Ottawa Home Builders Applauds Housing Acceleration Plan Proposed Reforms to Speed Approvals, Reduce Costs, and Unlock Transit-Oriented Development

Ottawa, ON —The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) today expressed strong support for the City’s newly released Housing Acceleration Plan, applauding its focus on simplifying approvals, reducing housing costs, and intensifying development near transit.

“The Housing Acceleration Plan directly addresses the biggest barriers to housing in Ottawa: red tape, escalating fees, and the need to build smarter around transit,” said Jason Burggraaf, GOHBA Executive Director. “By prioritizing speed, affordability, and intensification, the City is setting the right course to deliver more homes more quickly for Ottawa residents.”

The Task Force Report and Acceleration Plan follow the Auditor General’s Development Application Review September 12, which identified systemic gaps and deficiencies and recommended reforms to improve transparency, accountability, and efficiency in development approvals.

The Acceleration Plan commits to overhauling the development approvals system, with immediate measures such as streamlined legal agreements, expanded use of scoped site plan agreements, and reduced requirements for studies and reports. GOHBA has long advocated for these changes to cut unnecessary delays and lower costs.

“It’s clear from the timing of these reports that the City was already addressing these challenges,” Burggraaf noted. “We’re encouraged that the Housing Acceleration Plan proposes solutions to the audit’s key findings around legal delays, approval process clarity and transparency and performance measurement.”

While hoping to see more comprehensive relief on Development Charges (DCs), GOHBA is particularly encouraged by the Acceleration Plan’s commitment to a Development Charge (DC) Structure Review, which will complement anticipated provincial reforms under Bill 17.

In November 2024 GOHBA raised concerns about the negative impact of rising DCs on the affordability of Ottawa’s new housing supply, following the City’s fourth increase in DC rates in a year. Since Oct 1, 2023, DC rates for new homes have increased 25-30% for all housing types across the city. While understanding that growth related infrastructure must be built, GOHBA encourages cooperation and coordination with the Federal and Provincial governments to aid municipalities as they seek to address housing affordability with some assistance to lower DCs.

The Association also supports the proposed changes to parkland policies, including transferring staff to the Planning, Development and Building Services Department, deferring, reducing or waiving cash-in-lieu charges for an 18-month period, and undertaking a comprehensive policy review.

“The Housing Acceleration Plan takes the right immediate steps to spur intensification and reduce costs for higher-density housing near transit,” said Burggraaf. “We look forward to the next steps on longer-term structural reforms – the DC review, streamlined legal agreements, and a full end-to-end assessment of the approvals process – that will improve overall housing affordability and supply across the city.”

The Housing Innovation Task Force report and Housing Action Plan will be considered by a Special Joint Meeting of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee and the Planning and Housing Committee on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 1:00 pm.

“We applaud the City’s efforts to use its biggest levers – approvals and fees – alongside recent zoning bylaw changes to deliver real results,” Burggraaf said.

GOHBA remains committed to advocating for policies that promote housing affordability and supply for Ottawa residents, both now and in the years ahead.