Housing works best when it is written into three plans that agree with each other: the comprehensive community plan sets the vision and priorities, the land use plan decides where homes can go, and the capital plan schedules the lots, services and units year by year. When one plan changes and the others do not, projects stall. This guide shows what each plan should say about housing and how to keep the three in step.
This is general information drawn from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and First Nations Land Management Resource Centre material. Planning processes, funding rules and deadlines change, so confirm current requirements with your ISC regional office and your lands office before you rely on them.
What is a comprehensive community plan, and where does housing sit in it?
ISC's CCP Handbook describes comprehensive community planning (CCP) as "a holistic process that enables a community to build a roadmap to sustainability, self-sufficiency and improved governance capacity." It covers key planning areas that are "interrelated and interdependent": governance, land and resources, health, infrastructure development, culture, social issues and the economy. Housing usually sits under infrastructure development, but it touches every other area.
ISC's British Columbia region describes CCP on its Comprehensive Community Planning page as a planning process "initiated, designed and implemented by the community for the community," moving through four phases: pre-planning, planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. The same page notes that it "usually" takes 2 to 5 years to complete a CCP, typically with a community member hired as the Community Champion to oversee the process. The handbook notes that consultants "will not be responsible for implementing the plan," so the community needs its own capacity to lead.
For housing, the practical point is that the CCP is where the community agrees on what it wants and in what order. It is not where you design subdivisions or price units. Those details belong in the plans that follow from it.
What should the housing section of a community plan contain?
The handbook's "Plan for Housing in your CCP" section says housing "is an integral part of community development and impacts the well-being of individuals," and that a housing plan "should be a shared vision of what the community's housing will look like in the future." It suggests talking about housing needs as part of community engagement, and asking how many people rent and how many own, and whether the community needs "multi-family homes, single-family homes, Elders housing and/or singles housing." It names quality of construction, adequate sizing, design and financial viability as major considerations, and says community-based housing plans may include "policies, home occupant agreements, administrative processes, financial requirements, alternative designs and infrastructure needs."
Turned into a working outline, a housing section that the other plans can actually use would include:
- A housing vision in the community's own words, endorsed through the same process as the rest of the CCP.
- Housing goals with measurable objectives, for example the number of new units, the number of repairs, or a target for reducing the waitlist over a set period.
- The mix of housing the community wants: single-family, multi-family, Elders' units, singles' units, transitional units, rental and ownership.
- A summary of need, drawn from a separate housing needs assessment, so the CCP states the conclusion without carrying every table.
- Design principles, such as sizing for large families, accessibility and energy performance.
- Links to land and infrastructure: which areas are expected to take new housing and which services they will need.
- Who leads implementation, usually the housing department working with lands, public works and finance, and how progress will be reported back to members.
The handbook adds that if housing is identified as a priority, "the next step may be to develop a long-term housing strategy and plan." The CCP sets direction; the other plans carry it out.
How does the land use plan decide where homes can go?
ISC's Evaluation of Land Management Sub-Programs describes land use plans as "primary tools for governing over lands," and says developing one "can determine how decisions are made on where houses, parks and schools will be built, and how infrastructure and other essential services will be provided." That is the link to housing: without a land use plan, every new house becomes a one-off siting decision.
The First Nations Land Management Resource Centre's land use planning support page calls land use planning "a community-driven process" that is "about managing how the land is used now and deciding how it should be used in the future." Its reasons for developing a plan include mitigating "ad hoc development," preventing "incompatible land uses" and protecting "cultural resources and traditional sites." It also says a land use plan "can provide the basis for, or consider and work with other plans such as Economic Development Plans, Infrastructure Plans and Environmental Management Plans." It describes a process of seven to eight phases, from preplanning through drafting, engagement, ratification, and implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
For housing, a land use plan should at least show:
- Existing residential areas and the land designated for future residential growth.
- Land that should not be built on: flood-prone ground, sacred and cultural sites, protected areas, water sources and buffers around them.
- Where higher-density housing (duplexes, row housing, Elders' units) fits best, such as near the school, clinic or store.
- Corridors for roads, water and sewer lines, and power, so housing areas can be serviced in a logical order.
Not every Nation has one. The same evaluation found that "just 19% of small First Nations have a Land Use Plan," referring to Nations with a land base under 1,000 hectares. Under ISC's Reserve Land and Environment Management Program, land managers oversee work including "leasing, permitting, surveys, land use planning" and other land activities. The evaluation notes that since 2018, land use planning support has been delivered by two partners: the National Aboriginal Lands Managers Association for First Nations under the Indian Act, and the Resource Centre for First Nations under the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management. The Resource Centre's page lists development funding of up to $125,000 and implementation funding of up to $175,000 for eligible signatory First Nations. Check current intake and eligibility with the relevant organization.
How does the plan become a subdivision design?
A land use plan says an area is for housing. A subdivision design says how many lots, how large, in what layout, and in what phases. The handbook recognises this step, noting it may be necessary "to invest in an in-depth land-use plan or an updated physical development plan" before implementing larger projects. The Resource Centre lists "construction of new housing subdivisions" as an example of land use plan implementation on the ground, and "site-specific development plans, infrastructure needs analysis, land development review processes, zoning laws" as the management tools that guide it.
A subdivision design that serves housing well usually settles these questions with your engineer and planner:
- Phasing. Which lots are serviced first, so each phase can be occupied while the next is built, rather than waiting for the whole subdivision.
- Lot mix. Lot sizes and frontages for the housing types in your CCP: larger lots for single-family homes, grouped lots for multi-unit or Elders' housing.
- Road and service layout. Shorter runs of road, water and sewer per lot cost less to build and maintain over decades.
- Delivery access. Road grades, turning room and clear approaches, so equipment and large loads can reach each lot.
- Hazards and resilience. ISC's Evaluation of the On-Reserve Housing Program records First Nation and government respondents saying community plans should consider infrastructure resilience, including "developing housing away from riverbanks or seashores" and "replacing houses that risk being washed away."
- Reuse of serviced land. The same evaluation notes that the housing program "does not cover demolition costs," but that once abandoned buildings on serviced lots are demolished, those lots "would be shovel ready." Infill on existing serviced lots can be part of the plan.
Servicing, environmental review and approvals are separate steps with their own rules. The subdivision design is the bridge to the capital plan: it turns a coloured area on a map into costed, phased projects.
How does housing get into the capital plan?
For ISC-funded infrastructure, the capital plan is the First Nation Infrastructure Investment Plan (FNIIP). ISC's Evaluation of the Other Community Infrastructure and Activities Program describes the FNIIP as "a planning tool to help ISC assess infrastructure needs and strategically plan infrastructure investments," developed with First Nations "based on community-identified infrastructure needs." It explains that projects are ranked through the National Priority Ranking Framework, and "higher-ranked projects are placed in earlier years of the plan, while lower-ranked projects are placed in later years."
The housing evaluation found First Nations divided on how well this works. Some used "the FNIIP five-year plan to guide their longer-term planning," and one respondent said it "helped keep their community's housing planning on track." Others likened it to a "wish list," with projects staying on it for years. The infrastructure evaluation found that "the current planning over five years does not support strategic long-term planning and asset management principles," and that some communities do not make the best use of their FNIIP, possibly because of "a lack of collaboration among those responsible for community infrastructure and those who update the FNIIP."
That last finding is the one a housing manager can fix locally. Practical steps:
- Put every phase of the subdivision in the FNIIP, including surveys, design, lot servicing and roads, not only the housing units.
- Sequence it honestly: servicing projects belong in earlier years than the homes that depend on them.
- Use the same project names and numbers in the CCP implementation table, the housing plan and the FNIIP, so anyone can trace a line from goal to funding request.
- Update together. Have housing, lands, public works and finance review the FNIIP draft in one sitting before it goes to the regional office.
This post does not explain the funding programs or submission dates. For those, including the FNIIP deadline, see our guide to funding modular buildings for First Nations.
How do you keep the three plans in step over time?
The handbook offers a simple way to sort projects: short-term "within the next five years," medium-term "between five and 10 years," and long-term "between 10 and 20 years." Its prioritization questions include whether a project "require[s] infrastructure improvements (water, sewer, fire protection, roads)" and what sources of funding exist, which are exactly the questions that tie housing to land and capital planning. Its planning checklist suggests evaluating the plan annually, creating "new implementation strategies" in five-year periods, and updating the community plan "every 20 years or as required."
A workable rhythm for a housing department looks like this:
- Every year: check housing progress against the CCP objectives, update the FNIIP from the subdivision phasing, and fold housing actions into the annual work plan. The handbook says linking CCP goals "to the annual work plans of your community's administration" is the best way to make sure they are achieved.
- Every five years: refresh the housing needs assessment and the CCP implementation strategy, and confirm the land use plan still has enough residential land for the next phase.
- When something big changes, such as new land, a new water plant, a disaster or rapid population growth: revisit all three plans together, not one at a time.
The land management evaluation also warns that without support to implement it, a land use plan "can lie idle rather than act as a guiding tool for future development." Assigning a named lead and a yearly report back to council and members keeps the plans in use.
Where does a builder fit in?
A builder comes in after the community has decided what to build and where. Once a subdivision phase is designed and in the capital plan, factory construction can shorten the gap between serviced lots and occupied homes. Herauf Modular builds homes and community buildings as finished sections indoors in its Saskatchewan and BC plants, then delivers and sets them on site. Most builds are manufactured and delivered in about 16 weeks, with foundations, pads and services prepared on site at the same time. That parallel schedule is easier to plan when the lot servicing is already in the right year of the capital plan.
At Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement in Alberta, Herauf delivered 20 homes with CMHC and government agencies; they were installed within days, turning an empty plot into a lived-in community. At Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, homes sit on the Herauf rapid portable skid system: the skid stays under the home, so the build does not wait on a poured foundation and the unit can be relocated. Every unit meets or exceeds CSA A277 and the National Building Code for climate zones 6 through 8. For more on building types and foundations, see our overview of modular Indigenous housing.
Herauf does not administer funding, apply on a community's behalf or promise eligibility. If your community has a housing phase in its plans and wants to talk through unit types, delivery timing or site preparation, contact Herauf. We reply within one business day.
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Program rules change: confirm the details with the program, your Indigenous Services Canada regional office or CMHC before relying on them. Herauf does not administer any program or apply on a community's behalf.