Competitive Development Charges

Cornwall is an affordable place to do business – including when it comes to constructing new buildings. Cornwall has one of the lowest development charge schedules in Ontario – including no development charges on manufacturing projects.

Development charges are the fees levied on residential and non-residential properties to help a city finance new infrastructure and municipal services. They are not the only costs involved in a development project: building permit fees, zoning application fees and other charges can all add up to a significant amount even on small projects.

Development charges may not always be readily evident in assessing the cost of moving to a city, as the charges may be absorbed by the contractor and recovered with a higher asking price for the property.

Cornwall also has lower than average building permit fees compared to most big cities in Ontario.

The City of Cornwall’s Planning Department helps investors and developers in any development project. This includes explaining the impact of the City’s Official Plan, Zoning By-Laws and Site Plan Approval process. Building permit staff is there to assist in dealing with Ontario’s Building Code.

The Planning Department also coordinates Federal and Provincial government financing for community development projects, including neighbourhood improvement and brownfield redevelopment.