Cobourg’s planning department seems to be overloaded and has many projects late. However, they recently made a tool available that lists what they are working on. The list is long and includes a good number of projects with new housing. Below is a summary of the significant projects and a map showing where they are. The table lists significant projects and summarizes the details – see the Development Dashboard in resources below for more details. It’s not easy to add up the numbers but there’s well over 800 residential units “on the planning books”. Many of the new units are townhouses or multiplex units so should be a lower price range if not fully “affordable”. I hope that our utility planning (water, sewer, electricity) is keeping up – I’ve heard stories that some developments are held up because of missing sewer capacity.
Significant Projects in Planning Department
| # | Applicant | Address | Date | Description |
| 1 | Heli Homes Inc. | 440-448 Elgin Street West | 2019-10-21 | 27 two-storey townhouses. |
| 2 | RFA Planning Consultant | 867, 869, 879 William Street | 2023-07-17 | 11 Townhouses |
| 3 | GHD | 149 Elgin Street E | 2023-06-26 | Two-storey auto dealership. Re-zoning req’d. |
| 4 | Leblanc Enterprises | 431 Ontario Street | 2022-09-26 | 6-storey residential condo building with 36 units |
| 5 | Joshani Homes | 377 William Street | 2020-06-29 | 10 1½ storey freehold townhouse lots and four 1½ storey freehold semi-detached lots |
| 6 | Joshani Homes | 296 George Street | 2021-05-21 | Three-storey 15 unit apartment building and five townhouses |
| 7 | Trinity Housing of Cobourg Corporation | 25 James Street East / 321 John Street | 2023-01-10 | 3-storey, 27-unit apartment building, incl affordable units. |
| 8 | 3 Pines Holdings Inc. | Kerr Street East | 2022-10-19 | Showroom/office building, an industrial warehouse & outdoor storage |
| 9 | Sunnyside Village | 540 King Street East | 2021-08-05 | Residential draft plan of subdivision |
| 10 | Stalwood Homes | 448 & 458 Drewery Road | 2022-03-28 | Two sixteen-plex buildings |
| 11 | Monument Geomatics & Estimating | 480, 490 & 500 Drewery Road | 2023-03-27 | Two 10-plex buildings and three 20-plex buildings |
| 12 | Tribute (Cobourg) | Phase 2 of Cobourg Trails | – | Residential subdivision – 116 single and townhouse units. |
| 13 | PlazaCorp | 357-361 Elgin Street West | 2021-08-05 | Five storey apartment building & 16 townhouses |
| 14 | 2648888 Ontario Inc | Depalma Drive | – | 4 storey hotel with 82 guest rooms (Holiday Inn – more details – Nov 2019 – and update – May 2021) |
| 15 | Tribute (Cobourg) | Phase 1 of Cobourg Trails | 2019-09-09 | Residential subdivision – 216 units |
| 16 | TD Consulting | 185 Division Street / 9 Albert Street | 2021-03-11 | 20 residential units, 7 commercial units, and 3 live-work units – two 3-storey buildings. Complete. |
| 17 | Kwendill Holdings Ltd. | Kerr St East | – | Industrial subdivision of 6 lots. |
| 18 | New Amherst Homes | 816-836 New Amherst Boulevard | – | 3 buildings with 60 residential units and commercial space. |
| 19 | Tribute (Cobourg) | Phase 3 of Cobourg Trails | 2022-06-20 | Subdivision consisting of a max of 161 units. |
Notes:
- The location of each project is shown on the map below with the corresponding project number.
- The number sequence follows the sequence on the Development Dashboard.
- Last time I looked, 47 projects were listed but many projects have two or more “applications” (e.g. site plan and rezoning) and some projects are minor (e.g. minor variance). Also I have not included Lucas Point projects.
- The date shown is “date deemed complete” which I believe is the date the application was complete (no missing information), not when it was first submitted.
- The type of application is not included in my summary – there’s more detail at the “dashboard”.
As you can see, many projects have been “worked-on” for some time. The good news is that the planning department is making their projects public; the bad news is that many are taking a long time.
At a recent Council meeting when the dashboard was made public, Planning Director Anne Taylor-Scott said that municipalities are legally required to make this information public. (Cobourg Blog article )
But, like it or not, growth is coming to Cobourg.
The map is large so download a pdf of the complete map from resources..
Resources
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IMO the Developers are could be the ones slowing the process down; as where they once thought Cobourg to be growing with potential, they are seeing now that may not be the case. These projects are costly and to invest in something that they wont get a reasonable ROI is not appealing.
Apart from the Beach, the charm and comfortable feeling in Cobourg is diminishing – particularly with the changing environment over the past year. This doesn’t sit well with the Developers. To this point the latest example is the Bus stop at College and King that the drug addicts have taken over – – rather than deal with the problem (remove the drug addicts) the Town removes the Bus Stop.
“rather than deal with the problem (remove the drug addicts) the Town removes the Bus Stop.”
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
Plus we have some of the Highest Taxes in the Province, No Bus service to speak of
Under staffed Hospital etc etc
Sandpiper,
Renters in Cobourg (and elsewhere in Ont) are getting a small rent reduction (0.74% in my case) for 2024 as a result of property taxes across Ontario on average, going down in the prior year. Cobourg, of course did not contribute to this reduction. We’re paying for champagne, but getting served beer.
Bryan, from my limited experience, the rent reduction you mention is done on a property by property basis. If the property tax for a rental apartment building decreased, more that a certain amount, the municipality notifies tenants directly of a rent reduction. Your comment might be interpreted that all renters are getting a rent reduction due to decreased property tax. I do not know the reason for a decrease in property tax. Maybe there was a decrease of the MPAC assessment for the property or a decrease of the tax rate. The tax rate for an apartment building is often significantly higher than the rate for single family homes. Personally I prefer beer to champagne, literally and metaphorically, but that is not important.
Agree with you Rational, We have an unoccupied Medical Building on King St East and a practically dead Northumberland Mall…And this town needs a few more doctors..
I have only investigated one project in detail (number 14 on the above list) , the application for a hotel on DePalma Drive and the process is in the developers court now, NOT Cobourg planning department. As for the other projects listed above what is there to say the delay is the fault of the planning department? How many are speculators feeling out the Cobourg market and then trying to get financing?
I bet the Town Planning Dept told you that
They have insisted , asked for an Arborist study on a Corn field — if you can find a tree let them know please .
Always just something a little more to keep from approving a project and its Never the Town or Red Tape at fault .
And yes the developer has it in their hands –a whole lot of New and Costly requests & additions to agree to once again and — Never ending
What should happen is the Communities Planning , Engineering , Utility departments advise all developers and land Buyers right at the Beginning in the Pre Consultation meetings of their Needs – Wants and — Town Servicing Deficiencies — that will hold up or add undisclosed costs to any project especially Housing and Job Creation sites .
Hidden costs and years of time, taxes wages and professional and town application fees and neverending studies for and on Municipalities behalf for services and capacities and availability
That they have NO idea about or what they can provide to any project is Essential to Building Affordably These Municipal offices should know these things thats their job to know what Capacities are available
and put that Information Right up front every time It would sure keep costs of housing and real estate down. It may even prevent some sale from closing .
But this information should not be Hidden
“They have insisted , asked for an Arborist study on a Corn field — if you can find a tree let them know please .”
As usual Sandpiper you are really stretching here. The request for an arborist’s report is in the list of documents needed to be completed as part of the package submitted to the Planning Dept. for review.
What’s the sweat about this one – any trainee arborist will have the form filled out in a New York minute, if there are no trees!
Ben,
The difference is that in other jurisdictions, planning knows there are no trees there and therefore don’t ask for a useless non-relevant report
They waived it several years ago and are asking for it once again you know one of those last minute deals where Common sense might apply
I know its a 1 day job for an Arborist on this site but by the time you book the professional get the report and hope the Powers to be in Planning can find the time to review it within 4 to 6 months a lot of time has gone by .
This is similar to what happened with the Business park lots on Kerr st east of Home Hardware and these are experienced local land owners as well
They had most of the lots pre sold a couple of yrs ago . But with last minute reviews and requests added another yr or 2 to the project The Buyers moved on and the additional time and expenses has driven the prices up far be yound what you might buy serviced Industrial or Business park land for from the Town say down in Willmott Industrial pk or over in Port Hope .
Again state it and stick to it no last minute we forgot things .
You know time is Money why should this have to be explained
Going over Budget is not an option in the Real or Private World .
Developers
do not have Tax Payers they can reach into their pockets for more $$$
Sandpiper, I have heard similar stories so I’m not doubting you. I am curious as to the reasoning behind this. Do town employees really want to slow development, which increases costs, to limit the number and social status of people moving to Cobourg? Most of the development projects will be well out of the price range of people working in food services for example. Maybe the town employees are either incompetent or over worked. Perhaps they just do not care, because they have good job security, and are delaying projects for personal entertainment. I have no insight into the reason. If somebody can suggest another reason, or actually knows why, Cobourg development projects seem to get delayed by years please let us know.
No I think you have pretty much covered the concern
I do believe that Town has lost many / most of its older Experienced
professionals with years of Knowledge . The New Heresies / replacements are much younger lack the knowledge and historic info on the Towns structure and there for ask the land developers to show the Town the way by providing studies and info the Town should already know or have on hand . We lack Experience and people that take time to find out or do their own studies and that
really have a hands on Background and understanding of the ROI factors of
Budgets and affordable development .
From what I am seeing and hearing It takes 7 year ++ to get a project to Construction stage
The Development just north of St Mary’s High school , the one on Elgin by the YMCA
Trimaine st now under construction , George st by Covert & Buck have been through
the hands of many developers that walked away or simply collapsed .
This all adds to the Cost of Construction and land value thus upping the housing unit prices
So what is Affordable Housing in the eyes of this Town and why are the Planning and Engineering Depts not helping to keep development costs down along with faster turn around times
“the one on Elgin by the YMCA”
This one has been on the books for 35 years. <sarcasm>Mr McGlashon was hired and retired during the life of this application. I am sure it’s all his fault though.</sarcasm>
Yes 35 yrs for sure and lots of Money wasted
the latest developer a very Large Toronto group picked up the property in a distress sale with 9 yrs of property Tax arears owing they want to build rental yet its taken them 4 to 5 yrs so far even though this property has been studied to death by 4 prior developers
that have all walked away and even though one of the former d developers has stubbed in service lines Sanitary ,Storm and Water it still a long Expensive , Painful Process
Why what are the developers Not being told in Preconsolidation meetings ??
All the applications look great.
New yet-to-be-built condo units have been advertised on Third St. since we moved here in 2012.
The only thing put there was a sales trailer, which had stood empty for almost as long. Seeing is believing, and apparently, it will take years to complete if this applicant is any barometer.
As the new residences are built, it will be interesting to see how many close, how many walk away, and how many are put up immediately for lease (purchased by investors).
Looking at House Sigma, 5 units of the first group are already up for lease in the new Cobie’s up by St. Mary’s.
Kate – that is because investors see a great opportunity. Rental housing prices are doing nothing but going up. Few commercial large rental units are being built despite the glaring need. Whoever thought $2000 (often plus utilities and parking) would be the norm. Great way to get return on your money. Competition would help the rental market – simply supply and demand to lower the King’s ransom being asked today. Affordable rentals would not be necessary if the market was concentrated in commercial rentals. Supply to meet demand would take care of the problem without expenditure of tax dollars to build “affordable?” rentals.