The Ontario government has issued a ministerial zoning order at the request of Blue Door, which aims to speed up construction of new transitional and emergency housing on Gorham Street in Newmarket.
The zoning order approved by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra will permit a stacked townhouse with up to 14 units on property where Blue Door operates the existing Kevin’s Place shelter for male youth at 835 Gorham St.
The Town of Newmarket supported Blue Door's MZO request in January 2023.
“There is a significant need for housing in Newmarket. There is also an important need for housing for families that are on the lower end of the spectrum,” Newmarket Councillor Victor Woodhouse said at the time. “It would be wrong for myself, as a councillor, to hold up the process when there is an opportunity for funding to get this done."
The MZO specifies that the units shall be transitional and emergency housing only, laying out other zoning requirements such as setbacks. The project aims to provide up to 30 days of emergency housing and transitional affordable housing for up to one year. The location will expand from 12 units to 14 with the redevelopment.
Newmarket also previously supported an MZO for Inn From the Cold to speed up the process for a new facility for the homeless shelter.
Ontario has faced controversy in the past for issuing MZOs over municipal councils' decisions in its bid to push development forward. The Ford government issued more than 100 since 2018, but moved in December to revoke eight of those.
Although zoning is now in place for the Blue Door facility, it would still have to go through a site planning process with the Town of Newmarket.
