CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included incorrect information that the provincial housing target for Newmarket was 11,000 homes. It was actually 12,000. The story below has been edited to correct the error.
The Town of Newmarket is setting its own target of having 6,400 homes built within its boundaries by 2031.
Council committee of the whole approved the target Oct. 23, in response to provincial pressure to commit to a much larger target of 12,000 homes.
After pushing back on that, Newmarket sought to create its own housing target with a new minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing coming in.
Newmarket Mayor John Talyor said he had a good conversation with the new minister, Paul Calandra, last week. Although he said he is unsure how this new target will be received, he added it is ambitious and shows the town is not sitting idle.
“Hopefully, this demonstrated to our counterparts at the province … that Newmarket is doing a great deal to support new housing,” Taylor said. “This housing pledge number is extremely ambitious. We’re not holding back.”
The town was the only one of 29 municipalities assigned housing targets by the province not to accept it, citing concerns over a lack of sewage allocation.
The figure of 6,400 is based on all existing locations in development, along with the anticipation that York Region can add 7,000 more persons to sewage allocation for Newmarket in the next four to five years.
The pledge also adds targets for rental and non-profit units, inclusive of the 6,400 figure. Staff recommended a target of 1,100 rental units and 350 non-profit units, but council approved a request from Taylor to up those figures to make them a bit more “ambitious.”
Councillor Christina Bisanz said it is a pledge the town can feel good about.
“It is still very much a stretch goal and I think that we’ve demonstrated time and time again, this is not something that this municipality is dragging its heels on,” she said.
The staff report noted that this target will require developers to actually build, with construction in a downturn recently due to high costs.
“The town has done and will continue to do its best to process development approvals, but ultimately, the development community is responsible for the construction of housing following municipal approval,” the report said. “Construction and delivery of housing post municipal approvals is beyond the town’s control.”
Taylor said this pledge can hopefully satisfy the province. He was communicating with the previous housing minister, Steve Clark, about an updated target, but those conversations had to restart when Clark left the post.
“I’m hoping this will be received well, and we can put this behind us and focus on what we should be focusing on,” Taylor said.
