Clarington Council has approved a development charge grant for up to a million dollars under the Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan.
The development charge grant falls under Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan (CIP). This is the first application of its kind under the CIP that was approved and instituted in 2016 to support the vision established for the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan, said a council announcement.
The applicant, Monde Development Group, is proposing to develop a six-storey residential condo building located at 1607 Highway 2 in Courtice. The proposed development will include 89 units and 95 underground parking spaces.
The application meets all five criteria outlined in the CIP performance evaluation framework, including building design and construction, pedestrian environment and active transportation, green/open spaces and trail access, housing choice, accessibility and affordability and sustainable development, said the announcement.
The grant money will be given to the applicant once all construction is finished and the municipality determines that the project meets all aspects of the CIP agreement, it said.
The Courtice Main Street CIP was developed to provide incentives for higher density, mixed-use development projects that provide more housing opportunities and affordability in the municipality.
The property is designated Regional Corridor by the Clarington Official Plan and is within the Low-Rise High-Density Residential designation of the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan. The property is zoned ‘Residential Mixed Use – Holding ((H)MU2(S:4/6))’ and ‘Special Purpose Commercial Exception (C5-1)’ by Zoning By-law 84-63. The site plan application for the proposed development (File SPA2019-0034) was approved in February 2021. The applicant is working with Planning and Development Services staff to finalize the site plan agreement. It is now appropriate to consider a funding commitment for the requested DC Grant.
The Courtice Main Street CIP encourages intensification along the Regional Corridor in the form of higher density residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. To be eligible for a DC Grant, properties within the Low-Rise High Density Residential designation outside of the Town Centre of the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan area must achieve minimum intensification targets of 75 residential units per gross hectare, a floor space index (FSI) of 1.2, and minimum height of five storeys. The development approved for this property under Site Plan File SPA2019-0034 meets the Minimum Intensification Targets and qualifies for the Program.
The project would qualify for a grant of up to 75 per cent of the applicable development charges, resulting in an estimated maximum grant value between $800,000 and $1 million.
More information, read report PDS-003-22.