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Rolling Meadows responds to new development charges

A lawyer representing Rolling Meadows responded to the city's proposed new development charges

Gary Scanlon of Watson and Associates appeared at a public meeting held at council last night to provide an overview of the City's proposed development charges by-law.

“We’re towards the end of a process we started last October, to update the bylaw for the municipality,” he explained.

A previous public meeting was held to receive feedback from local developers in February, and a subsequent study was released March 21.

“We now have a 60-day period from that day for council to consider it. The current bylaw will expire at the end of June, 2019.”

Development charges “don’t recover all costs,” said Watson. “Some will be paid by developers directly,” such as expenses for internal subdivision sidewalks and roads.

“Development charges have been around for 60 years, and since 1989, we’ve had legislation called development charges. They used to be full-cost recovery but in 1987, they were not. There are deductions, reductions and exemptions that the city cannot collect.”

The Act has always imposed exemptions on places such as hospitals, buildings or structure owned by the city or the region and their local boards, as well as places of worship.

“As you grow, these assets need to be addressed,” Watson cautioned. “If you don’t have development charges, the costs increase over established services.”

Development charges within the city—with the exception of Brock Business Park and Rolling Meadows subdivision—will cost $10,800 for a single detached unit plus $2,300 for water services within urban boundaries.

“In about six weeks, these charges will automatically index so updated costs will be presented with another five per cent increase” on June 4, 2019.

Representing Rolling Meadows Land Development Corp., the firm’s lawyer, Robert Di Lallo, remarked that three infrastructure expenses were omitted in its development charge calculation.

The first, he stated, is the signalization of the intersection at Barker Parkway and Hwy. 58.

“This is clearly development charge eligible, as traffic lights are eligible related to a highway. The need for this is entirely attributable to the development, and lands to the east that will only have highway access via Barker Pkwy. The cost associated should be reinstated in the calculation.”

He added, “This safety item was included in the 2009 study but omitted in the 2014 and the 2019 background studies as a development charge eligible item.”

The second item which “should be included as an infrastructure cost,” he said, is the roundabout at Barker Pkwy. and Hwy. 20.  

“Roundabouts are shown as an eligible cost as it’s not something that would be considered a local service. It’s needed to meet the demands of the subdivision and future developed lands to the east.”

Finally, Di Lallo said that Barker Pkwy. itself, when completed, “will be a major road connecting Hwy. 58 and Hwy. 20, and will be used by the residents of Rolling Meadows and the Thorold community at-large, and should be eligible as a major road.”

He added that a new Port Robinson subdivision “has $12 million in road allowances but Rolling Meadows has $4 million, and these two areas are comparable in area, so we are asking that the cost of Barker Pkwy. be allocated as a development charge.”

Coun. Fred Neale made a motion for city staff to meet with Rolling Meadows proponents to resolve the three items presented, which carried.

Individuals may express their comments in writing to [email protected] or deliver to the clerk at City Hall, 3540 Schmon Parkway, Thorold.