City of Abbotsford - Development Cost Charges, Amenity Cost Charges and Community Amenity Contributions, Proposed Rates and Bylaws/Policy Updates
Third Reading
As mentioned in previous updates, on April 8th Council gave three readings to the proposed rates for Development Cost Charges (DCCs), Amenity Cost Charges (ACCs), Community Amenity Contributions (CAC), Density Bonusing rates and directed staff to forward the Development Cost Charges Bylaw to the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs for its approval.
The report notes that “….it was ultimately decided to recommend that the effective date of the new rates be deferred to February 1, 2026, rather than implementing them upon bylaw adoption (otherwise anticipated for June 2025). This deferral will provide additional time for developers to adjust to the rate increases and to take advantage of existing rates for an additional length of time. The same effective date will be applied to each of the new rates being proposed by this report.”
Proposed DCC Rates:
Proposed ACC Rates:
Proposed CAC Rates and Density Bonusing:
Elimination of potential fee duplication in CAC and Density Bonusing
Because the existing CAC and Density Bonusing charges are currently set to recover some costs that are now covered under the updated DCC and ACC program, those charges must be adjusted to remove potential duplication of charges for the same infrastructure. The affordable housing component of these charges, which makes up 35% of the existing charges, is the only component that is not now covered through the updated DCC and ACC programs. Accordingly, the existing CAC and Density Bonusing charges are proposed to be reduced by 65% to remove any duplication, leaving the existing affordable housing component of the charges unchanged.
Application of DCC and ACC Credits
For the purpose of clarity, contributions previously made via the City’s Community Amenity Contribution policy (Council Policy C007-11) in respect of a development, will be credited against any related DCC or ACC charge subsequently owing on that project. The relevant CAC categories include recreation amenities and greenspace, cultural amenities, and emergency service amenities.
Next Steps
Following review and approval by the Inspector, the DCC bylaw will come back to Council for final adoption. The other rate updates will be brought back for adoption at the same time, with the effective date for all of the changes set at February 1, 2026. Existing DCC rates will be maintained for in-stream applications for a period of one year following that date, as provided for by Local Government Act section 568.
Additional information can be found in the full report by City staff, DCC background report, DCC Bylaw, ACC Bylaw, Zoning Bylaw and CAC Policy.
September 12, 2024
Please note that the draft rates were included in a presentation shared by city staff to the Development, Transportation and Infrastructure Advisory Committee on September 5th, 2024.
The presentation notes that the staff will bring the Bylaws to Council for three readings in October. UDI is yet to be consulted on these proposed rates.
The proposed draft DCC rates are as follows:
The proposed draft ACC rates are as follows:
The proposed draft CAC rates are as follows:
(only applicable to affordable housing category)
City staff are seeking feedback on the proposed draft DCC, ACC and CAC rates. You can provide comments through the link below until September 30th.
Additional information can be found in the full presentation by City staff.
