One specific action I would take is to make small-scale infill housing a priority—particularly smaller homes and Additional Residential Units (ADUs) on existing serviced lots—and use the recently approved removal of development charges for new residential builds to help make those homes more attainable. I would work with staff and builders to remove unnecessary barriers and encourage projects that add smaller homes, including homes around 400–600 square feet for first-time buyers. We already have serviced land and infrastructure in our existing neighbourhoods, so we should be building smarter before simply expanding outward. The removal of development charges gives us an opportunity to make these smaller homes more affordable to build and, hopefully, more affordable to purchase. By the end of my four-year term, I want to see a measurable increase in smaller, attainable homes being built, more opportunities for first-time buyers and seniors, and a housing supply that better matches what local residents can actually afford. We don’t just need more houses—we need homes people can actually afford to buy.
