Bylaws hinder home-building

Re Builders, not government, to blame for housing shortage, Letters, April 29

The lands that Victor Doyle mentions might be available. However, if those lands are not supported by critical infrastructure then new development is delayed or stopped completely. To suggest that there is plenty of serviceable land in the GTA is an oversimplification.

The type of housing that is being created today is as much about government policy as homebuyer preference. Our industry is focused on creating new complete communities and homes that people can afford to buy in accordance to the Places to Grow Act. Of the total homes built in 2006 when the Places to Grow Act was released, 81.7 per cent were lowrise and 18.2 per cent were highrise. In 2017, the number of lowrise homes built was 17.5 per cent and 82.5 per cent were highrise. The majority of highrise buildings are being built in government-mandated urban-growth centres to keep up with intensification legislation.

Many cities in the GTA are struggling to update their official plans, let alone their bylaws. As a result, municipalities are operating with outdated bylaws that do not match new provincial intensification policy. Outdated zoning makes a long approvals process even longer and contributes significantly to delays in bringing projects to market, which in turn can mean additional costs for new homebuyers. Having all GTA municipalities update their zoning bylaws would help alleviate these issues and would enable the industry to build much needed housing. Dave Wilkes, president and CEO, Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD)