OFA provides comments to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing regarding proposed changes to Proposed changes to Ontario Regulation 299/19: Additional Residential Units).
OFA recognizes the need to construct more housing in Ontario and the provincial government’s goal to create 1.5 million homes to meet projected population growth trends. We desire to work with the Ontario government to increase density and housing in rural Ontario in ways that do not sacrifice farmland.
Accelerating Implementation of Additional Residential Units
OFA applauds the provincial government for taking this sweeping measure to intensify housing development within existing urban boundaries. However, OFA challenges the Ontario government to be more ambitious by increasing the density of units allowed on a parcel of urban residential land. We firmly believe the government should take a more assertive approach to end exclusionary “single detached” zoning and allow for mid- to higher densities (beyond just three units) as-of-right provincewide.
OFA wants the proposed regulations for ARUs to be applied to rural and smaller-town municipalities within designated settlement areas.
OFA strongly views “gentle density” to parcels containing single-detached dwellings that have historically been severed from a primary farm operation as a creative alternative to further densify housing in the agricultural area without further sacrificing farmland or fragmenting the agricultural land base through lot creation. OFA wants to clarify that it opposes any re-introduction of severances in the agricultural area.
Waiving Development Charges
New residential units, even additional units in an existing residential area, contribute to growth-related capital expenditures. Therefore, the proposals to exempt ARUs from development charges will put additional strain on municipal budgets and local taxpayers. If the provincial government moves forward with these proposed changes, OFA believes the provincial government must commit to significant new funding for municipal infrastructure to avoid negatively impacting local property taxpayers.