Windsor looking at ‘staggering’ fee hikes for home builds, new development

Written By Gina Read

Foundations for new single family homes are shown in SilverLeaf Estates, a housing development in Lasalle.

A consultant’s report heading soon to city council suggests Windsor development charges could increase by more than 150 per cent — sparking strong backlash from the development community.

Local builders warn the proposed fee hikes would stifle home building in the city and take home ownership — increasingly unaffordable for many — even further out of reach.

If council approves the proposals, development charges for single-family homes would increase to $76,543 each (up 151 per cent), and to $117,086 for Sandwich South lands (up 145 per cent).

“The increases are staggering,” Windsor-Essex Home Builders Association president Brent Klundert said of the numbers in a consultant’s report.

“At a time when everyone is talking about improving housing affordability, these development charges would add ($46,000) to the cost of every single-family home in the city,” Klundert told the Star.

 
Gina Read
Next

‘This is heaven’ — Windsor families get new homes from Habitat for Humanity