City seeks input from Londoners living in new subdivisions
CBC
The City of London is reaching out to Londoners living in new subdivisions, in particular ones where the developer — instead of the city — remains responsible for maintaining roads and other infrastructure.
In planning parlance, subdivisions still under developer control are referred to as "unassumed" subdivisions. Assumption doesn't happen until the subdivision's lots are filled to a certain point, or the developer meets a list of conditions in the subdivision agreement with the city.
In many of these new neighbourhoods, the developer remains responsible for maintaining infrastructure such as roads and in some cases, streetlights and snow clearing. Garbage and recycling collection generally begins as soon as residents move in.
It's a situation that can lead to confusion for new residents, who are sometimes left unsure where to direct complaints and concerns about noise, debris or missing sidewalks. It's an issue the city flagged back in 2018 when council voted to dedicate a staff member to dealing with residents' concerns in new subdivisions.
Jeff Shaughnessy, a manager with the city's planning department, said it can take more than seven years for a subdivision to be "assumed" by the city.
"There are issues that people who live in these subdivisions have to deal with that people in established areas don't have to deal with," he said.
As examples, he cited construction noise and traffic, a lack of sidewalks and other infrastructure and dirty streets.
"In a lot of cases, these subdivisions are construction zones for a long time," he said.
Depending on the subdivision's size, it can take years to build out to the point where the city takes over.
Shaughnessy said there's a host of reasons it can take so long for the city to assume a subdivision. He said it's largely a "developer-driven" process, but the city also plays a role in handling complaints from residents and inspecting reports of problems.
"There are challenges with having folks living in the direct proximity of construction activity," said Shaughnessy. "I think it's a reality of living in these neighbourhoods."
So how can residents tell if they're in a developer-controlled subdivision?
They can follow these steps:
Residents can submit comments or concerns here on the city's "Get Involved" web page.
A suspended Moncton structural engineer faces more lawsuits alleging design flaws in buildings that require repair.
Sajjade Tugano has come a long way since he first set foot in Chibougamau, six hours north of Quebec City, in the depths of winter in November 2021.
A national mentor-based hockey organization that helps marginalized youth through the sport is paying tribute to one of its members and youngest coaches.
After months of asking the City of Saskatoon to do more to solve its homelessness crisis, advocate David Fineday took to the stand at city council Tuesday.
A community organization wants to breathe new life into a historic building in Regina.
Some Prince County residents are walking away with more answers after attending Tuesday night's public information session in Albany, P.E.I., on the Wejipek Wind Project.
After just a few months of using vape detectors in a couple of bathrooms, a B.C. high school principal says it's reduced vape use in those areas to basically zero.
Burlington MP Karina Gould gets boost from local young people after entering Liberal leadership race
A day after entering the Liberal leadership race, Burlington, Ont., MP and government House leader Karina Gould was cheered at a campaign launch party by local residents — including young people expressing hope the 37-year-old politician will represent their voices.
Anold Mulaisho was born intersex and wonders where they fit in, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order for the United States to recognize only two sexes, male and female.
WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.
Subway service is down on Line 1 between Sheppard West and Lawrence West due to a broken power rail, the TTC said Wednesday morning.
A long-term care home in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood has cleared one more hurdle to add desperately needed beds to its property, a move that's been praised by housing advocates but opposed by locals concerned about the impact on the neighbourhood.
A Charlottetown resident is calling on the P.E.I. government to do more to protect homeowners after reading about a recent oil spill very similar to one on his Montague property 20 years ago, which he says ruined him financially.
WARNING: This story includes details of abuse.
Two years after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly declared she was taking the unprecedented step of moving to confiscate millions of dollars from a sanctioned Russian oligarch with assets in Canada, the government has not actually begun the court process to forfeit the money, let alone to hand it over to Ukrainian reconstruction — and it may never happen.
Alberta business and oilpatch leaders are returning home from Washington this week after the U.S. presidential inauguration festivities — and gritting their teeth after a roller-coaster of emotions.
Youth workers in Toronto's Jane and Finch area are flipping the script on negative stereotypes about their communities with a new fundraising campaign that offers anti-bias training in exchange for donations to bolster their programming.
In a sudden move that came late Tuesday evening, city officials rolled out cots and temporarily opened a warm building in east London as frigid temperatures continued.