Build For Growth: Help Make Housing A Priority
By NextHome Staff
August 25, 2018
August 25, 2018
Help Make Housing a Priority in the Municipal ElectionsAre you or your loved ones planning to look for a new condo or house in the GTA in the near future? Then you will want to pay special attention to the municipal elections coming up on October 22.That’s because municipal governments have the most direct influence over new housing — what type will get built, how many units and where they will be located. If we want to be able to find new homes that suit our needs, at prices we can afford, we need municipal leaders who will make housing a priority and take action on increasing housing supply and affordability in our region.With 115,000 people coming to live in the GTA every year, our region is projected to grow to 9.7 million residents by 2041. We should be building 55,000 new homes every year to keep up with housing demand, yet only 44,000 homes were built last year. A major reason for this shortfall is the sheer amount of regulation, a lot of it out of date, that slows down building and development. As a result, it now takes about 10 years to complete a lowrise or highrise project in the GTA. And because housing is in short supply, it is becoming less and less affordable, with government fees, taxes and charges further adding to the prices of new homes.
In the lead-up to the municipal elections, our Build for Growth campaign is putting forward a four-point plan on how local governments can increase housing affordability and supply. First of all, we are asking GTA municipalities to make sure government fees, taxes and charges applied to new homes are fair and equitable. Currently, fees applied by all levels of government can account for almost a quarter of the cost of a new home; those levied by municipalities typically make up more than half the total burden and are skyrocketing. These costs can price new homebuyers out of the market.Second, municipalities need to prioritize the funding and building of good, reliable infrastructure, including roads, transit, parks, water and wastewater facilities. Without this crucial infrastructure in place, the building of new homes slows down or stops completely.Third, local governments should streamline the planning approval process, which unnecessarily slows down development. Municipalities should pre-designate and pre-zone land for development, update local Official Plans and zoning bylaws, simplify the list of conditions for municipal approvals and encourage the province to expedite outstanding environmental assessments.And finally, we are suggesting that municipalities adopt a Standard of Service Excellence for building permits and inspections. Speeding up these processes will make it quicker and easier for homeowners to renovate their homes or build secondary suites or laneway housing, which can help increase housing supply in established neighbourhoods.Would you like to help make housing a priority in the municipal elections? We invite you to visit the Build for Growth campaign website, BuildForGrowth.ca, to get more information about the issues and send a letter to your municipal candidate to let him or her know that you care about housing issues.
DAVE WILKES is President and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD).Bild.ca
In the lead-up to the municipal elections, our Build for Growth campaign is putting forward a four-point plan on how local governments can increase housing affordability and supply. First of all, we are asking GTA municipalities to make sure government fees, taxes and charges applied to new homes are fair and equitable. Currently, fees applied by all levels of government can account for almost a quarter of the cost of a new home; those levied by municipalities typically make up more than half the total burden and are skyrocketing. These costs can price new homebuyers out of the market.Second, municipalities need to prioritize the funding and building of good, reliable infrastructure, including roads, transit, parks, water and wastewater facilities. Without this crucial infrastructure in place, the building of new homes slows down or stops completely.Third, local governments should streamline the planning approval process, which unnecessarily slows down development. Municipalities should pre-designate and pre-zone land for development, update local Official Plans and zoning bylaws, simplify the list of conditions for municipal approvals and encourage the province to expedite outstanding environmental assessments.And finally, we are suggesting that municipalities adopt a Standard of Service Excellence for building permits and inspections. Speeding up these processes will make it quicker and easier for homeowners to renovate their homes or build secondary suites or laneway housing, which can help increase housing supply in established neighbourhoods.Would you like to help make housing a priority in the municipal elections? We invite you to visit the Build for Growth campaign website, BuildForGrowth.ca, to get more information about the issues and send a letter to your municipal candidate to let him or her know that you care about housing issues.DAVE WILKES is President and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD).Bild.ca