Risk Analysis:
The Building Division has not conducted a complete review of building plans to confirm compliance with the Ontario Building Code and applicable law (e.g. zoning by-law). A review of the drawings will be conducted to ensure that the City’s incentives are being used appropriately and the City is receiving good value for the public investment allocated through the Sandwich Incentive Program(s) “toolkit”. As a requirement of Section 28 (7.3) of the Planning Act Administration has confirmed that, the Grant amount does not exceed the total cost of the project.
The Development and Building Fees and Neighbourhood Residential Rehabilitation Grants will not be disbursed until all work is completed and inspected to the satisfaction of Administration.
The Revitalization Grant Program will not be disbursed (if applicable) until an agreement for the Sandwich Incentive Program have been registered on title between the owner and the City of Windsor and not until all work is completed and inspected by Administration. There is little risk associated with approval of a tax increment-based grant such as the Revitalization Grant Program as the payments commence after the eligible work has been completed and the property reassessed by MPAC, and will only continue if the development remains eligible in accordance with the Sandwich CIP. Should the development fail to meet its requirements under the CIP, grant payments would cease.
There is minimal risk in the delegating approval of the Neighbourhood Residential Rehabilitation and Development and Building fees grants to the CAO because all proposed work will be reviewed by the City Planner and Planning and Building Staff with respect to the eligibility and requirements of the Sandwich CIP. In addition, as stated above funds will not be dispersed without inspection by Planning and Building Department staff and the approval of the City Planner and Chief Financial Officer/City Treasurer.
Financial Matters:
Except for the Revitalization Grant, the owners will be reimbursed through the capital project ID 7076176-Sandwich Community Development Plan. There is currently $647,909 in this project to disperse the Development and Building Fees and Neighbourhood Residential Rehabilitation Grants, however, approximately $258,480 has been pre-committed through applications approved by City Council, leaving approximately $389,429 in available funds for new commitments which is sufficient to cover the total amounts being recommended in this report.
The Revitalization Grant is funded through the foregone municipal portion of the annual future tax levy resulting from any increased assessment. The Discussion Section of this report also identifies which programs and how much of a grant the applicant is eligible for under the Sandwich Incentive (s) Program(s) “toolkit”.
Consultations:
The Planning and Building Department has consulted with the owners of the properties listed in this document through the application process and made site visits to confirm