Public hearing date set for DCC bylaw amendments

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This article was published 10/05/2025 (188 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A public hearing is scheduled for next month to discuss changes to the City of Brandon’s development cost charges.

The June 9 hearing in City Council Chambers will give the public an opportunity to provide feedback regarding amendments to the city’s development cost charge bylaw.

As the city looks to increase charges that developers pay to help cover infrastructure costs, it has proposed a special case for high-density residential projects that would phase in rate increases over three years.

The DCC rate increase would be introduced at 25 per cent in the first year, 50 per cent in the second year and 100 per cent in the third year.

The start date for the new DCC rates may still be a year in the future, Shawn Wood, executive director of the Construction Association of Rural Manitoba, told the Sun this week.

The cost to developers for high-density projects would ramp up to $15,660 per unit from $5,294 per unit in emerging areas, such as the southwest and North Hill areas. In established areas of the city — the downtown core and surrounding area — costs would go up to $9,462 per unit from $589 per unit.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett previously told the Sun that the proposed amendment is about striking a balance. The city needs to collect higher fees from developers, but also wants to ensure that the fees do not halt high-density housing projects, which the city greatly needs.

“Anybody will tell you, we’re so tight on housing,” Fawcett said in February. “How do we continue to have growth in the high-density units while still trying to commit to our development cost charges overall?”

High-density units have been crucial to sustaining Brandon’s growth in recent years, Fawcett added.

Wood previously said that some projects in the city would see an increase of more than $500,000 in costs because of the proposed new rates. The construction association has pushed back against the increase and pointed out repeatedly that it would drive up rents in Brandon.

“If rents are already at $1,800 for a two-bedroom unit, you know that might bump them up to $2,400,” Wood told the Sun in Februrary. “And that’s all just off the additional development cost charges.”

For low-density residential development, DCC rates under the proposed changes would increase in emerging areas to $21,193 per unit from the current rate of $8,184 per unit. The rate in established areas would shoot up to $12,805 per unit for low-density residential projects, a sharp rise from $911 per unit.

As well, DCC rates per square foot for non-residential projects would increase from $4.70 to $8.62. Per-square-foot rates for non-residential projects would be raised from $0.53 per square foot to $5.21 per square foot.

The charges are collected from developers and later used to pay for upgrades to infrastructure such as sewers, which see higher usage when developments happen.

In a news release Friday, the city outlined the rationale for the proposed increases.

“Due to the substantial growth experienced in Brandon in recent years, there is an increasing need for additional municipal infrastructure,” the release stated. “The City is committed to maintaining a balance between growth, costs, and development to ensure that Brandon remains one of the most livable cities in Canada and can continue to grow over the next 20 years.”

The proposed DCC increases have been split into two different bylaws. Council approved the first bylaw last month — for transportation and land drainage — which will have a smaller cost impact on developers. The larger impact is built into the upcoming bylaw, which collects costs to fund water and wastewater services in Brandon.

Following the public hearing next month, the city will submit an application to the Public Utilities Board. If approved by the board, the bylaw will come back to council for final approval.

The hearing is set to start at 7 p.m.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com