The backstory
In this story a developer who wants 600 units only obtained 284 and then was restricted to the type of units to be built -1\3 single family dwellings 2\3 higher density homes. The reason given by Council for not approving the 600 units was that there are sewage capacity concerns. Acknowledging that there is excess capacity in the system due to the Kraft closing Council wants to reserve it for use on the site.
But more interesting is the way the servicing will be accomplished. This application is in the Area "C" development area and the developer has two options for now, one for the future. If he hooks up to the Elgin St. sewer, on a temporary basis, he will have to pay for a sewer extension and development charges for area "C" and then when the Brook Rd. sewer is installed have to hook up to it at a later date. The ratio of houses to build is due to the higher standards for density in Provincial policy statement. With all these restrictions, the days of building in a "greenfield" are over - Praise the Lord! Either way this developer has a choice now, either build the houses or give it up. Just shows how much the environment has changed in a few years. I'll bet that when this guy started his application he thought, "I'll get a quick approval for 600 units, obtain the necessary zoning and then flip it to a big builder like Mattamy" It will be surprising to see this development go any further - at least until the "Places to Grow" policies are adopted - and there's a slim chance of that. Just goes to show that the days of traditional development practises are gone. Especially in a Town that has an historical build rate of 200 units a year.
But more interesting is the way the servicing will be accomplished. This application is in the Area "C" development area and the developer has two options for now, one for the future. If he hooks up to the Elgin St. sewer, on a temporary basis, he will have to pay for a sewer extension and development charges for area "C" and then when the Brook Rd. sewer is installed have to hook up to it at a later date. The ratio of houses to build is due to the higher standards for density in Provincial policy statement. With all these restrictions, the days of building in a "greenfield" are over - Praise the Lord! Either way this developer has a choice now, either build the houses or give it up. Just shows how much the environment has changed in a few years. I'll bet that when this guy started his application he thought, "I'll get a quick approval for 600 units, obtain the necessary zoning and then flip it to a big builder like Mattamy" It will be surprising to see this development go any further - at least until the "Places to Grow" policies are adopted - and there's a slim chance of that. Just goes to show that the days of traditional development practises are gone. Especially in a Town that has an historical build rate of 200 units a year.
2 comments:
great report Ben.You're darn right - how things are changing!
Just wonder how the new projections reconcile with the market impact studies done by First Professional? All that commercial development was based on a much brighter scenario, remember? Time will tell!
I'm going to stand by my earlier prediction that nothing will be built in Area C for quite some time.
In my neighbourhood a row of townhouses that started off selling for $269,000 are now advertised as starting at $186,000 and it doesn't look like there's much action even at that new price.
Across the street the hammers are busy on another housing project. Add in the units at the old hospital site, and several others around town, and I wonder who is going to buy these things.
This is just one reason why I worry about the viability of a fancy new community centre right now. Have we already forgotten about all the lost jobs in our area? What will the Town be doing to help those dislocated workers besides building new hockey rinks?
Maybe Plan B is to use the Centre as a shelter for homeless families.
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