A developer has asked The Blue Mountains council to consider speeding up the planning process for his large-scale rental housing proposal.
At council’s committee of the whole meeting on April 30, developer Paul Mondell requested that council consider supporting a Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator (CIHA) application to the provincial government for his large rental housing project located at Grey County Road 19 and Crosswinds Boulevard.
Mondell’s proposal is for approximately a 24-acre property near the Village at Blue. He provided council with a high-level update about his plans to construct a number of multi-storey buildings on the property that would become rental housing units.
The project would have up to 1,200 rental units that would include one-, two- and three-bedroom units, as well as studio units.
“This is a significant project, not only for the Town of The Blue Mountains, but for the greater region we sit in,” said Mondell, who had presented his concept to council previously in November 2023.
Mondell said his team is currently working through a number of technical reports/studies required for the project. He hopes to have those reports done by the end of the year. He plans to seek a formal pre-consultation meeting with town staff in the near future.
He asked that council consider a CIHA application to speed up the project. A CIHA, similar to the former minister's zoning order (MZO), is a provincial mechanism that can be used to accelerate planning timelines for housing and other infrastructure projects.
Mondell acknowledged that the province recently announced its plans to replace CIHA with a new process, but said a form of the mechanism would remain in place after the province finishes its update.
“The CIHA process is not in any way intended to cut corners or circumvent the planning process,” Mondell said, noting that a CIHA can only happen after all the technical work is done on a project to the satisfaction of local planning staff. It also must be the local municipality that requests a CHIA order. “It’s still going to be a very effective tool for a project like this.”
Mondell’s request for a CIHA caused consternation for members of council after Coun. Shawn McKinlay moved a motion to receive Mondell’s delegation and CIHA request and direct staff to prepare a follow-up report about the request.
Councillors were leery of appearing to support a CIHA request so early in the planning process.
Mayor Andrea Matrosovs asked staff if a follow-up report on Mondell’s request would be appropriate at this point on a file that is actively in the planning process. Coun. June Porter wondered about the consequences if council rejected a report that recommended a CIHA request. Porter asked if such a decision could be appealed.
Adam Smith, director of planning and development services, said such a decision could not be appealed. He said if council said no to a CIHA, the file would go through the traditional planning process. Smith also said a follow-up report on a potential CIHA would be appropriate as it would provide staff with direction on how to proceed.
Council voted 5-1 in favour of the resolution to request a follow-up report with Coun. Alex Maxwell opposed. Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon was absent.
