While the goal of lower home…

While the goal of lower home and building costs is an admirable one, eliminating enhanced development standards will only increase the cost of housing for residents.

Development standards help keep utility rates lower. Guaranteed bike parking improves choice, and with more people biking traffic is reduced. And with less emissions and air conditioner use, the air quality in the city is improved.

Lot-level stormwater management is one of the best ways to keep taxes low; otherwise, to avoid flooding, major infrastructure projects are necessary.

At the same time, a thriving jobs market has emerged to develop green roofs in the GTHA. Eliminating development standards would have the unintended consequence of eliminating hundreds to thousands of jobs, at a time when unemployment is spiking.

Think beyond the up-front cost of building. When you think about total cost of ownership - taxes, utilities, mortgage, transportation, insurance rates, flood damage - development standards improve affordability.