# Oshawa's next housing stimulus will not reach every project the same way A cut to development charges can make a substantial difference to a housing proposal. In parts of downtown Oshawa, however, the city's charge is already zero. Meanwhile, northern growth areas still need physical infrastructure, and one Kedron developer is proposing a striking change in housing mix. Together, these details suggest that the next supply response will depend on where a project sits, what it pays today and what kind of home it plans to build. Published 2026-09-08. Sources checked 2026-09-07. ## The existing fee is the starting point Oshawa's June response to the federal-provincial funding programme pointed to longstanding downtown charge exemptions and a pipeline of about 1,600 downtown homes. The detailed municipal guidance makes the boundary important: the core area has a broad city-charge exemption, while the shoulder area lists particular apartment and townhouse forms, with an exception for back-to-back townhouses. A downtown mailing address alone does not establish that every design receives the same treatment. [Oshawa statement on development-charge funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/statement-from-mayor-carter-on-the-canada-ontario-new-development-charge-reduction-program/) [Oshawa development charges and exemption areas](https://www.oshawa.ca/business-development/planning-and-development/development-charges/) The city also collects separate Durham Region and school-board charges. Waiving Oshawa's own levy does not make those components disappear. The June national announcement described an application-based infrastructure programme that prioritizes sustained municipal charge reductions. It was not an automatic discount on every new Oshawa home, and the municipal statement was not confirmation that a particular project had received funding. [Oshawa development charges and exemption areas](https://www.oshawa.ca/business-development/planning-and-development/development-charges/) [Canada and Ontario development-charge programme](https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2026/06/canada-and-ontario-open-applications-for-new-development-charge-reduction-program0.html) [Oshawa statement on development-charge funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/statement-from-mayor-carter-on-the-canada-ontario-new-development-charge-reduction-program/) The archive comparison is useful because it identifies two different routes for stimulus. A further cut to an already exempt city charge provides no additional saving on that component. Infrastructure funding, regional charge changes or support for previously non-exempt locations could still matter. Applying the same percentage saving to every project would overstate the benefit in some downtown appraisals and obscure where a new incentive could change a development decision. [Oshawa statement on development-charge funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/statement-from-mayor-carter-on-the-canada-ontario-new-development-charge-reduction-program/) [Oshawa stormwater infrastructure funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/city-receives-32m-from-province-for-water-infrastructure/) [Oshawa development charges and exemption areas](https://www.oshawa.ca/business-development/planning-and-development/development-charges/) [Canada and Ontario development-charge programme](https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2026/06/canada-and-ontario-open-applications-for-new-development-charge-reduction-program0.html) ## In Kedron, drainage and project design matter together The April grant announcement identifies a specific northern constraint: $3.2 million for storm sewers, catch basins and a culvert associated with Conlin Road East Phase 2. The city links the work to planned development of about 1,800 homes in the Kedron planning area. Those homes are an enabling estimate, not houses completed by the grant announcement. The broader road project is described as a multi-year investment approaching $40 million. [Oshawa stormwater infrastructure funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/city-receives-32m-from-province-for-water-infrastructure/) There is already evidence of developers reconsidering the product they want to build in Kedron. An August notice for Britannia Avenue East and Grandview Street North proposes 125 detached homes and 212 street townhouses in one subdivision phase. The previous approval allowed 172 detached, 74 semi-detached and 72 street townhouses. That is 337 proposed homes instead of 318, an increase of only 19, but 140 more townhouses and 121 fewer detached or semi-detached homes combined. [Britannia and Grandview planning notice](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/public-meeting-britannia-ave-e-and-grandview-st-n-september-14/) A headline about 19 extra homes would miss the much larger change in the alternatives available to buyers. This is a proposal for a September 14 hearing, not an approved redesign. It also does not establish why the applicant changed the mix. The shift is consistent with a search for a different price point or land-use pattern, but the reviewed notice contains no development pro forma or buyer research proving that explanation. [Britannia and Grandview planning notice](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/public-meeting-britannia-ave-e-and-grandview-st-n-september-14/) The road programme requires the same care with locations. The current city update describes construction east of Harmony Road toward Kurelo Drive, with completion planned for December 2026, separately from design work west of Harmony. That schedule should not be applied automatically to the entire Phase 2 drainage programme or every Kedron subdivision. A site needs its own connection and servicing milestones. [Oshawa major construction and renewal projects](https://www.oshawa.ca/city-hall/major-construction-and-renewal-projects/) [Oshawa stormwater infrastructure funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/city-receives-32m-from-province-for-water-infrastructure/) ## The outlook is for a change in the offer before a broad fall in prices The forecast through September 2027 is that some northern Oshawa projects will respond to affordability pressure through a different mix of homes and phased releases before any general reduction in new-home prices becomes evident. The Britannia proposal is an early, project-specific signal to test, not proof of a citywide trend. The Bank of Canada's September decision held the policy rate at 2.25% while noting higher longer-term yields since July, so a stable policy rate alone does not settle a purchaser's carrying costs. [Britannia and Grandview planning notice](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/public-meeting-britannia-ave-e-and-grandview-st-n-september-14/) [Bank of Canada September policy decision](https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2026/09/fad-press-release-2026-09-02/) [Oshawa stormwater infrastructure funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/city-receives-32m-from-province-for-water-infrastructure/) Confidence is low. The prediction assumes buyers remain sensitive to total purchase cost, the proposed form can be financed and servicing proceeds. It would weaken if the amendment is refused, detached-home presales outpace townhouse demand, or subsequent northern applications retain their existing mix. The evidence to follow is revised plans, approvals and actual sales by housing type. For downtown projects, the comparison should separately record which fees were already waived, so existing relief is not presented as a new saving. [Britannia and Grandview planning notice](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/public-meeting-britannia-ave-e-and-grandview-st-n-september-14/) [Oshawa development charges and exemption areas](https://www.oshawa.ca/business-development/planning-and-development/development-charges/) [Canada and Ontario development-charge programme](https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2026/06/canada-and-ontario-open-applications-for-new-development-charge-reduction-program0.html) ## Evidence and forecast record Claim-level sources, calculations, assumptions, counter-evidence and review details for this article. [Observations, calculations and forecast record](/markets/on/on-oshawa-development-charge-relief-kedron-housing-mix-2026-09-07.evidence.json) ## Sources - [Oshawa statement on development-charge funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/statement-from-mayor-carter-on-the-canada-ontario-new-development-charge-reduction-program/): June 1, 2026 statement; existing exemptions and conditional development pipeline - [Oshawa stormwater infrastructure funding](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/city-receives-32m-from-province-for-water-infrastructure/): April 14, 2026 grant announcement for Conlin Road East Phase 2 - [Oshawa development charges and exemption areas](https://www.oshawa.ca/business-development/planning-and-development/development-charges/): Current exemption guidance and rate table checked September 7, 2026; fees require project-specific confirmation - [Canada and Ontario development-charge programme](https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2026/06/canada-and-ontario-open-applications-for-new-development-charge-reduction-program0.html): June 1, 2026 application announcement; infrastructure funding programme, not an individual project award - [Oshawa major construction and renewal projects](https://www.oshawa.ca/city-hall/major-construction-and-renewal-projects/): Current Conlin Road project sections checked September 7, 2026; separate road segments and schedules - [Britannia and Grandview planning notice](https://www.oshawa.ca/news/posts/public-meeting-britannia-ave-e-and-grandview-st-n-september-14/): August 20 notice for September 14, 2026 hearing; proposed amendment to Phase 2 of S-O-2014-05 - [Bank of Canada September policy decision](https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2026/09/fad-press-release-2026-09-02/): September 2, 2026 policy rate and longer-term yield assessment Prepared by Aurynge with AI-assisted research and writing. See /methodology for the evidence and publication policy.