Quinte West City Council is moving forward on a long postponed policy calling for an increase to development charges that would see a dramatic increase of over 150 per cent to $37,000 per single family home from just $15,000.
The charges help the city pay for increased demand for municipal services resulting from growth and are charged to developers to pay for municipal costs created by the development.
In April 2023, the City of Quinte West tasked Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. to put together a review of the development charges with an upcoming expiry of its current policy set for 2025.
In June 2024, the group presented the study which projected population growth and capital costs for new development over a 10- to 20-year period anticipating costs to be recovered through development charges at almost $245 million.
The consultants estimated that the development charges should be increased to $37,000 per single detached home.
At its council meeting on Wednesday, councillors heard from incoming Quinte Home Builders Association (QHBA) president & co-owner of Van Huizen Homes, Jon Van Huizen, who spoke against the proposed development charges increase.
Van Huizen cited concerns about how the numbers were reached in the study.
“The population numbers are different and they’re off by significant numbers from between 500 and 1000 that will have a dramatic impact on what that end number looks like, be it 37,000 or be it 30,000, whatever,” Van Huizen told council during his delegation.
“From our perspective, we need more time, but we need to make sure that there’s a willingness to truly answer these questions and work towards a development charge that is fair and equitable. So we need proper analysis of our population data.”
A motion was put forward to have the report be deferred once again to allow for further discussion but the motion ultimately failed to move forward.
Council later passed the motion to have the policy move forward.
City staff are now directed to bring forward a by-law that would enact the changes at its special council meeting set for October 30, 2024.
The full report on the proposed development charge increase from the study can be found at the City of Quinte West’s website.
