Re: Bill 136 – Greenbelt…

Re: Bill 136 – Greenbelt Lands Reversal, ERO #0197739, #0197735
I am writing to you today as the Chief Executive Officer of Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation. (DRNPHC)
DRNPHC is one of the largest non-profit rental housing providers in Durham Region. DRNPHC owns 17 complexes of townhouses and apartment buildings throughout the Region. 50% of our rental base is to rent-geared-to income residents with the balance of rentals at very low affordable market rental rates. Our rental demographic is seniors, families, singles and persons with disabilities. We are completing our 4th new build since 2018 this year with two additional developments in progress.
Yet, although we have a sustainable plan to manage our existing stock and continue to develop new housing units, it is not at a scale that can satisfy the extreme affordable rental housing need in Durham Region.
Earlier this year, DRNPHC was approached by the Cherrywood Area Lands Management Inc Group (CALMI), which is the Cherrywood landowners group that TACC Developments is the project manager of, to participate in developing affordable rental housing for the Cherrywood greenbelt area. Habitat for Humanity GTA (Habitat) was also approached to develop affordable housing for ownership.
Together with CALMI and Habitat, a partnership was established to deliver greater than 18% affordable housing of the total housing units in Phase I and Phase 2 of the Cherrywood development. This far exceeded the affordable housing requirement set by the Government for development of the greenbelt lands and represented the largest affordable housing development in Durham Region since the 1980’s in my opinion.
Other features of the terms negotiated for the Cherrywood lands:

Habitat GTA and DRNPHC would receive, at no cost, land on which we could build 500 to 800 new affordable homes in the first two phases of the Cherrywood development;

The developer would be responsible for delivering these lands to Habitat / DRNPHC as fully serviced and ready for build permits;

The developer would provide a $10 million donation to enable Habitat and DRNPHC to get a running start on building homes in the first Phase.

To the extent that development was permitted in future phases, Habitat and DRNPHC would have had access to serviced land at no cost for approximately 3,000 new affordable
homes over the next 10 to 15 years. This opportunity likely would have been the largest land donation to affordable housing by a private interest in Ontario and perhaps Canadian history.

DRNPHC understands there were also other significant community benefits to be provided by CALMI for the Region, for Pickering and all residents who would eventually call Cherrywood their home.
It is a significant loss for affordable housing in that this partnership could not proceed however, DRNPHC would like to thank CALMI, TACC Developments, Habitat and the Ontario Government for their efforts to advance the development of affordable housing in our Region. It is our hope that comparable alternatives will be developed and that this same group be given the opportunity to deliver affordable housing at the same scale and timeframe as the Cherrywood development.