Housing

• City of Oshawa Development Charges are not required for any project located within the core of the Downtown Oshawa Urban Growth Centre
• In 2004, the City amended its DC By-law and waived all DCs for new housing development with the Downtown Urban Growth Centre. There are approximately 1,600 residential units in the development pipeline today in the Downtown Urban Growth Centre

• Implementing e-permitting for all development and building permit types to modernize and speed up development approvals, real-time tracking and improved transparency for applicants
• Implementing systems to monitor and publicly report on application processing times, with an emphasis on continuous assessment and improvement
• Encouraging missing middle housing types by providing pre-approved building plans
• Continuing to review plans for new homes to make sure they meet the rules set by the Province and the City and monitoring the number of existing and planned affordable housing units in Oshawa. View our progress on the Housing dashboard

• The City is actively modernizing requirements - especially for residential uses - by adjusting minimums (e.g., parking requirements)
• Changes to the Zoning By-law and the Oshawa Official Plan to allow taller buildings and more homes in the Downtown Oshawa Urban Growth Centre. This means that Downtown Oshawa can now have up to 1,000 homes per hectare, compared to 550 before
• Promoting construction of accessory apartments by updating zoning standards and permitting three units as-of-right City-wide
• Increasing as-of-right densities approximately by a factor of three in strategic growth areas of the City, including its Protected Major Transit Station Areas and along the Highway 2 Rapid Transit Corridor linking Downtown Oshawa to Scarborough in the City of Toronto

Introducing a municipal property acquisition, investment and partnership program focusing on property acquisition, investment and involvement in public/private partnerships to rehabilitate and/or redevelop private or publicly-owned property in the Downtown Oshawa Urban Growth Centre and the Central Oshawa Protected Major Transit Station Area to support the goals and objectives of the Oshawa Official Plan as it relates to housing and economic growth

• Offering City-owned surplus lands to accommodate housing projects such as the Habitat for Humanity GTA's project at 485 Normandy St. containing 50 affordable housing units and the Region's project at 419-451 Christine Cres. containing 160 units, of which approximately 36 units will be affordable units and approximately 12 units will be rent-geared-to-income units
• Partnering with the Region to revitalize community housing in two housing communities located at 416-448 Malaga Rd. and 419-451 Christine Cres., with over 550 units combined
• Supporting the Region’s redevelopment of the former Ritson Public School to include a mixed-use, sustainably-built housing project along with community programs, planned to accommodate up to 660 units, with at least 30% being affordable units
• Supporting the Region’s development of a new 36-unit apartment building at 600 Townline Rd. S. with a mix of affordable and market housing, along with children’s programs and a new Regionally operated child care centre in the former Grandview Children’s Centre building 
• Advancing planning applications and/or building permits for the following private-sector affordable housing projects:
  • 115 Colborne St. –  a 75-unit affordable apartment building
  • 1707 Ritson Rd. N. – a 66-unit development of stacked back-to-back townhouses  (Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation); receiving over $7 million in combined funding through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative and the Canada – Ontario Community Housing Initiative, in addition to a $27.5 million investment through federal government’s Affordable Housing Fund
  • 1050 Simcoe St. S. (Conant Place) – a 54-unit seniors affordable rental apartment building (Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation); Conant Place was supported by an Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative investment of over $6.9 million

• Welcoming over $41 million in joint funding announced in June 2026 from the Governments of Canada and Ontario to support the developments at 1707 Ritson Rd. N. and 1050 Simcoe St. S. (Conant Place).
• 1707 Ritson Rd. N. – DRNPHC will be a 66-unit development of stacked and back-to-back townhouses. Once complete in December 2026, it will be located near essential community and health services, including schools, childcare centres, parks, pharmacies, and major commercial centres. The project is receiving over $7 million in combined funding through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative and the Canada – Ontario Community Housing Initiative, in addition to a $27.5 million investment through federal government’s Affordable Housing Fund.
• Conant Place, located at 1050 Simcoe St. S., is a 54-unit affordable rental building that was completed in September 2025. This project was developed to help address the seniors rental housing waitlist in Durham Region and includes affordable units for seniors and individuals with disabilities. It is conveniently located near grocery stores, transit, and medical offices. Conant Place was supported by an Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative investment of over $6.9 million.