Chatham-Kent eyes development charge relief as housing affordability concerns mount

Municipal leaders, builders and housing experts gathered in Chatham-Kent for a housing summit. CTV Windsor’s Chris Campbell reports.

Chatham-Kent is considering eliminating development charges on residential housing for three years as local leaders search for ways to improve affordability amid growing concerns about housing costs, homelessness and property taxes.

The proposal was discussed Monday during a Housing Affordability Summit hosted by the Chatham-Kent Association of Realtors (CKAR), where newly released public opinion research found residents are increasingly worried about housing affordability and the next generation’s ability to purchase a home.

Supported through an Issues Mobilization Grant from the Ontario Real Estate Association, the summit brought together housing professionals, government representatives, industry leaders and community stakeholders to discuss housing affordability challenges and opportunities affecting Chatham-Kent.

As part of the initiative, Nanos Research surveyed Chatham-Kent residents and presented its findings at the summit.

“The good news is people love Chatham-Kent in terms of quality of life, a great place to raise a family and safety,” pollster Nik Nanos said. “But people are really worried about the affordability of housing. They’re worried that the next generation of folks will not be able to afford housing. They’re also worried about increasing property taxes and how that might impact affordability.”

According to the survey, homelessness, jobs and the economy, and property taxes ranked among the top concerns identified by residents.

Nanos said the findings showed overwhelming concern about housing affordability for future generations.

“About 19 out of every 20 residents in Chatham-Kent say that they don’t believe that the next generation will be able to afford housing,” he explained. “The kicker is, and this was quite striking in the survey, when we asked about property taxes, about 24 per cent of residents said they might need to move or leave Chatham-Kent if property taxes go up.”

Nanos said residents are also looking for action.

“People are not experts in housing policy. But I think they actually want any kind of change, right. Control taxes, create an environment for entrepreneurs and small businesses to make a living. Create an environment where people think that their kids can afford to continue to live in Chatham-Kent. So, people aren’t experts. They just want ideas and they want action.”

In a statement released following the summit, Nanos said residents broadly support measures aimed at improving affordability and increasing housing supply.

“Overall, residents of Chatham-Kent see the region as a safe and good place to raise a family with a high quality of life. That said, most residents are worried about the next generation’s ability to afford a home and rising property taxes. As a solution, residents support lowering development charges and reducing red tape for building new homes and renovations,” he said.

Mayor Darrin Canniff said the municipality is responding by exploring the elimination of development charges on residential housing, pending council approval and discussions with the province.

“We need to make housing more affordable,” Canniff told reporters. “Part of that is that we are looking to eliminate the development charges we have in Chatham-Kent for the next three years, starting as soon as we can, so that we can work out a deal with the province and get council approval.”

Canniff said the proposal would apply to smaller residential housing projects and existing unsold homes.

“It makes sense, because you’re going to have the same house costing more that was built two months ago versus being built now,” he said.

The move received support from the Chatham-Kent Home Builders Association.

Executive officer Dan Van Moorsel said the initiative is about more than reducing fees for developers.

“People need to understand this isn’t just an announcement about DC relief,” Van Moorsel said. “This is a commitment to trades, to keeping people in our community, to helping find access to other provincial and federal funding to support programs like homelessness and cabin housing.”

Van Moorsel said the municipality’s willingness to consider eliminating development charges demonstrates a willingness to pursue new approaches to housing affordability.

“All we’ve done here is thought outside the box,” he said. “Why do we always have to get the money from the homeowner? If the province is offering up money, why don’t we grab some of that or make a great attempt to grab that?”

The summit also coincided with a provincial funding announcement.

Associate Housing Minister Graydon Smith presented Chatham-Kent with $440,000 through Ontario’s Building Faster Fund after the municipality exceeded its provincially assigned housing target.

“$440,000 because the municipality met their housing targets and actually exceeded them,” Smith said. “That’s absolutely fantastic. That’s what we want to see more of in Ontario, because we know that we need to provide more supply.”

Canniff said the funding will help support growth-related projects while the municipality explores affordability measures.

“It’s very helpful that the province is stepping up to say, all right, if you do something on development charges we’ll help you out on a project,” Canniff said. “We need to make it affordable for people. If nobody’s buying homes our community is not growing. So it’s kind of a key piece as we move forward.”

Smith said addressing housing affordability requires cooperation among all levels of government and industry partners.

“Always a wonderful day when you can get everybody in a room,” Smith said. “We had realtors and homebuilders and members of municipal council, myself representing the province, members from the federal sphere as well, all talking about the same thing and speaking the same language, which is how do we meet that moment and overcome the challenges.”

Carrie Patrick, president of the CKAR, said affordability concerns are being driven in part by taxes and worries about the future.

“I don’t think it’s a secret. The local people, we’ve been talking about it for years. Taxes are a main component,” Patrick said. “And it is a sad situation that we are all concerned on what our new generation is going to have to afford for our home.”

Patrick said residents continue to view Chatham-Kent positively despite those concerns.

“Overall, Chatham-Kent is a great place to live and to raise a family,” she said. “But the concern is about the next generation and even the people that are living here.”

In a statement after the summit, Patrick said the event demonstrated the value of bringing different sectors together to discuss practical housing solutions.

“Housing affordability is not a challenge that any one sector can solve alone,” Patrick said. “This summit demonstrated the value of bringing realtors, home builders, agricultural leaders, greenhouse growers, government representatives, and community stakeholders together around the same table.”

She said the summit is intended to serve as the foundation for continued advocacy and collaboration.

“Meaningful progress happens when we build relationships, share perspectives, and work collaboratively toward practical solutions that reflect the realities of our region.”