The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville will host a public workshop on March 27, 2026, to help residents and builders across Leeds and Grenville — including those from Brockville — learn how to use ready-made house plans to help create more affordable housing.
The event runs from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Urbandale Arts Centre inside the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville (285 County Road 44). The session is being organized by the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville with participation from the Municipality of North Grenville and representatives from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Organizers say the workshop will show local developers, non-profits and homeowners ways to reduce design time and costs.
Attendees will be walked through the CMHC Housing Design Catalogue — a library of about 50 standardized, regionally tailored design packages for low-rise housing (including accessory dwelling units, duplexes, fourplexes, sixplexes and rowhouses). CMHC and local officials describe the packages as providing a useful “head start” or near-permit-ready technical drawings, but participants are being advised that local zoning bylaws, site-specific conditions and municipal permitting requirements may still require professional modifications or additional engineering work.
The workshop is part of the region’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan (2025–2035), which the United Counties adopted to address a shortfall of affordable rental units in Leeds and Grenville. Local leaders say that using standardized, pre‑designed packages can help small municipalities move more quickly toward building the “missing middle” housing needed to house families and individuals in need.
