Down to work

Developers and Shire Hall work at re-igniting residential building sector

An assembly of builders, developers and investors, along with council members and County staff, will sit down soon to chart the way forward for residential development. It is the next step in a process, which began last fall to address the decline in new home building in Prince Edward County.

The issues range from extraordinarily high fees, a slow and unpredictable regulatory pathway and exorbitant securities required of developers. Taken together, these challenges have discouraged residential development over the last decade. This despite the fact that the County remains an attractive place to live and work.

Mayor Robert Quaiff responded to the growing gulf between builders and Shire Hall by organizing a meeting last fall to hear the concerns and begin to address them.

He told the gathering in Wellington that the County was open for business. Quaiff followed up his words with the creation of an ad hoc committee whose purpose is to probe these challenges deeper and find workable solutions.

The County’s Community and Economic Development Commission (CEDC) has been tasked with forming this group and gathering its input.

CEDC director Neil Carbone says council is sending a clear message that it views residential development as a priority.

“It says a lot about the shift in mindset,” said Carbone.

He is pleased to see the commission— populated by residents, business owners and council members—is taking the lead in this consultation.

“It is really exciting that we are creating this over-arching mechanism to share information, issues and concerns about how we are dealing with development in Prince Edward County. Our department has a lot of experience and capability with these kinds of investigations and consultations.”

There are, however, no members of the public sitting on the ad hoc committee. Carbone doesn’t see this as a problem, either in practical terms or optically.

“The issues are more technical in nature,” said Carbone, “dealing specifically with approvals processes. They are process-oriented issues.”

Many of the complaints, he observes, stem from the interface between developers and Shire Hall. He contends it is appropriate for these to be worked out between these two groups.

He notes, as well, that any proposed remedies or recommendations will come back to the CEDC and then to council— both public forums.

The committee has, however, been instructed to avoid writing new policy. Carbone says the point of this exercise is to understand the challenges and point to the blockages in process. It is not to write new regulations—or tear up existing rules.

“This committee is expected to debate concerns at a higher level—it will be up to staff to determine the appropriate remedy. Detail about how that happens is ultimately up to the County and council.”

TIMING
He expects the ad hoc committee to begin meeting shortly and then regularly over the next couple of months. Those findings will be reviewed by the CEDC immediately thereafter and recommendations will proceed for council review.

It could be all tied up and finished by the fall. Carbone expects the committee will air an unfettered and frank discussion of the challenges resulting in a workable proposal, assessed and scrutinized along the way, so that when it arrives at Shire Hall, there is a solid understanding of its contents and confidence in the remedies proposed.

“By the time it gets to council, as many as five members will have been part of the deliberation process,” said Carbone. “The aim of a thorough process is that it is well-vetted beforehand, rather than deferred for more feedback.”