City seeks input from Londoners living in new subdivisions

The City of London is reaching out to Londoners living in new subdivisions, in particular ones where the developer —  instead of the city — remains responsible for maintaining roads and other infrastructure. 

In planning parlance, subdivisions still under developer control are referred to as "unassumed" subdivisions. Assumption doesn't happen until the subdivision's lots are filled to a certain point, or the developer meets a list of conditions in the subdivision agreement with the city.

In many of these new neighbourhoods, the developer remains responsible for maintaining infrastructure such as roads and in some cases, streetlights and snow clearing. Garbage and recycling collection generally begins as soon as residents move in. 

It's a situation that can lead to confusion for new residents, who are sometimes left unsure where to direct complaints and concerns about noise, debris or missing sidewalks. It's an issue the city flagged back in 2018 when council voted to dedicate a staff member to dealing with residents' concerns in new subdivisions. 

Jeff Shaughnessy, a manager with the city's planning department, said it can take more than seven years for a subdivision to be "assumed" by the city. 

"There are issues that people who live in these subdivisions have to deal with that people in established areas don't have to deal with," he said. 

As examples, he cited construction noise and traffic, a lack of sidewalks and other infrastructure and dirty streets.

"In a lot of cases, these subdivisions are construction zones for a long time," he said. 

Depending on the subdivision's size, it can take years to build out to the point where the city takes over. 

Shaughnessy said there's a host of reasons it can take so long for the city to assume a subdivision. He said it's largely a "developer-driven" process, but the city also plays a role in handling complaints from residents and inspecting reports of problems.

"There are challenges with having folks living in the direct proximity of construction activity," said Shaughnessy. "I think it's a reality of living in these neighbourhoods." 

So how can residents tell if they're in a developer-controlled subdivision? 

They can follow these steps:

1. Visit the CityMap platform.
2. Click on the 'Layer list' icon (three stacked squares) in the top right corner.
3. Scroll down to find 'Subdivision Assumption Status' and toggle it on.
4. Subdivisions highlighted in red indicate that you live in a developer-maintained subdivision or "unassumed area."
5. Subdivisions highlighted in purple signify a partial developer-maintained subdivision or "unassumed area." 

Residents can submit comments or concerns here on the city's "Get Involved" web page.