Why the Exurbs Are Poised to Take Off

[BankruptcyGuy]

I included in posts above links to the list of developments charges, as well as a fairly typical suburban development application.

Is there something else you would like to know about municipal taxation here?

I'm not quite sure what your looking for; but I'm happy to share any info.

Where does the approval for a local development project lie: the municipality, some regional group [[akin to our counties) or the provincial government? And the developments charges are promulgated from what level of government?

Thanks in advance.

[Canadian Visitor]

Where does the approval for a local development project lie: the municipality, some regional group [[akin to our counties) or the provincial government? And the developments charges are promulgated from what level of government?

Thanks in advance.

Ok, so this could get a bit complex.

As a starting point, local and/or lower-tier, or single-tier municipalities have responsibility for planning approval.

For background. In the north [[less developed, more wilderness, almost all municipalities are single-tier, no county, just one level of local gov't.

In the south, most of Ontario operates with 2-tier local gov't. A smaller town/village borough [[a series usually) which control local planning, local parks, local garbage pick up and libraries usually. While being in some way connected to an upper-tier than maintains major roads, transit, regional planning, usually any landfills are done at this level along w/emergency and social services.

There are notable exceptions as the City of Toronto is one-tier as are Hamilton, Ottawa and London.

***

Now, that said.

The province has control of the Planning Act.

As well as the Places to Grow Act and the Building Code

All municipal gov't in Ontario are beholden to follow the first and last of those; while the middle one applies mostly to the Greater Golden Horseshoe area [[east of Toronto, west to Niagara Falls, north to Barrie, south-west to Guelph/Kitchener.

This act requires higher density new development in designated growth nodes while setting aside areas as 'greenbelt'

***

Each municipality approves its own official plan, generally every 25-30 years, identifying future growth areas, future road and transit priorities and so on.

These plans are subject to provincial approval.

But the province then mostly butts out of local business thereafter.

Though, notably, someone unhappy w/how their development application was treated by a city/town can appeal that ruling to the provincial Ontario Municipal Board.

****

The province has a law dictating what items may and may not be charged for as development charges and dictates formulae for most; along with caps.

It does not however require a city/town to levy such a charge or set any minimum.

So cost-recovery on new developments varies widely between 45%-65% most of the time.

Citys/Towns can also waive charges for desired developments [[affordable housing, big employment factory etc.)

****

Relevant act for development charges is described here:

http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=10253

****

The general gist is that in most cases the final decision [[subject to appeal) is at the most local level; but it must be legally consistent w/policies approved by any higher level [[upper-tier city/region and/or province)

There may also be other agencies w/varying degrees of say.

So, for instance, I notice a lot of talk on the forum about drainage.

While sewer are municipal; floodplains, natural areas, watersheds are regulated in Ontario by local conservation authorities.

They won't be consulted on a typical site.

However, if your site falls within a regulated floodplain they have legal authority in so far as it concerns their issues. So, for instance they may require you cede the portion of property w/in the floodplain to them, or they may require various measures to ensure slope stability and proper drainage.

[ABetterDetroit]

No, this scenario doesn't exist.

New subdivisions in MI cover the cost of everything you mention. They pay special assessments for sewer, water, road. The new residents pay elevated tax rates, far above those of longtime residents in the same community. Their roads are private, their services are covered. And developers pay the bill until they have buyers.

The idea that a new subdivision in Lyon Twp or Oakland Twp somehow harms someone in Madison Heights or Redford is just nonsense. New McMansions have very high tax bills, as they should.

Let's see what Bham's examples show us.

Lyon Township property tax rate is 27.95 Mills

Oakland Township property tax rate is 24.99 Mills

Detroits property tax rate is 69.82 Mills

Making sure that the wealth of new home owners went exactly where they wanted it, in new housing plus all the new capital investment in new construction that will bring jobs into communities inside those new buildings is fixed so the suburbs will get it all first, second and third with Detroit and communities like it intentionally being placed last. The system was set up that way, then left in place, and is still in full force today.

https://treas-secure.state.mi.us/pte...TEstimator.asp

[canuck]

Yes, 33% is insane.

No, I am not in real estate, LOL

My point was not that Toronto was not overvalued..... which is rather off topic for the thread....

Rather in correcting a previous poster I was simply chastising his proclivity for utter hyperbole.

He was implying comparable properties, adjusted for currency were different by a factor of five. [[Metro Detroit vs Greater Toronto).

That simply isn't the case, as I noted. Depending on area and home, one could make a case for a factor difference of 2x and at the extremes 3x.

That takes nothing away from Toronto [[and Vancouver) being in a bubble-ish, frothy and over-valued state.

But perhaps, back to the point of the thread which was a more general argument about ex-urbia, its merits and costs and secular trends towards or against it.

Just one of many articles on the reaaons for overvaluation in Van and T.O. of late. Incidentally, no amount of government measures can bring down property values since these are perceived as sacrosanct. The latest increases due to abnormal market conditions are punishing potential first time buyers but greasing owners, speculators and lenders. Good times ahead.

http://www.financialpost.com/m/wp/ne...ate=2017-05-08

[emu steve]

Interesting article.

My take is that for expensive cities, the boomlet has been downtown. For less expensive cities, it has been exurban.

Hard to make a general statement when back to downtown, center city is flourishing in some metro areas but the opposite in others.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ng-out-of-room