Development Charges (DCs) are a fee collected by municipalities both locally and at the region to offset the cost of development for the building of new homes.
DCs pay for various funds: water, waste water, roads, library, fire service, and parks.
A semi-detached townhouse in Stouffville has a DC fee of $75,000. 35% of the DC stays with the town and 65% goes to the region.
Every 5 years, the town undergoes a DC background study that looks that the cost of infrastructure for a 5-year window, projects the growth, and assigns a DC to every new home.
Before Bill 23, DCs were payable when you pulled your building permit. With Bill 23, the DC funding model has been changed to a graduated scale paid over 5 years, which removes a lot of the DCs that the town can collect.
Definition of Affordable Housing in Bill 23 – 80% of the average sale price in your community. In Stouffville, it is over $1 million.
Previous definition of Affordable Housing was 30% of your gross income going towards housing (rental or a mortgage).
To watch Mayor Iain Lovatt’s video clip, click on the image below
