The Quinte Home Builders Association has some serious concerns that Belleville City Council may consider a motion to reject strong mayor powers and the goal of meeting 3,100 new housing starts by 2031.
Councillor Paul Carr issued a Notice of Motion at Monday’s meeting.
In his motion he also suggested the province should punish developers who don’t build developments already approved by the city.
Jon Van Huizen, chair of the Association’s Builder Developer Advisory Group, says that’s their real concern.
“There are just so many other factors that would cause builders to build and not to build, that it’s really impossible to put a metric on individual builders in your region and then penalize them for not hitting targets if the houses just aren’t selling.”
Strong mayor powers include allowing mayors to propose housing-related by-laws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, as well as override council approval of certain by-laws and prepare their city’s budget, instead of council.
In addition to strong mayor powers, there are financial incentives for municipalities who meet their housing targets.
Van Huizen believes they can meet the 3,100-unit target and says since the mayor has already indicated he would have no intention to use strong mayor powers, it just makes sense to accept the province’s offer.
“So if you accept it and you reach those targets the city will get that funding. If they reject it, then they don’t get that funding even if they hit the target. So it’s kind of a no-brainer. You don’t reject the powers, you take them. You promise you’re not gonna use them and then you achieve those targets.”
Van Huizen says they are here to work with municipalities and are always open to having discussions.
“We actually with the City of Belleville have been creating great relationships by having quarterly meetings with city staff and there is an open invite for councillors to attend those meetings as well. So far only the mayor has attended those meetings. But those are intended to actually deal with these kinds of issues before they become issues.”
Van Huizen says they are already on track to meet the required amount of housing starts for this year.
Read the full statement from the Quinte Home Builders Association below:
QHBA responds to Belleville City Council Strong Mayor Powers notice of motion
The Quinte Home Builders’ Association has been the leading voice in residential construction in the region for more than 60 years. We foster and develop partnerships with municipalities to work together on solutions to bring more housing online. Recently, we have been made aware that Belleville City Council will be considering a motion rejecting Strong Mayor powers and the goal of meeting 3,100 new housing starts, including affordable and market units, in the City of Belleville over the next 8 years. Additionally, we understand the motion also includes a request to “punish developers and builders who don’t build”.
The QHBA wants to continue to work with our municipal partners and other stakeholders across the region to increase housing supply. It is important to note, however, that the development process extends far beyond the draft plan approval process over which municipalities have full control. To get a development to final approval and have building permits issued so construction may begin, involvement of many other municipal departments, and external agencies that are not part of the original planning process are required. This process can take years and is often out of the control of the developers, builders, and their agents. It’s also important to note that the current economy and rising interest rates greatly affect market demand, and there’s been a decline in housing starts across the country. According to recent CMHC data, Canada’s 254,966 starts were down 10 per cent in July from June of this year. Additionally, there are labour shortages, increasing material costs, rising municipal fees and charges, and changing legislation that add challenges to getting shovels in the ground. NIMBYism and red tape also play a role in delaying the land development and building process.
Amidst all these challenges, our industry continues to build across the region by working together with municipalities. The QHBA has been an active stakeholder for years, bringing forward challenges and solutions, and working with municipalities on efforts to increasing housing supply. And the numbers support that. The City of Belleville has recently reported 281 approved units (year to date, August 2023). This number includes apartments, accessory dwelling units, and new home construction and as such, it appears that the municipality could be positioned to meet the target set out by the province. In addition, the QHBA is not aware of any local developments that are not working toward the final approval process. We also know there are existing and costly mechanisms in place in the approvals process that penalize applicants, through an approval’s expiry, if final approvals are not reached. The QHBA would like to be made aware of specific developments which are not moving forward, and will assist the City of Belleville, or any other municipality in our region, to share an understanding of what is delaying the development from proceeding.
The residential construction industry represents 5554 jobs, $392M in wages, and $826M in investment across the region. Our members are in business to develop, build, supply and renovate homes, and their businesses are impacted if they unable to do that. The QHBA will continue to work as a partner to municipalities, providing data, industry experience, and insights to encourage the recognition of residential construction as a key player in sector-specific economic development conversations. We will continue to advocate for skilled trades and increasing housing supply for the future of our industry. We will continue play an important role in affordable housing conversations and action tables. We will also continue to build communities across the region and give back to the very communities in which we build, develop and live.
We hope that Belleville City Council will consider the industry perspective related to this motion and make decisions that support solutions to unlocking more housing. We also hope our elected officials across the region will continue to act as housing champions and work with our industry, not against it.
The Quinte Home Builders Association and its member businesses are, and will continue to be, partners in the solution to building more homes.
