Development charges are now in effect in Bruce County.
The fees will be for new building developments, with some exemptions in place.
The money collected from these development charges will go toward growth-related infrastructure, such as county roads, roundabouts, bridges, and lighted intersections, which would be necessary when new housing and commercial properties are built.
County Director of Corporate Services and Treasurer Edward Henley says that once everything was explained for developers looking to build in the region, no appeals were brought forward before the January 2nd deadline, which he says is not unusual.
“That is a testament to the fulsome consultation that we did with the local municipalities and with all of the stakeholders in the community.”
Henley previously worked with three other municipalities in his career in helping implement development charges to keep up with community growth, and none have had any disputes with the implementation.
He also says that aside from county road infrastructure, the money collected through the fees will help fund ongoing and future projects in the county.
“For our paramedic services, we’re looking at some of the money going towards the new Port Elgin paramedic station that’s under construction and a planned one in Holyrood.”
There are also plans to purchase three new ambulances, that will be divided between Kincardine, Port Elgin, and Northern Bruce Peninsula. There are also allocations for an expansion of the county’s trail network, long-term care homes, and childcare services.
Development charges are being implemented with a mandatory phase-in a 10-year period. Per the county’s by-law, it will be implemented as follows:
a) 2023 – 0%
b) 2024 – 25%
c) 2025 – 40%
d) 2026 – 55%
e) 2027 – 65%
f) 2028 – 75%
g) 2029 – 85%
h) 2030 – 95%
i) 2031 – 100%
When the move to implement development charges was introduced in July 2023, the proposed fees would be roughly $7,655 for a house. For non-residential properties, the proposed fee is $1.65 per square foot for industrial, to $5.33 per square foot for non-industrial, for a blended fee of $2.94 per square foot.
Initially, it was proposed the phase-in period would have been five years, during which time the county would have made an estimated $3.4 million in revenue.
Henley says that exemptions are in place for affordable housing, additional housing units, and rental housing.
There are also exemptions in place for the development of hospitals, schools, cemeteries, and agricultural-use buildings, and there are some exemptions for the expansion of existing industrial-use buildings.
