Development charge bylaw to take effect January 1st.
St. Catharines City Council is about to bring back development charges in order to ease burdens on taxpayers.
Starting January 1st, 2022, charges will be laid on land development and redevelopment projects to cover infrastructure expenses required for municipal services related to new developments, including roads, transit, water, park amenities, community centres and fire services.
Over the last twelve years, St Catharines has been the only municipality in Niagara that doesn't collect lower-tier development charges.
However, the cost of most growth-related infrastructure has been covered by the tax levy and/or water/wastewater rates.
"Years ago, the City of St. Catharines made a smart decision to attract investment and redevelopment and now, the time has come for Council to make another smart decision that better reflects the current state of investment attraction in St. Catharines," said Mayor Walter Sendzik. "This is a fair, balanced approached that will ensure that the costs of new development do not fall to the taxpayer and that growth will pay for growth in the future. Development charges will better position the City to invest in infrastructure and public realm improvements that benefit everyone."
The charges will be applied to residential and non-residential project across the city,
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