The City of Spruce Grove is a vibrant, dynamic community of nearly 40,000 people. Over the next 20 years, the population is anticipated to increase by more than 25,000. To accommodate and responsibly plan for this growth, the City developed a Housing Strategy, which identifies short-term initiatives and long-term actions to respond to the City’s housing needs and inform decisions on land use and development.

The Housing Strategy considers the role of the municipality within the local housing system, and how relationships with community organizations and developer and builder communities can promote change. City processes, systems and land use planning can also be leveraged to have an impact on the housing system and the types of homes built within Spruce Grove. This strategic approach aims to provide a variety of housing options, while maintaining the high quality of life that residents of Spruce Grove enjoy and supporting long-term social and economic well-being.

Strategy Development

The first step in developing the City’s Housing Strategy was to complete a Housing Needs Assessment, which provides a snapshot of housing needs in the city. The Assessment identifies what housing gaps exist today in Spruce Grove and pending different population growth scenarios, what housing demands and gaps may exist in the future. Information gathered from the Assessment informed development of tactics used as part of the engagement phase of the Housing Strategy project. 2024 City of Spruce Grove Housing Needs Assessment.

The next step in the Housing Strategy project was to engage with the community to gather the input necessary to enable the development of the housing strategy. A variety of engagement tactics were used to engage the community from June 3, 2024 - July 24, 2024. An overview of these tactics and the information collected can be found in the Housing Strategy Engagement: What We Heard Report.

After the What We Heard Report was presented to Council on September 16, 2024 for information, Administration will conduct an analysis of the existing Land Use Bylaw, recently approved Municipal Development Plan, and other related policies and Master Plans to determine existing state of planning and development policies. This information was then compared to the data collected through the engagement phase to assess for possible gaps and/or opportunities. Policy focused discussions and Council input then informed development of the draft housing strategy.

The final version of the Housing Strategy was approved by Council on January 13, 2025. 

Reporting Back to the Community

As the Housing Strategy is designed to be a living document, it is essential to plan for future updates and progress reporting. Once approved, the strategy will be reviewed annually to incorporate new information (e.g., municipal or federal census updates), adjust potential actions, and identify completed actions. Some actions will be ongoing, with progress occurring gradually and incrementally. Updates on the strategy’s implementation and progress will be included in existing reporting processes. Additionally, Administration will regularly engage Council to gather their feedback and insights on new and emerging housing opportunities and challenges, which will be incorporated into the strategy.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Housing Strategy, please email a member of our team.