New incentive for apartments
Council to vote in March on plan to drop development charges for small apartment buildings downtown
City councillors heard from the public on Monday about a proposed plan to to nix development charges for small apartment buildings in the downtown and start imposing development charges on industrial lands city-wide, instead. Craig Binning of the consulting firm Hemson spoke to councillors about the rules as they currently exist – and also about the proposed changes.
Right now developers have to pay development charges to put up an apartment building downtown, he said.
The new idea from Hemson Consulting would remove that charge for buildings with a minimum of 15 apartments as a way to encourage construction of downtown apartments. Meanwhile Hemson also recommends that the city start imposing development charges on all industrial lands (right now there’s no charge). If council adopts both ideas, says a city staff report, it wouldn’t likely cost anything: lost fees for apartment buildings downtown would be offset by new fees to build on industrial lands. Binning also explained to councillors on Monday that in case of an expansion of an industrial building, no development charges would apply unless the building grows by more than 50 per cent of its original size.
John Milne, executive officer for the Kawartha Homebuilders’ Association, said the group approves of the plan and thanked council for consulting the homebuilders on it.
Michelle Collins spoke on behalf of the community group Reimagine Peterborough. She said the group approves of the plan, primarily because it encourages intensification in the downtown.
But she asked council to consider a broader public consultation in the future on proposed changes to development charges rather than asking only the Homebuilders’ Association to weigh in.
She also asked councillors to consider identifying specific heritage features of the downtown before redevelopment takes place.
Collins also asked councillors to adopt incentives that might direct potential developers toward vacant brownfield lands first (as opposed to heritage buildings).
On Monday, no vote took place: councillors will receive a staff report at a meeting March 26 and it would go to a vote thereafter.