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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-27-2023 SpecialClar*wn Special Special Council Agenda Revised Agenda Date: February 27, 2023 Time: Immediately following the Joint Committees Meeting Location: Council Chambers or Microsoft Teams Municipal Administrative Centre 40 Temperance Street, 2nd Floor Bowmanville, Ontario Inquiries and Accommodations: For inquiries about this agenda, or to make arrangements for accessibility accommodations for persons attending, please contact: Lindsey Patenaude, Committee Coordinator, at 905-623-3379, ext. 2106 or by email at Iatenaude@clarington.net. Alternate Format: If this information is required in an alternate format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator, at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. AudioNideo Record: The Municipality of Clarington makes an audio and video record of Council meetings. If you make a delegation or presentation at a Council meeting, the Municipality will be recording you and will make the recording public by publishing the recording on the Municipality's website, www.clarington.net/calendar. Cell Phones: Please ensure all cell phones, mobile and other electronic devices are turned off or placed on non -audible mode during the meeting. Copies of Reports are available at www.clarington.net/archive The Revised Agenda will be published on Friday after 3:30 p.m. Late items added or a change to an item will appear with a * beside them. Pages 1. Call to Order 2. Moment of Reflection 3. Land Acknowledgement Statement 4. Declaration of Interest 5. Presentations/Delegations (10 Minute Time Limit) *5.1 Ari Soberano, 3253 Liberty Street North Limited Partnership, Regarding PDS-009-23 Housing Pledge 13,000 Units by 2031 in Response to Minister's Order *5.2 Mustafa Ghassan, Delta Urban Inc., Regarding PDS-009-23 Housing Pledge 13,000 Units by 2031 in Response to Minister's Order 6. Staff Reports 6.1 PDS-009-23 Housing Pledge for 13,000 Units by 2031 in Response to 3 Minister's Order 7. Confirming By-law 8. Adjournment Page 2 Clarington Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: Special Council Date of Meeting: February 27, 2023 Report Number: PDS-009-23 Submitted By: Carlos Salazar, Director of Planning and Infrastructure Services Reviewed By: Mary -Anne Dempster, CAO Resolution#: File Number: PLN 11.27 By-law Number: Report Subject: Housing Pledge for 13,000 Units by 2031 in Response to Minister's Order Recommendations: 1. That Report PDS-009-23 Housing Pledge for 13,000 Units by 2031 in Response to Minister's Order, be received; 2. That the action items in Report PDS-009-23 (Attachment 1), be endorsed as Clarington's Housing Pledge to support the acceleration of housing supply in Ontario, subject to the following conditions: a. That the Province and the Durham Region deliver the infrastructure improvements to support the Provincial target of 13,000 units for Clarington by 2031; b. That the Municipality not be penalized financially or otherwise, for failing to meet the identified as the housing targets are subject to market conditions, supply, labour issues, etc.; and c. That the Province consults and engages with local municipalities on future legislative changes in order to understand the financial and logistical implications to deliver housing units quickly. 3. That a copy of this report and Council's resolution be sent to the Honourable Minister Steve Clark, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing by March 1, 2023, and a copy also be sent to the Region of Durham, area municipalities and the AMO. 4. That the Mayor be authorized to sign the Clarington Housing Pledge on behalf of Council. Page 3 Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 Report Overview Page 2 Clarington has been assigned 13,000 new residential units to be built by 2031 to address the Minister's Order which assigned housing targets to 29 rapidly growing municipalities across Ontario. This report has been prepared as a pledge to the Province that Clarington will strive to support the Ontario Government's initiative to build 1.5 million new homes over the next decade, provided that the Province and the Region of Durham deliver key infrastructure like sewer and water to support the target. 1. Background 1.1 On October 25, 2022, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, issued a Minister's Order to 29 large and rapidly growing Ontario municipalities, including Clarington, to sign a Housing Pledge in order to meet the Provincial Government's target of providing 1.5 million new homes in the next decade (Province ERO bulletin No. 019-6171). 1.2 Clarington has been assigned 13,000 new units as a target which would need to be endorsed by Council in order to deliver the pledge to the Provincial government by the March 22, 2023, deadline. 1.3 The pledge is an opportunity to provide important information that showcases the strategies and actions that municipalities choose to undertake in order to prioritize and accelerate housing. The Ontario Government plans to use these pledges from the 29 municipalities to monitor and track progress so the Province can support municipalities and remove any barriers to housing development. It will be important to highlight any barriers through this process as the Ontario Government is making a commitment to assist in removing those barriers in order to deliver its promise to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2031. 1.4 This report provides a summary of Clarington's initiatives that have either recently been completed, are underway, and proposed, in order to support the Provincial target and provide more housing. Specific action items are identified in Attachment 1. This, in combination with Council's resolution on the matter, would be considered Clarington's Municipal Housing Pledge. 1.5 Based on the number of units already proposed in subdivisions and site plan applications, staff believe the 13,000 units is an achievable goal, subject to market conditions and availability of regional infrastructure (i.e. sewer, water, roads). 1.6 Additionally, given the 12 Secondary Plans, either underway or recently approved in Clarington, and the planned higher densities around the two future GO train station areas, there is enough land in the existing urban area to accommodate 13,000 units by 2031. However, the delivery of these units is highly dependant on many other external factors and influences, such as market conditions, commitments from the building community, and public investment in infrastructure. Page 4 Municipality of Clarington Page 3 Report PDS-009-23 1.7 Further, a 35-hectare (86-acre) parcel of land located at the northeast corner of Nash Road and Hancock Road (known as the Tanenbaum lands) was removed from the Greenbelt as part of the Province's November 2022 Greenbelt Plan amendments to provide for residential development in the short-term. These lands must achieve significant progress in the development approvals process by the end of 2023 and start home construction on the lands by 2025, therefore contributing to the 2031 housing target. Additional information about the Greenbelt Plan amendments was presented in PDS-059-22. 1.8 It is also important to note that an increase in housing supply may seem like a simple solution to this complex housing crisis but the means to delivering more affordable and attainable housing for Ontario residents is a much more difficult undertaking and would require a further in-depth analysis into the contributing factors. Furthermore, the Province did not set a target for the portion of units which are to be affordable housing in the pledge. Summary of Recent Changes contained in Bill 13, Bill 23, and Bill 109 1.9 In addition to the housing pledge, the Province introduced a series of legislative and non -legislative changes to "unlock more housing, streamline development approvals, remove barriers, accelerate planning and further protect homebuyers". Proposed Delegation of Authority (Bill 13) 1.10 Bill 13, the Supporting People and Businesses Act, 2021, received royal assent December 2, 2021. The Bill made changes to the Planning Act, Municipal Act, 2001 and City of Toronto Act, 2006, that enables Council to, by a by-law, delegate the authority to pass by-laws under section 34 of the Planning Act (Zoning By-laws) that are of a minor nature to a committee of Council, or an individual who is an officer, employee or agent of the municipality. This is detailed further in Section 4 of this report. Council previously authorized Staff to proceed with the OPA to delegate additional authorities on December 12, 2022 through report PDS-051-22 (resolution PD-105-22). Changes To the Planning Act and Development Charges Act (Bill 23) 1.11 To support the Housing Supply Action Plan, the Province also released Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, which made significant changes to the Planning Act, Development Charges Act, and Conservation Authorities Act, among others, and released a series of bulletins on the Environmental Registry of Ontario related to housing. A full summary of the changes under Bill 23 were presented in PDS-054-22. Refunding of Application Fees (Bill 109) 1.12 As of January 1, 2023, Planning Act amendments require municipalities to gradually refund Site Plan, Zoning By-law Amendment and Official Plan Amendment application fees to an applicant if a decision on their application is not made within legislated timeframes. A summary of these changes as it relates to the development process and a proposed approach to respond to the potential implications of the legislation was presented to Council in report PDS-051-22. Page 5 Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 2. Growth Projections Page 4 2.1 Clarington is experiencing significant growth within its three major Urban Areas (Courtice, Bowmanville, and Newcastle), as well as some moderate growth within the hamlets, specifically in Newtonville, and the rural countryside. Clarington has also seen an increase in growth through Additional Dwelling Units within existing dwellings or accessory buildings. Historical Growth in Clarington 2.2 The 13,000-housing unit target assigned to the Municipality is ambitious if looking at the historical growth rates for Clarington. As shown in Figure 1, in the past 10 years, Clarington has seen a low of 289 units in 2019 and a high of 1,011 units in 2020. The median over the last 10 years is 850 units. Meeting the Province's housing target over the next nine (9) years requires the construction of 1,444 dwelling units per year. This means that the Municipality will have to double the annual amount of building permits issued to meet this target. 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Figure 1 — Total Number of New Residential Building Permits Issued Between 2013-2022 Current Residential Subdivision and Site Plan Applications 2.3 As seen in Table 1, the total number of units that are currently part of a development application (this includes only subdivision and site plan applications) is 12,979 units. These projects are expected to be built out by the 2031 timeframe. Table 1 - Total Number of Units Within a Development Application as of December 31, 2022 Proposed Application Draft Approved Registered Vacant Total Courtice 3,608 782 350 4,740 Page 6 Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 Page 5 Bowmanville 4,509 1,353 81 5,943 Newcastle 222 1,446 333 2,001 Rural 261 7 27 295 Sub -Total 8,600 3,588 791 12,979 2.4 Moreover, staff have recently received applications on lands that are within recently adopted secondary plan areas. There are a total of 4,235 units within these applications. Additional Dwelling Units (ADU) 2.5 Additional Dwelling Units (ADU) also contribute towards housing supply and are part of Clarington's Affordable Housing Toolkit. 2.6 Since the implementation of the Municipalities Official Plan Amendment and the implementing ADU By-law, in 2021, Clarington has seen a 30% increase in applications. In 2022, 80 building permits were issued for ADUs, this is a 50% increase in applications compared to 2017. If Clarington receives roughly 100 ADU applications per year, it is anticipated that approximately 900 units would contribute to the 13,000-unit target to 2031. 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Number of Additional Dwelling Unit Applications Received 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Figure 2 — Total Number of ADU Applications Between 2013-2022 Development Projections within Secondary Plan Areas 2.7 Staff requested information from the various land owner groups within the Secondary Plan boundaries about their expected number of units built per year for each Secondary Plan Area following approval. The proposed number of units will need to be finalized through the approval of the secondary plans and through the refined development applications. Below is a summary of responses received. Page 7 Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 Page 6 Table 2 — Projected Delivery of Units Within Secondary Plan Areas provided by Developers Secondary Plans 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 Total Southwest 0 0 134 240 127 0 0 0 501 Courtice Southeast 0 60 1,106 1,061 817 888 525 276 4,733 Courtice Courtice Transit 0 0 0 278 928 940 965 827 3,938 Oriented Community North Newcastle 107 130 158 154 201 195 187 200 1,332 Village Brookhill North 0 45 277 340 340 265 111 141 1,519 Farewell Heights 1,400 Total Future 107 235 1,675 2,073 3,813 2,288 1,788 1,444 13,423 Units Applications - 4235 Received Future 9188 Secondary Plan Applications 2.8 There are also other areas such as the Bowmanville West Major Transit Station Area, Soper Hills, Soper Springs, and the Courtice Waterfront Secondary Plan areas that are planned for residential development and could contribute to the overall housing unit target. However, construction in these Secondary Plans areas is expected to take place closer to the end of the 2031 timeframe. A yearly monitoring report will revaluate how many of these units have the potential to contribute to the 2031 target. 2.9 Staff have also received commitments from other various landowners outside these areas which total approximately 600 more units to 2031. Staff will continue to monitor these developments and may consider giving priority to projects that achieve the Municipality's affordability and sustainability objectives and which are an overall benefit to the community. Growth Projections Summary 2.10 Clarington has approximately 13,000 units already part of a development application, of which 4,731 units are either in the draft approved or registered stage. With the growth in ADU applications, Clarington can expect to see another 900 units by 2031. Another recent trend that Clarington has seen is a consolidation of parcels and more infill Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 Page 7 developments. These intensification units would provide a further contribution to Clarington's 13,000-unit target. 2.11 The unit projection information provided by Developers summarized in Table 2 indicates that there is potential for about 2,017 units to be built by 2026 and the remaining 11,406 units between the 2027 to 2031 time horizon, for a total of 13,423 units by 2031. Staff have already received 10 applications within some of these secondary plan areas, totalling 4,235 units. This would indicate that approximately 9,000 units will require a future development application. Given the approximate 13,000 units that are already part of a development application, this would total about 22,000 units by 2031, which would well exceed the 13,000-unit target. 2.12 As demonstrated in Table 3, the Municipality will have more than enough units to meet the target. The Municipality does not require any additional residential Urban Boundary Expansions or Greenbelt lands to achieve the 13,000 unit target. Table 3 — Summary of Planned Housing Unit Capacity Total Units Development Applications (Table 1) 12,979 Additional Dwelling Units 900 Future Secondary Plan Applications 9188 Potential Total Capacity to 2031 23,067 Secondary Plans 2.13 Clarington has 12 Secondary Plans currently underway which plan for new residential units. Some of these Secondary Plan areas are already starting to see applications by the developers and are expected to be built by the 2031 timeframe, as noted above, while other secondary plan areas will take longer due to public infrastructure constraints, staff resources, or motivation from landowners. 2.14 As more Secondary plans get approved, Clarington can also expect further development applications to be submitted and processed. Infrastructure Services 2.15 To support development, Infrastructure Services, such as roads, sanitary sewers and water are a key component to enable growth and can have a major impact on the Municipality's ability to meet the housing target if capital projects are delayed. Regional roads, sanitary sewer, and water infrastructure is under the jurisdiction of the Region of Durham, while stormwater and local roads are under the jurisdiction of Clarington. 2.16 The total number of residential units that have either received draft approval or registered vacant parcels is 4,371. This makes up about 30% of Clarington's assigned residential unit target of 13,000 units. Of the draft approved and registered units only 17% are waiting for major public infrastructure in order to proceed whereas the remaining 83% are up to the individual landowners to extend the existing services and proceed to the building permit stage. Progress of approved units to construction is largely dependent on the developers and their business motivation. Page 9 Municipality of Clarington Page 8 Report PDS-009-23 2.17 Staff will be notifying developments that their draft or site plan approval is about to expire and may prevent them from receiving an extension of draft approval to ensure they do not delay other development from proceeding or tie up capacity. It is also worth mentioning that some draft approved plans of subdivisions are dependent on other landowner groups to extend services. There are two such instances of this in Bowmanville, one being the Tono lands in the Brookhill Secondary Plan area and the other is Farsight Investment Limited in Soper Hills. If the Tono lands proceed, this would allow 300 more units to move forward in other plans of subdivision that are draft approved, totalling approximately 600 units that could proceed to the building permit stage. Similarly, if Farsight proceeds, this will allow for more than 1,200 units to proceed as it would connect to the future Soper Hills Secondary Plan area and other future developments. Table 4 — Draft approved or Registered Units with Available Services as of December 31, 2022 Total Draft Approved and Registered Units Available Services % Courtice 1,131 1,041 92% Bowmanville 1,429 757 53% Newcastle 1,777 1,777 100% Rural* 34 34 100% Total 4,371 3,609 83% *Note that rural lots are generally on private services however for the purpose of this table they do not typically rely on public infrastructure in order to proceed to issuance of a building permit. Number of Draft Approved and Registered Units with Services Available ■ Available Services ■ Services Required Figure 3 — Total Number of Units Draft Approved or Registered with Available Services as of December 31, 2022 Appeals for Non -Decisions Page 10 Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 Page 9 2.18 Applicants can appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal for applications that have not reached a decision within the timeframes of the Planning Act. These timeframes were recently reduced through Bill 23. Over the past year, Clarington has received one appeal for a non -decision, which is likely to be withdrawn. 2.19 Staff will continue to monitor the number of appeals received for non -decisions in a yearly monitoring report as a key indicator for processing applications. Staff will also report on the average number of days it takes to process applications, starting from deeming the application complete to the draft approval stage, with both staff time and applicant time reported. Municipal Surplus Lands 2.20 The Municipality has already utilized surplus lands for development, specifically for non- profit housing. The development application at 200 Baseline Road is an example of this where the Municipality has partnered with non-profit housing organizations to provide 84 affordable housing units within the Clarington. To achieve this, the Municipality initiated a Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator Order (CIHA), which expedites the zoning process on this type of project. The Municipality is committed to using the CIHA tool, as needed, to permit additional affordable housing projects. 2.21 It is expected that soon, the Old Fire Hall in Newcastle will be put on the market with a requirement that it be purchased with the intent of providing not -for profit housing. 2.22 Staff will also create an inventory of all lands owned by the Municipality to find other potential sites for development. 3. Municipal Initiatives to Streamline the Planning Approval Process 3.1 Staff have also identified several process improvements which have already been initiated or in the process of implementation to help fast track development applications. Below is a summary of recent changes that are planned to improve the efficiency of the development process. Streamline Development Approval Fund Initiatives 3.2 On January 19, 2022, the Municipality received approval from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing of financial support through the Streamline Development Approvals Fund (SDAF) to implement streamlining development approvals initiatives, such as e- permitting systems, temporary staff to address backlogs, online application portals, and other projects aimed at unlocking housing supply. 3.3 A comprehensive set of initiatives are underway by the Municipality to modernize, streamline, improve accessibility to, and accelerate processes for managing and approving housing applications. In general, these include: Page 11 Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 Page 10 • Supporting implementation of the new Municipal Business Solution to modernize the customer experience and provide enhanced and more efficient systems for managing and tracking development applications and building permits; • Hiring temporary, contract staff to support development review and assist with backlogs related to development approvals; • Procuring consultant support for planning and engineering development review to assist with backlogs in processing development applications; and • Procuring consultant support to assess the current development approvals process and provide recommendations for improving the efficiency of the existing process, including supporting the Municipality to effectively and efficiently adapt to recent regulatory changes in Ontario (i.e., Bill 13, Bill 23, Bill 109). 3.4 The Transformation Initiative recommendations report will be completed in early March 2023 and will be a key consideration in planning next steps to maximize the use of and benefits to be realized through the extended SDAF program. 3.5 The Municipality has initiated a number of process improvement initiatives to accelerate development approvals for housing. Enhanced Pre -consultation 3.6 To respond to the implication of Planning Act amendments stemming from the enactment of Bill 109, enhancement to the Municipality's pre -consultation process is underway. Recommended changes to pre -consultation were presented to Council in Report PDS-051-22 and approved by Council on December 12, 2022. 3.7 Pre -consultation is now comprised of a two -stage process that ensures an application is ready to be processed before it is submitted. The new process aims to better support applicants to ensure that a complete application is submitted, thereby reducing the number of modifications needed and improving application approval timelines. Staff are taking a zero -tolerance policy for applications that are deemed incomplete in order to focus on applications that have submitted all requested information and provided a complete application. 3.8 Implementation actions associated with the new pre -consultation process which are in progress or not yet started include updates to pre -consultation forms, templates and procedure manuals, development of guidelines for applicant -led public consultation prior to submitting a development application, AMANDA system updates, and the development of measurement and monitoring mechanisms to assess the impact of the process changes and performance relative to Planning Act timeframes. Technology Modernizations Page 12 Municipality of Clarington Page 11 Report PDS-009-23 3.9 The Corporate Municipal Business Solution is an important component of the measures being taken by the Municipality to streamline the development approvals process. The AMANDA software, once fully implemented, will include a customer portal to submit development applications, and allow for online development application processing. The software will also allow Building Inspectors to complete their inspections and related report filing in the field rather than at a later time. 3.10 Departmental coordination, the development of technology specific process flows, testing, refinement, and training for the 16 development review processes now functioning in the AMANDA system required substantial effort and resources, all while maintaining normal daily business operations. New Streamlined process for Minor Applications 3.11 The Planning and Infrastructure Services Department has initiated a new streamlined process for minor applications that conform to Municipal, Regional, and Provincial policies. If the application meets all land use and secondary plan policies, approval will be recommended at the Statutory Public Meeting. Any comments from the public and Council will be dealt with through the site plan or draft conditions process, with applicants and staff working together to address any issues. This new approach will save months in processing times. Elimination of Statutory Public Meeting Presentation 3.12 The Planning and Infrastructure Services Department has updated the Statutory Public Meeting procedure to remove the Staff presentations. The removal of the Staff led presentations has proven to save time leading up to and during the Planning and Development Committee (PDC) meetings. This new approach will save significant staff time and permit additional items to be placed onto the PDC agendas. Proposed Delegation of Authority (Bill 13) 3.13 Bill 13, the Supporting People and Businesses Act, 2021, received royal assent December 2, 2021. The Bill made changes to the Planning Act, Municipal Act, 2001 and City of Toronto Act, 2006, that enables Council to, by a by-law, delegate the authority to pass by-laws under section 34 of the Planning Act (Zoning By-laws) that are of a minor nature to a committee of Council, or an individual who is an officer, employee or agent of the municipality. This authority is currently held exclusively by Council. 3.14 In response, the Municipality has initiated an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) to enact these changes. The purpose of the proposed OPA is to allow Council to delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Infrastructure Services to pass by-laws under section 34 of the Planning Act. The amendment will simplify process for citizens and shorten approval process times in an effort to facilitate additional housing and economic development opportunities within the Municipality. Council previously authorized Staff to proceed with the OPA to delegate additional authorities on December 12, 2022 through Page 13 Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 Page 12 report PDS-051-22 (resolution PD-105-22). This OPA is part of the toolbox for the Housing Pledge to implement 13,000 units by 2031 as required by the Province. 3.15 In response to the changes to the Planning Act and Municipal Act, it is proposed that the Director of Planning and Infrastructure Services be delegated additional authorities that include: Removal of Holding "H" Symbols; Temporary Use Zoning By-law Amendments; and Housekeeping By-laws for the purposes of making clerical or other changes to assist in the interpretation of a Zoning By-law. 4. Proposed Minister's Regulation Under the Planning Act to Report on Planning Matters 4.1 On February 6th, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing released a bulletin which proposes data information that municipalities, including Clarington, would be required to report to the Province on. The municipalities would be required to report planning - approval information every three months, beginning June 30t", 2023, and additional information every year by December 31, 2023. 4.2 Although the Municipality already collects and reports on the majority of the information proposed on an annual basis, some specific details such as the status of each application, when the application was deemed complete, and the geospatial data requirements to identify strategic growth areas and intensification targets would require more staff resources and effort to deliver to the Province, especially with some information required every three months. At this time, the Municipality will not provide comments to the Province. 5. Financial Considerations 5.1 At this time, an in-depth analysis of the costing to undertake and implement these initiatives, including staff time dedicated towards the ongoing monitoring of development and growth has not been undertaken. Furthermore, the recent changes as a result of Bill 23 which reduces municipal funding in order to deliver vital public infrastructure to support growth has not been fully realized. Exact dollar amount of lost revenue will be determined as development applications are approved and building permits are issued. This information will be presented to Council through the annual budget process and the annual growth monitoring report. 5.2 The proposed additional reporting of planning applications and geospatial information to the Province proposed will also require significant staff resources to compile and deliver the information. The Province has indicated that the estimated cost to each municipality in order to adhere to this regulation, which includes administrative tasks, is about $3,953 per year. Clarington argues that this would be considerably higher given the amount of data collection and details required for each application, including the Page 14 Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-009-23 Page 13 geospatial data and growth areas, not to mention the considerable effort and time to provide this information when there are already limited staff resources. 6. Concurrence 6.1 This report has been reviewed by the Deputy CAO/Treasurer who concurs with the recommendations. 7. Conclusion 7.1 Clarington's Housing Pledge seeks to provide a summary of the expected growth within Clarington and identifies some improvements and barriers that are key to achieve the 2031 housing target of 13,000 units. An Action Plan is provided in Attachment 1 to this report which will strive to assist in meeting the assigned municipal housing target for Clarington, however, housing markets, rising interest rates, borrowing requirements, government policies, cost of materials, land values, delivery of public services, and ability for the private sector to construct the units should also be evaluated in order to deliver affordable and attainable housing for residents and future generations. 7.2 Furthermore, if the goal is to create more affordable and attainable housing in Ontario, increasing housing supply alone will not address this issue. The Province has made various legislative changes through the More Homes Built Faster Act in an attempt to tackle the rising housing costs and to provide more housing opportunities but other external factors, as mentioned, may play a bigger part in achieving this goal, including how developers' cost savings resulting from the changes will be passed onto consumers in the form of more affordable, quality housing choices. The Province is commended in taking action to address the housing crisis issue but a further in-depth analysis and an informed approach into the contributing factors that affect housing costs is warranted. 7.3 As demonstrated, the Municipality is able to meet the housing targets without any residential Urban Boundary Expansions or Greenbelt lands. The commitments within the Housing Pledge in Attachment 1 will assist in streamlining the development approval process as we continue towards these unit counts. It is essential to note that the realization of the units is subject to market conditions and available infrastructure. Staff Contact: Nicole Zambri, Senior Planner, nzambri@clarington.net. Attachments: Attachment 1 — Housing Pledge/Action Plan Not Applicable Interested Parties: List of Interested Parties available from Department. Page 15 Attachment 1 to Report PDS-009-23 Municipal Housing Pledge Clarington's Municipal Housing Target is 13,000 by 2031 The following represents actions that may be facilitated by the Municipality of Clarington to implement the Municipal Housing Pledge: Facilitating Growth • Official Plan: Completing the Secondary Plans currently in progress by 2026 will facilitate housing units within Clarington's existing urban areas that will contribute towards the achievement of the short-term target to 2031. Concurrently, staff will initiate and complete the Clarington Official Plan Review that will address longer -term growth and development to 2051. • Zoning: Develop zoning to implement newly approved and updated Secondary Plans to provide for zoning that aligns with approved built forms and densities, and complete new urban area zoning by-law to provide permissions outside of secondary plan areas that support new housing units and reduce the need for site -specific zoning amendments, which can be costly and resource consuming. Zoning for the Bowmanville and Courtice MTSAs will be prioritized to be completed within a year of the Province's approval of Durham's MTSAs, as required. • Consider Community Planning Permit System: The Clarington Official Plan provides for the use of the Community Planning Permit System tool, which combines zoning, minor variances and site plan into one process. Upon the completion of the necessary secondary planning and zoning work, staff will explore locations and situations in which a Community Planning Permit System might be appropriate and support the housing target commitment, such as for affordable housing or within MTSAs. • Community Improvement Plans: Clarington's existing CIPs are due to be updated in 2023/2024. Opportunities to support the development of affordable housing units through CIP programming will be explored as part of the review and update. • Municipal Heritage Register: Clarington's Municipal Register will be reviewed and cultural heritage resources list can be updated to better enable staff to proactively address the conservation of resources on lands subject to residential development applications. • Engineering Design Standards: Continue initiative to update Clarington's Engineering Design Standards to align with current best practices and improve processing timelines during the detailed engineering review stage of residential subdivision applications. • Streamlining Development Approvals Processes: A comprehensive set of initiatives is underway by the Municipality to modernize, streamline, improve accessibility to, and accelerate processes for managing and approving housing applications, including maximizing capabilities of new software and technology, implementing an application prioritization process, hiring of necessary staff resources and consultant expertise, Page 16 modification of pre -consultation processes, and delegation of additional authorities to staff. Supportive Servicing and Infrastructure Infrastructure Master Planning: Clarington is committed to doing its part to work with Durham Region to align land use planning and infrastructure planning to maximize the efficiency of servicing secondary plan areas to support the construction of new homes. Staff will explore an Infrastructure Master Plan where it would be beneficial to align local municipal transportation and servicing infrastructure capital projects with secondary planning to support development. Enhancing Support for Housing • Encouraging Additional Dwelling Units: Build on recent official plan and zoning amendments that permit 2nd and 3rd residential units to incorporate additional Bill 23 direction. Encourage developers to provide additional units in the design of dwellings at the time of purchase and sale to increase ADUs and affordable housing options. A citizen -friendly guide to ADUs and promotion on the Municipality's social media site may be explored. • Affordable Housing Toolkit: Continue to implement initiatives endorsed as part of Clarington's Affordable Housing Toolkit, including the use of surplus municipal lands for non-profit housing. An inventory of available lands will be generated and the requirements of new developments to provide affordable housing, either through monetary contributions or land. Prioritize Applications: Clarington will consider criteria that prioritize applications that achieve the Municipality's affordability and sustainability objectives and which are an overall benefit to the community. The proposed criteria to prioritize applications is: o non-profit housing and long term care facilities, o applications that provide for a minimum ten percent affordable units, o applications that incorporate significant sustainable and walkable design features, o projects that exceed the minimum parkland and open space requirements to the benefit of the residents and the broader community, and o applications on the former Greenbelt lands at Nash and Hancock Roads, in accordance with provincial direction and timelines. Standardized Terms of Reference: Staff will create or update terms of reference for studies required in support of development applications to provide a clear expectation of requirements and minimize processing time and number of submissions. Collaboration and Partnerships • Provincial and Federal Partners: Clarington is committed to collaborating with the Province (including Metrolinx) and Federal partners to support and implement projects Page 17 and funding initiatives that support affordable and quality housing, including the timely development of the Bowmanville and Courtice GO Train Stations. Development Industry: The Municipality will continue to foster its collaborative relationship with the development industry, including regular meetings bi-annually with the development industry to identify opportunities for mutual improvement to facilitate the achievement of the housing target. Monitoring and Reporting Key Indicators: Key performance indicators will be developed to inform annual monitoring reports to Council on the delivery of the target, including (i) number of registered or draft approved units in the pipeline (ii) length of time units have been approved without proceeding to the next stage of development (iii) which lands are not proceeding once approved (iv) number of additional dwelling units (v) number of refunded application fees, and (vi) OLT appeals based on non -decisions. Annual Monitoring Report: Staff will provide a yearly monitoring report to update Council on the status of initiatives, progress towards Clarington's 13,000 housing unit target, infrastructure availability, influencing market conditions, opportunities and challenges, staff resources and any amendments to the pledge that may be required. Dormant Application Follow-up: Focus staff resources on applications that are progressively moving forward, close applications that have been dormant, and allow to expire those approvals for applications that have not proceeded to building permit. Staff will contact the developer(s) subsequent to the release of staff's annual housing monitoring report to encourage them to advance execution of the appropriate agreements and/or build. Consideration will be given to a measurable deadline for developers to complete their projects within a two -to -three-year time frame. External Influencing Factors outside of Clarington's Control The Pledge and Action Items provided herein is a commitment that the Municipality will strive to do its part to meet the assigned housing target for Clarington. However, housing markets, rising interest rates, borrowing requirements, senior government policies, cost of materials, land values, delivery of public services, labour shortages, and ability for the private sector to construct the units are outside of the Municipality's control and will influence and affect the achievement of the target. With the above in mind, the Municipality of Clarington pledges to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to facilitate the construction of 13,000 housing units by 2031. Mayor Adrian Foster Page 18