Increased infill housing, improved standards a priority for Loney if elected mayor

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This article was published 21/08/2022 (759 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A mayoral candidate hopes a “major overhaul” of infill construction standards can help Winnipeg speed up its goal to add more new homes to existing neighbourhoods.

Shaun Loney said the city must reduce the friction between some infill developers and residents of neighbouring homes. He said municipal finances would greatly improve by ensuring more builds take place within established neighbourhoods, since the residents would then rely on existing infrastructure.

“We cannot afford to maintain the infrastructure that we have right now. If we’re meeting our population growth by building new infrastructure into new neighbourhoods, it’s draining resources away from the things that Winnipeggers really value, like pools, parks, libraries,” said Loney. “For me, it’s primarily a financial issue.”

If elected, Loney would aim to speed up the city’s previously set target to increase infill construction to 50 per cent of all new homes built by 2030.

“Our first goal is to get to the 50 per cent as soon as possible,” said Loney.

His proposal would: create an infill compliance team that would quickly respond to neighbours’ complaints about projects and randomly conduct proactive inspections of builds to ensure they meet development standards (funding for that effort would be raised through increased fines and permit fees for repeat offenders); launch a voluntary considerate developer program with a code of conduct that helps limit noise, dust and other potential construction issues; add incentives for infill developments that include certain features, such as solar power and/or electric vehicle chargers; create an infill development benefits fund that devotes some tax revenue to improve the surrounding community (such as through park or tree-canopy additions); and sponsor infill design excellence awards.

Loney said the exact incentives, fees and portion of tax dollars to be devoted to community investments would be determined through consultation.

“We want to reward the businesses that are doing their work in a considerate fashion,” he said.

Winnipeggers will elect their next mayor and council on Oct. 26.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga