Despite concern by the local construction industry, Quinte West City Council moved forward on establishing a new by-law that would see an increase to development charges.
The new charges would see an over 150% increase to $37,000 on an urban single family home.
Before the meeting on Wednesday, the Quinte Homebuilders’ Association (QHBA) put out a press release calling on people in the local construction industry and in the general public to appear at the meeting to protest the proposed changes.
In the release, chair of the Homebuilders’ Association Jon Van Huizen says such a huge increase would have “far-reaching consequences for the local construction industry and homebuyers.”
He spoke during the public input session of the meeting and said that businesses have reached out to him reconsidering the projects because of the increases alone.
“150% is too much of an increase and I get it, we can spin studies that say, ‘Yeah, we need to raise this,” Van Huizen explained to council.
“We can also come together with a plan that says something that’s affordable and I think a development charge of $30,000 a unit is probably something we should be looking at, not $37,000 a unit. I think there’s still other nuances to the development charge study that are going to hurt the city a lot more than benefit the city.”
Another developer, Travis Royle, spoke how the proposed charges increase would affect him as a smaller developer, specifically a project where was to build a sixplex and a triplex.
“My development charges are gonna go from $99,000 to $254,000,” Royle told council.
“For the small guy this is gonna make it so that I can’t continue to do builds, more housing, etc, etc. So I’d love for you guys to just really re-consider. The change that you’re about to make, it’s handcuffing the large guys to go out of Trenton, and it’s going to make someone like myself do the same.”
Following several speakers discussing the development charges increase during public input, council then discussed the upcoming by-law with councillor Jim Alyea saying he would not be supporting the by-law as presented.
“I know what our staff presented to us. It’s not a rosy picture, that’s for sure,” Alyea said.
“Yes, we know everything costs more every day. It’s just astronomical what things are. But we have to, I think, look at things in a common sense, respectable way and I still think it’s too much, and I won’t be supporting the by-law as presented.
On the other end, councillor Shelley Stedall says that she believes, based on information from CAO David Clazie about how the by-law needed to be implemented in order for existing projects to move forward, that there is no time for a deferal on the issue and that council must move forward.
“We either are supporting these projects or we’re not supporting these projects,” Councillor Stedall told council.
“If we are, then we have to implement the Development Charges now, because otherwise it’s going to end up on the taxpayers and you know how I feel about tax rates going up.”
In a recorded vote, the by-law passed 9-4.
Those voting in favour included councillors Duncan Armstrong, Zack Card, Sally Freeman, David McCue, David O’Neill, Lynda Reid, Karen Sharpe, Shelley Stedall and Mayor Jim Harrison.
Those opposed included councillors Jim Alyea, Egerton Boyce, Michael Kotsovos, and Don Kuntze.
