Proposed Growth Plan amendment aims to increase housing supply
By Newinhomes on Jan 16, 2019
The province of Ontario has shared its proposed changes to the Growth Plan to gain feedback from the public. Soon after the changes were shared, the Ontario Home Builders’ Association expressed their support of the proposed amendment.
The proposed changes aim to streamline the building and development process in an effort to increase housing supply, especially along main transit lines and in rural areas. The changes are also supposed to increase and improve business investment and development.
"We believe there are too many barriers standing in the way of creating housing and attracting investment in the region," says Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "That is why we are proposing changes to the region's Growth Plan to increase housing supply and bring down costs. Our government for the people is committed to ensuring Ontario remains the best place to own or rent a home, to work and to invest."
To increase housing supply, the proposed Growth Plan changes will make it easier and faster for local governments to make “modest” changes to settlement area boundaries, density targets will be updated to reflect growth rates and market conditions, and zoning around main transit stations will be updated to speed up development.
“All across Ontario we need more housing supply and choice,” says Rick Martins, OHBA President. “The proposed changes by the Ontario government should get municipalities planning the right housing in the right locations for their communities.”
By 2041, the population of the Greater Golden Horseshoe is expected to hit 13.5 million people. In order to accommodate the number of people that want to call the GGH home, housing needs to be built quicker, and removing red tape is a step in the right direction.
“The Greater Golden Horseshoe is going to welcome three million new #homebelievers in the next 20 years, and this new Growth Plan will support intensification where transit infrastructure exists, without applying a one size fits all approach to every municipality,” says Joe Vaccaro, OHBA CEO. “These are practical approaches that OHBA believes will create the housing supply and choice needed in these communities.”
The proposed changes are available for public review and comment until the end of February 2019.
