The provincial government’s recently proposed Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act could help municipalities boost their housing supply, according to the mayor of Belleville Neil Ellis.
Ellis tells Quinte News both he and staff like the so-called “use it or lose it” provision that allows municipalities to put a three-year deadline for developers to start construction after receiving draft plan of subdivision approval.
“What happens is that subdivisions (applications) come in and we allot them sewer and water capacity and then
the subdivision sits on the shelf and doesn’t get built. So it actually ends up costing other builders if we don’t have the services in that area and we can’t build houses because it’s (allotment) tied up.”
Ellis says another good idea is the province’s plan to allow as many as three residential units on what has until now been considered a single lot.
“If we can build them with the existing infrastructure that we have and fill and infill it’s good for everybody and with accessory dwellings you can basically build them for a lower cost with the city and the infrastructure.”
The proposed legislation known as Bill 185 would limit appeals to the Ontario Land Tribunal to applicants, public bodies, First Nations, and utility providers.
Also in the Bill are provisions to allow more residential growth near transit hubs and to make it easier to redevelop underused plazas and shopping malls.
