City of Coffs Harbour Council has thrown its support behind a local housing project that will see 12 units built to provide crisis and transitional accommodation for Legacy families and female veterans.
The Council has voted to waive developer charges of more than $166,000 for water and sewer services associated with the Albany Street development.
Driven by Coffs Coast Legacy, the three-storey Bob Denner Legacy Apartment build was made possible after a successful grant application under the Veterans Acute Housing Program.
“This is a unique project and it is one the Council – by unanimous vote – is happy to support. The development meets a need in our Local Government Area (LGA) that is not currently met by government or other private sector providers,” said Acting Mayor, George Cecato.
“The initiative will see the delivery of low cost transitional housing and emergency accommodation for veterans and their families who are experiencing housing insecurity, domestic violence, or other complex issues.”
Slated for completion in late 2027, the project will see construction of seven one-bedroom, three two-bedroom and two three-bedroom apartments.
“Coffs Coast Legacy is so grateful for the unanimous approval from Councillors of our request for fee relief. As a charity, facing rising costs, we acknowledge this support for a very worthy and very needed development. We look forward to continuing work on our project in Albany Street,” said Coffs Coast Legacy President, Jeremy Nash.
Developer charges for water and sewer services are calculated using a structured process based on state guidelines and planning requirements, and consider the infrastructure needed to service growth, the cost of providing additional capacity and how these costs are apportioned across new developments.
City Chief Financial Officer, Amy Mott said the decision to waive the charges in this instance was rare and would need to be made up from the Strategic Initiatives Reserve, which would see its balance fall to $1.5 million as a result.
“Jointly funded by a Commonwealth grant from the Department of Veteran Affairs and a combined land and monetary contribution from Coffs Coast Legacy, the project is being driven by a registered charity organisation with an established local presence in aged care, community support and low-cost housing,” Ms Mott said.
Deputy Mayor Cecato said the Coffs Coast Legacy proposal aligns with the City’s strategic objective of increasing affordable housing supply and reducing barriers to housing delivery and due to the scale of the proposal no immediate infrastructure upgrades are required.
Council further resolved to receive a report which considers a draft policy for ‘an exemption for affordable housing from Section 64 Charges’ when all the following conditions at a minimum are met:
- An appropriate general revenue or internal reserve funding source is identified to reimburse the Water and Sewer Funds ‘waived’ contributions;
- The development meets a need in the LGA that is not currently met by government, community housing, non-government or other private sector providers; and
- The affordable housing provider or proponent is to provide evidence that all available Australian and NSW Government grants, subsidies, funding programs and infrastructure assistance opportunities have been identified, assessed and pursued, with Council assistance only considered where a demonstrated funding gap remains.
