land will be made available through a competitive process to applicants/projects that meet the following criteria*:

  • Applicant must be, or partner with, a private company, non-profit society, charity, or housing cooperative registered and in good standing with Joint Stocks in any Canadian province or territory, and authorized to do business in Nova Scotia
  • Previous experience with property development and management, or a project team with demonstrated experience
  • Depth of affordability proposed in the application (affordable unit rents will not exceed 80% of Average Market Rents around the development); proposals with deeper affordability will be prioritized
  • Proposals must show the financial viability of the project – both construction and operations
  • Ability to meet minimum equity requirements: 20% for private sector, 5% for community housing 
  • Proposals with higher environmental, accessible, and broader socio-economic outcomes will be prioritized
  • Partnerships between community housing developers and private sector are encouraged

*See Property Opportunity Notice for full eligibility criteria. Criteria may be subject to change based on specific land sites and communities in which they are located.

All types of proposed housing projects will be considered dependent on the suitability of the various land sites. This can include, but is not limited to:

  • Mixed-income, mixed-use, and mixed-tenure projects
  • Single or multi-family dwellings
  • Single room occupancy, co-housing, and micro-units
  • Seniors’ independent living housing (excluding health care or long-term care facilities)
  • Must be primarily residential
     

APPLY

Please review the Property Opportunity Notices below that specify in greater detail proposal requirements, assessment criteria and timelines, in addition to detail on the available land sites. Proposals received during the submission period for each Property Opportunity Notice will be reviewed by an evaluation committee and assessed on the attributes of the overall proposal.

Questions on specific Property Opportunity Notices or proposal submissions may also be directed to  LandforHousing@novascotia.ca.  Answers that may have material impact on submissions will be compiled and made available on this webpage.

Program Documents

NOTE:   Right-click the document and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Save link as’ to download and view documents on your computer.

Program FAQs

Proposal Guidelines for Applicants (PDF 187KB)

Capital Costs and Pro-Forma Operating Budget Template (EXCEL  27KB)

 

PROPERTY OPPORTUNITY NOTICES

Cape Breton Island

No. 125 Ranna Drive, Sydney
Submission Deadline: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.5MB)

 

Halifax Regional Municipality

Larrigan Drive, Lower Sackville
Submission Deadline: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.6MB)

 

Northern Region

Highway No. 376, Pictou
Submission Date: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.5MB)

Mechanic Street, Springhill
Submission Date: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.1MB)

Birchwood Drive, Pictou County
Submission Deadline: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.6MB)
 

Southern Region

Jubilee Rd, Hebbville
Submission Date: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.4MB)

King Street, Bridgewater
Submission Date: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.3MB)

Queens County
Submission Date: Open
Download this notice (PDF 3MB)

Sawdust Trail, Yarmouth
Submission Deadline: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.3MB)

Kempt Street, Yarmouth
Submission Deadline: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.4MB)

 

Western Region

Highway No 1, Falmouth
Submission Deadline: Open
Download this notice (PDF 2.4MB)
 

 

Are you looking for a development partner? If you are a community housing developer (co-operative or non-profit) or private developer and are looking for a partner to develop a housing project related to the Land for Housing Initiative, register on our Partnership Contact List. Your information will be published here and made publicly available to others also seeking a partner in a potential development. Partnership Contact lists will be updated when new entries are received.