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Home » Burlington Council Unanimously Approves Lowering Development Charges to Encourage Additional Housing Builds

Burlington Council Unanimously Approves Lowering Development Charges to Encourage Additional Housing Builds

At our May 21 Burlington City Council meeting, we unanimously approved staff’s recommendation to decrease development charges to help encourage additional housing builds. See a related news release issued by the West End Home Builders Association (WE-HBA).

See My Take, the approved full motion from Council, and the associated staff report and related supporting documents below.

MY TAKE:

Today, Burlington City Council unanimously agreed to lower development charges to support the construction of more homes within our community. This unprecedented decision underscores our commitment to address the ongoing housing crisis, ensuring that Burlington remains an inclusive and accessible place for all to call home.

By reducing development charges, we are addressing removing a barrier that, in turn, will contribute to the growth and sustainability of our city. This aligns with our long-term vision for balanced and responsible development, while achieving our commitment to enable 29,000 new homes over the next ten years.

The reduction is a result of staff removing projects that will not be started within the time frame of the bylaw, and require upper level government approvals and funding that has not been received. Should the status of these projects change, we can reopen the bylaw or add the projects to a future bylaw.

Removing these projects ensures today’s homebuyers aren’t saddled with inter-generational expenses that may not be realized.

This decision is based on evidence and data provided to us by City staff and I want to commend them for their ambitious and quick work on this file. We need to be nimble and flexible as a municipal government in order to address the changing landscape of the housing crisis.

APPROVED MOTION:

Approve the City of Burlington 2024 Development Charges Background Study dated March 22, 2024, as amended under section 10 of the Development Charges Act, 1997 (the DCA); and
Approve the capital project listing set out in Chapter 5 of the Development Charges Background Study dated March 22, 2024, as amended; and
Approve the proposed Development Charges By-law with an effective date of June 1, 2024 as set out in Appendix G of the Development Charges Background Study dated March 22, 2024, as amended; and
Determine that no further public meetings are required in accordance with Section 12 of the Development Charges Act, 1997; and
Repeal By-law 29-2019 and amending By-law 26-2022, effective June 1, 2024.

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To read the staff report and related supporting documents, please click/tap the links below:

BACKGROUND & RELATED LINKS:

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