Building Faster, Building Smarter

1. I support building more housing - but building faster also has to mean building smarter.

I know Guelph needs more housing and I support thoughtful intensification. I want to see more housing built in Guelph, including more housing choices in established neighbourhoods. But approving more units cannot happen in isolation from pedestrian safety, roads, drainage, parking, traffic, tree canopy and the infrastructure needed to support both new and existing residents.

2. "The Province requires it" cannot be the end of the conversation.

I recognize that provincial legislation has significantly limited some of the City's control over planning decisions. I will always be honest about those limitations. But I do not accept that our hands are completely tied. Where the City still has authority, I want us to use every reasonable tool available to protect neighbourhood safety, manage growth responsibly and ensure infrastructure keeps pace.

3. I want us to consider cumulative neighbourhood impacts, not just one application at a time.

A single severance or infill project may appear manageable when assessed on its own. But when several projects are concentrated on one street or in one neighbourhood, the combined effect can be very different. I want our processes to better recognize cumulative changes in traffic, pedestrian activity, parking, drainage, servicing and neighbourhood infrastructure, as well as the impact on neighbourhood character and quality of life. Residents in areas experiencing concentrated inflill have also raised concerns about the impact on property values and the ability to sell their homes. I believe those economic impacts on existing homeowners also deserve to be part of the conversation.

4. I believe different kinds of housing belong in different places.

I support a mix of housing throughout Guelph, but thoughtful intensification should respond to the neighbourhood and location where it is being built. A development can meet technical zxoning requirements and still create an unreasonable cumulative impact when the same form of develpment becomes concentrated in one small area. More housing does not have to mean every form of development becomes concentratred in one small area.  More housing does not have to mean every form of housing is appropriate everywhere. Responsible growth is not about stoping housing; it is about making sure we add housing in ways that work for both the people who need homes and the communities receiving that growth.

5. I want our infrastructure priority lists to be living documents.

Sidewalk, traffic-calming and other infrastructure priorities are often based on studies completed years before significant intensification occurs. I want a mechanism that allows the City to reassess a neighbourhood when conditions materially change - including new development, increased density, documented safety concerns or significant changes in traffic and pedestrian activity.

6. I believe safety must be able to change the schedule.

If conditions in a neighbourhood have changed and residents are facing legitimate safety concerns, I do not think the answer should simply be that the street is not high enough on an old priority list. I want the City to have the flexibility to respond when circumstances change.

7. I want infrastructure planning and development approvals to work together.

I do not want us approving significant new density while sidewalks, traffic calming, drainage improvements or other supporting infrastructure remain years away. When growth changes the demands on a neighbourhood, I believe that growth should trigger an infrastructure conversation.

8. I want traffic analysis to reflect what is actually happening in a neighbourhood.

Individual developments may not always meet the City's threshold for a formal Traffic Impact Study. But several developments together can create a very different reality. I want us to examine whether our current thresholds and processes adequately capture concentrated and cumulative intensification.

9. I do not believe minimum parking compliance always tells the whole story.

A development can technically meet the Zoning By-law and still contribute to real parking pressure from residents, visitors, deliveries, contractors and service vehicles. I want us to pay attention to both technical compliance and what residents are actually experiencing on their streets.

10. I want drainage and stormwater planning to consider cumulative development.

Individual developments may be required to provide grading, drainage and stormwater plans. But when several neighbouring properties are redeveloped and more land is covered by buildings, driveways and hard surfaces, I believe we also need to consider the cumulative effect on the surrounding neighbourhood.

11. I want to protect neighbourhood tree canopy as we grow.

I believe we can build housing while also protecting the mature trees that make established neighbourhoods healthier and more resilient. Where trees cannot be preserved, I want our replacement and compensation policies to meaningfully restore canopy in the communities experiencing the loss.

12. I want "gentle density" to remain genuinely gentle.

I support adding housing choices within established neighbourhoods. But I think we need to ask: when does gentle density stop being gentle?  Repeated, concentrated intensification can have a very different cumulative effect than one modest infill project. Our policies should be capable of recognizing the difference between a reasonable increase in housing and a dramatic transformation of one small area.

13. I want our housing strategy to pay attention to housing need, not simply unit counts.

Adding units increases supply, but different residents have different housing needs. I want us to keep increasing that supply while being more intentional about the kinds of housing we are creating and where they are located. Families, seniors, students, newcomers and people needing deeply affordable housing are not interchangeable. I want Guelph to be thoughtful about the housing we are facilitating and to work with major institutions, including the University of Guelph, on the housing pressures they generate.

14. I want a strong and independent Committee of Adjustment.

Council cannot direct individual Committee of Adjustment decisions, and it should not. Council does, however, appoint the Committee. I want those appointments taken seriously, with knowledgeable and independent members who will scrutinize applications, listen carefully to residents and confidently exercise the discretion available to them under provincial legislation and municipal policy.

My Commitment

Build faster. Build smarter.

I support creating the housing Guelph needs. But I do not believe growth should be measured only by how quickly we approve new units. Repsonsible growth is not about choosing between new residents and existing residents - good planning has to work for both. We also need to consider what happens around those units - sidewalks, roads, drainage, traffic, parking, trees and neighbourhood character and safety. When neighbourhood conditions change, City priorities need to be able to change with them. I will advocate for infrastructure planning that is responsive, development decisions that recognize cumulative impacts, and a City that uses the tools still available to us rather than simply saying our hands are tied.