Building highrises key to provincial growth plan
We joke in the GTA that we have two seasons: winter and construction.
Most people could do without winter, but construction is essential to city building. We put up with it because we know that infrastructure like roads, sewers and water mains must be continually maintained to ensure the viability of our growing cities. The same can be said when it comes to new condo construction.
On occasion, large construction projects like condos in the downtown core can take up traffic lanes and create traffic slowdowns. Unfortunately, to keep up with the influx contributing to the 9.7 million people who will call the GTA home by 2041, and to build according to the province’s growth plan policies, our industry will be building highrise structures in urban areas that may slow down your daily commute.
Recently, a City of Toronto motion was put forth to consult with the development industry to eliminate the practice of occupying sidewalks and traffic lanes for construction purposes. While this might help ease traffic congestion, it does very little to help keep the cost of new homes down. If the development industry must build off-site staging areas, instead of using the legal city right-of-way, the extra cost incurred will ultimately make new homes more expensive.
A construction staging area is a physical location used for the storage of construction-related equipment and materials, such as vehicles and stockpiles. The city has policies to deal with this issue, and the construction in- dustry pays hundreds of thousands of dollars per project to be able to use city property for this legal and long-standing purpose.
The provincial growth plan calls for more intensification in urban areas where transit is available — and where people work. In accordance with the province’s policies, the City of Toronto has urban design guidelines that allow for the construction of tall buildings very close to the property line. These are the challenges of building in an urban environment. There is little or no room to do anything on the site and the only way to build safely is to take a lane of public traffic.
Developers often reach out to residents for solutions in a bid to alleviate traffic congestion while also trying to keep costs down and maintain the affordability of new housing.
For instance, one developer of a midtown, 70,000-square-foot condo was considering an underutilized park adjacent to the highrise as an alternative to using the street. Having to build a separate staging site at a cost of $1 million would have increased the price of a condo unit by $20,000 or $30,000. Using the street is the best way to keep the development affordable.
As the municipal elections approach, we are encouraging voters to talk to their candidates about ways to bring new housing to market that people can afford to buy.
Visit buildforgrowth.ca and send a message to your local council or mayoral candidate to commit to increasing housing supply and affordability for the people of the GTA.