Belleville to release 3.23 acres for housing, 1.47 acres for parkland based on public feedback

Public engagement results

Staff hand-delivered approximately 1,100 notices to properties within 400 metres of the site, installed notices on the property, and promoted the event on social media and in the local newspaper.

• 150 residents participated in the engagement activities.
• 74 residents provided their feedback via comment form and/or email.
• 72+ residents participated in the in-person Public Consultation Centre, including representatives of neighbourhood groups and families with children. The majority indicated that they lived within 10-minute walk from the site, most of them – within 5 minutes (as shown below).

Staff recommendations

1.47 acres of parkland, 3.23 acres for housing

This is a compromise half way between the 2 options presented (1 to 2 acres of parkland and 2.7 to 3.7 of development area):

• 1.47 acres (0.59 hectares) of parkland located at the northwest corner of the site, with frontage on Octavia Street and Catharine Street.
• 3.23 acres in area at 41 Octavia Street for the purpose of achieving an affordable rental housing development. The area will include the grassy field located at the southern limit of the site, as well as the former school building. While proposals for redevelopment on the former school site are flexible to accommodate various proponents’ ideas, proposals prioritizing the adaptive reuse of the building will receive preference.

Desirable, but not necessary for school to remain

More residents supported repurposing than demolishing the building, suggesting it be turned into a community hub or housing, but a Building Condition Assessment identified repair needs worth $6.75M to 9.75M.

Staff recognize that the former school building is not designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, however, the former school occupies a prominent location within the neighbourhood, with its distinctive exterior architectural elements contributing to its design value, and its long-standing role as an educational institution reinforcing its significance to the community’s identity. It would be desirable for future use of the building and/or school site to integrate the architectural elements to create a harmonious and cohesive design.

Housing project submission scoring criteria

Submissions will be scored based on the following elements, including but not limited to:

• Level of affordability
• Number of affordable units and total units
• Duration of affordability
• Conformity with Zoning By-law 2024-100’s base zones
• Construction completion timeline
• Adaptive reuse of the former school building

Belleville to sell, not lease the land

The original plan involved leasing the land to a developer, but due to local market conditions, staff now recommend selling the land to reduce risks with ongoing landlord responsibilities and attract more investors (development industry prefers land ownership). The sale would follow the Disposition of Real Property By-law No. 2022-133, with value based on a third-party appraisal.

A land sale would incorporate conditions and enforce restrictive covenants to ensure that any development aligns with the City’s strategic vision.

Belleville to rezone land and make it shovel-ready for the new owner

given the evolving development landscape and the need for housing, intention is now to dispose of the developable lands in a shovel-ready state. Once Council approves the disposition to the proponent(s), the City will undertake a city-initiated rezoning application to rezone the lands from Community Facility (CF) Zone to the most suitable base zone with the intention for the proponent to obtain a building permit in a timely manner.

Belleville would forgo $12-22K per unit in Development Charges, gain an estimated $300K in property taxes

Affordable housing developments are exempt from development charges, which are prorated based on the number of units defined as affordable residential units under the Development Charges Act.

Depending on the types of units proposed, based on the City’s current development charges, the City would have financial implications of $12,611 per affordable bachelor and 1-bedroom unit, and $21,845 per affordable 2+ bedroom unit proposed.

An affordable housing development with 100 units, would mean $1.72M in exempt development charges.

The report does not estimate the additional property tax that such a development would bring in, which we estimate would be around $300K annually based on Belleville’s property tax rate for new urban multi-residential properties, and a conservative assessed value of $180K per unit based on MPAC averages for small affordable apartments in Ontario.

Park redevelopment estimated to be $850K

Staff have estimated that the cost of future redevelopment of the park may be approximately $850,000 and will be subject to change, based on the types of park amenities that are proposed. The estimated cost will be reflected in the annual update to the City’s 10-Year Capital Plan, which serves as the strategic roadmap for significant infrastructure investments.

Sale would include restrictive covenants to ensure development aligns with strategic vision

A land sale would incorporate conditions and enforce restrictive covenants to ensure that any development aligns with the City’s strategic vision. A land sale provides a one-time payment by selling the developable land at fair market value. The fair market value is determined by appraisal and would proceed as in keeping with the City of Belleville’s Real Property Acquisition and Disposition Policy and By-Law No. 2022-133. Subsequent to completing a survey of the property, a third-party appraisal will be conducted to determine the fair market value. Proceeding with a land sale eliminates risks associated with ongoing landlord responsibilities.

Full report