New Developments in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Grimsby: What the New Councils Change for Homeowners

New Developments in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Grimsby: What the New Councils Change for Homeowners

Written by Daniel Zareh, REALTOR® — licensed since 2006, serving Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Grimsby, Binbrook, Beamsville, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga.
Last reviewed October 26, 2026. Every date, figure and candidate name below was checked against a source that day.

Four of the markets I work in elected councils on Monday, October 26, 2026. Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Grimsby. The new terms start November 15.

If you're reading this on voting day, polls close at 8 p.m. and your city's website has your location.

This isn't a political post and I'm not telling anyone who to vote for. But I've read the actual housing files in all four places, and there's a pattern in them worth knowing if you own property here, plan to sell, or rent units out.

Here it is up front: in three of these four towns, the biggest decision about what gets built near you wasn't council's to make.

The pattern across all four

Hamilton's single largest affordable housing decision this term got pushed through using strong mayor powers after council deadlocked twice. Oakville's tallest Midtown buildings were zoned by the Province, and the Town doesn't support the plan in its current form. Burlington refused a subdivision in September on lands where a tribunal had already allowed part of the development, over the City's objection.

Grimsby is the exception, and I'll get to why.

So the thing I'd actually watch isn't a platform number. It's that most of the levers that change a neighbourhood now sit above the council you just voted for. That doesn't make the vote pointless. It changes what it buys you. A council can't always decide whether something gets built. It still decides how fast it lands and how much warning you get, and if you own near a proposed site, that second thing is the one you'll feel.

Here's what that looks like city by city, and what I'd do about it in each one.

Hamilton: one address was effectively on the ballot

➣ Search Hamilton and Stoney Creek homes on the live map

Most elections give you platforms. Hamilton's gave you a street address.

In July the City announced a deal with Crosswalk Communities, a non-profit, to build 60 affordable units at 5 and 13 Lake Avenue South in Stoney Creek, on what are currently parking lots. Twenty per cent is to be prioritized for veterans. Council voted on it twice and tied twice. Mayor Andrea Horwath used strong mayor powers to push it through on the third vote.

Rob Cooper, the Ward 8 councillor who ran for mayor, said he'd work with Ward 5's Matt Francis to reverse that decision and pick a different site once the mayor gains signing authority on November 18. That's his characterisation of the timing, not mine.

I went through where all four of the on-record mayoral candidates stood on supply, in their own words, in a separate post on the Hamilton race. Short version: Keanin Loomis committed to a number, Horwath ran on her record, Cooper wanted the Stoney Creek site moved, and Scarlett Gillespie pushed on enforcing existing rules rather than new building. Four genuinely different theories of the same problem.

What it means if you own in Hamilton or Stoney Creek. Three things are already settled regardless of the result, and they're the ones with dates on them. Development charges are gone on residential construction through March 31, 2029 under a $572 million agreement. The second suite review carries into the new term, so if a legal suite is in your plan, the rules you'd build under are being written now. And if you own rentals in downtown Ward 2, the heat bylaw is a capital item on a known clock. More on all three below. If you own near Lake Avenue South specifically, that one file is worth following.

Burlington: the tribunal already decided part of it

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Marianne Meed Ward defended the mayor's chair against four challengers, including two sitting councillors, Lisa Kearns in Ward 2 and Rory Nisan in Ward 3. Yugalkeesor Ramdhonee and Keith Demoe were also on the ballot. Nobody was acclaimed.

Whoever won inherits three live files, and none of them is simple.

Millcroft. Council refused both the official plan amendment and the draft plan of subdivision on September 29. But the Ontario Land Tribunal had already allowed an earlier appeal on part of these lands, over the City's objection. I wrote up what that refusal actually means if you own nearby — the honest read is that a council vote and a final answer aren't the same thing here.

Aldershot GO. City staff said Infrastructure Ontario's submission for the transit-oriented community there doesn't line up with council's vision, and set out ten themes of feedback. Separately, the planning framework covering that GO area is itself under appeal, including by CN Rail. If you own in Aldershot, that's two layers of uncertainty stacked on each other.

What's already approved. On Plains Road East, council approved an 8-storey and an 11-storey and refused a 25-storey — the gap between what gets proposed and what gets approved is the thing most homeowners get wrong. And the City's rental incentive programs are fully subscribed, with 641 new purpose-built rental units due by the end of 2027.

What it means if you own in Burlington. A council refusal isn't the end of a file here, so don't price your house on one. If you own in Aldershot, treat the GO area as genuinely unsettled for the next few years rather than as a story with a known ending. And if you're a landlord, 641 purpose-built units landing by the end of 2027 is real new competition for tenants — mostly for two-bedrooms, since 40 per cent or more of them are two beds or larger. That's a number worth having in your underwriting now, not in 2028.

Oakville: the Province zoned the tall buildings

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Rob Burton ran for re-election after registering on the last day, in a five-way race against Arvind Choudhary, Julia Hanna, Ward 5's Jeff Knoll and Ward 1's Sean O'Meara.

Oakville has the clearest version of the pattern. On April 9, 2026 the Province issued four Minister's Zoning Orders covering four Midtown sites around the Oakville GO station. Per the Town, that package carries more than 6,800 homes in 11 buildings, with original heights up to 56 storeys — the Province has since said it's working on refinements that would bring that to 38 storeys while keeping the same number of homes.

And the Town hasn't supported it in its current form. Oakville wants its own amendment, OPA 70, approved instead, which would allow 27 to 36 storeys depending on community benefits, and it's said it'll keep working through the Province's process rather than go to court.

So Midtown is settled on paper and unsettled in practice. Either way, it wasn't the council being elected that decided it.

Here's the detail I'd underline for anyone who invests. Three of those orders — the ones I've read in full on ontario.ca — set no minimum parking for dwelling units, with a maximum of 1.25 spaces per unit. They also require at least 32 per cent of units to be two or three bedrooms.

I've been saying for years that parking is the quiet variable on a two-bedroom rental around here. It's often the difference between a unit that moves and one that sits. Oakville's Midtown now has provincial policy pointing the other way.

On volume: Oakville has roughly 62,800 homes somewhere in its planning pipeline against a target of 33,000 by 2031, which is nearly double. But only 13,831 are actually approved, which is well short of the target, and the Town started 2,104 homes last year. I broke the whole gap down in my post on Oakville's pipeline, so I won't re-run the numbers here. The short version is that a pipeline is not supply, and an approval is not a start.

What it means if you own in Oakville. It depends entirely on where. Detached in the established south and central pockets is barely touched by any of this — the scarcity argument there mostly holds. Condo or townhouse near Midtown, Uptown Core, Bronte GO or Palermo is a different story, because that's where the approved units sit. And if you're buying a two-bed to rent out in Midtown, check the parking before you check the finishes. The council can't undo those orders, so this is a long-run fact about your property, not an election outcome.

Grimsby: the one place where the local file is actually local

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Jeff Jordan, mayor since 2018, ran for a third consecutive term against Veronica Charrois, Simon Duong and Michelle Seaborn. Growth language showed up across the platforms — Charrois on responsibly managing growth, Duong on smart growth, Jordan's record including downtown planning.

Grimsby is different because its two biggest files are genuinely in front of the council that was just elected.

Downtown Reimagined. A two-phase reconstruction with a $9.1 million budget, including a $1.9 million grant toward the watermain. Phase 1 ran through 2026. Phase 2, in 2027, is the downtown core itself plus the streetscape. The watermain work reached Main and Elm in late August, and Mountain Street was closed between Elm and Main on October 19.

The GO station. Construction started July 7, 2026. The Province expects completion in the second half of 2027. The contract went to Kenaidan Murphy Joint Venture, and the scope is one rail platform with a heated shelter and canopy, a five-bay bus loop, 220 parking spaces and bike parking.

Two honest cautions on that, because the commuter ads won't carry them. There's no published service start date, so a completed station isn't a train schedule. And GO cut weekday service to Niagara on this corridor in September 2026. I went through what the station timeline and the service cuts mean together for buyers, and my view hasn't changed: treat the station as upside, not as the reason you buy.

What it means if you own in Grimsby. This is the one place where who sits on council actually changes your next two years, because the pace of Phase 2 is a local budget decision. If you own or run something in the downtown core, the 2027 schedule is worth watching closely — a construction season outside your door is a real thing to plan a listing around. And if you're holding near the station waiting for a GO premium, the station being finished and the trains being useful are two different events. I'd plan around the first and hope for the second.

The three Hamilton files with dates attached

Worth separating campaigns from what's settled. These are in Hamilton, and they're the ones on a clock.

The Ward 2 heat bylaw. Landlords in downtown Ward 2 will have to keep at least one room in each unit below 26 C. Exemptions exist where there are structural, electrical or physical barriers, or where compliance would need construction, and tenants can opt out. The pilot runs from next year through September 2028, with staff recommendations on going city-wide due in early 2029. The city's cost, a little over $1 million, falls into the 2027 and 2028 budgets — so the money gets argued about by the new council, not the one that just left.

The development charge window. Hamilton eliminated residential development charges through March 31, 2029 in exchange for $572 million in infrastructure funding. That's a signed agreement, not a promise. Here's what the $572M deal actually means if you're buying, including why the headline per-home saving isn't a cheque in your hand.

The second suite review. Hamilton's work on second suite and garden suite rules carries into the new term. If adding a legal second suite is part of your plan, the rules you'd build under are being written now.

Three things that hold in all four markets

An election doesn't move your price. Your price is set by inventory and buyer financing, not by who's in the chair, and I'd be careful with anyone who tells you otherwise. What a council change can do is add a couple of weeks of buyer hesitation in a pocket with a live proposal.

If you own near something proposed, go find out where the file actually sits. Most people discover a project when the sign goes up, and by then the useful window has closed.

If you're buying, carry on. None of this should move your offer. A neighbourhood with new housing going in near it isn't a neighbourhood with a problem, whatever you hear at an open house.

Common Questions

When do the new councils take office?
The new term begins November 15, 2026. So there's a transition period between the result and anyone voting on anything.

Does a municipal election change home prices?
Not in any way I've been able to measure in twenty years of doing this. Prices move on inventory, financing and what's actually selling on your street. What council affects is what gets built near you and how quickly — which matters for a specific property, over years, not for the market in a month.

Can a new council undo a development that's already approved?
Usually not, and that's the real takeaway. Provincial zoning orders and tribunal decisions sit above council. In Oakville, the Midtown orders are in force and the Town is advocating rather than litigating. In Burlington, the tribunal already allowed part of the Millcroft lands. Hamilton's development charge agreement runs to March 2029 regardless.

Which of these four has the most new development coming?
Oakville on paper, with roughly 62,800 units in the pipeline, though only 13,831 are approved and it started 2,104 homes last year. Burlington has 641 purpose-built rentals due by the end of 2027, which is a firmer number because those are funded and committed.

Is the Grimsby GO station opening in 2027?
Construction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2027. That's the station, not the service — there's no published date for when trains actually start running on a useful schedule, and GO reduced weekday Niagara service in September 2026. I'd plan around the house, not the platform.

Which city should I be most worried about if I own a condo?
Oakville near Midtown, on volume alone. But worried is the wrong word. Approved units near you are a reason to price honestly and to be a tougher buyer, not a reason to sell.

If there's something proposed near you

Send me your address and I'll do the digging.

You'll get back three things: what's actually filed, approved or under appeal within a few streets of you; what's sold near you in the last six months; and a straight answer on whether that proposal shows up in those sales in any way I can measure.

The honest answer is usually that it doesn't. Sixty units on two old parking lots won't move comps on a street of detached homes, and I'd rather tell you that than hand you a reason to list. If the data says otherwise, I'll show you the sales instead of telling you about them.

Call or text 416-276-0052   Email: daniel@zarehhomes.com

Or just drop your address in the form below and I'll come back with what I find.

Keep reading

• Where Hamilton's mayoral candidates stood on housing — the four on-record positions, in their own words
• Oakville's housing pipeline against its 2031 target — why a pipeline isn't supply
• Burlington's Millcroft refusal — what it means when a tribunal has already ruled
• 641 new purpose-built rentals in Burlington — the honest read for investors
• Grimsby GO and the Niagara service cuts — the station timeline versus the train timeline
• Hamilton scrapped development charges — what the $572M deal does to your price

Daniel Zareh is a licensed REALTOR® with over 20 years of experience serving Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Grimsby, Binbrook, Beamsville, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga. Candidate lists for Burlington and Oakville are from the 2026 Halton Region municipal election record; Grimsby candidates and platform descriptions from CHCH reporting published August 26, 2026. Hamilton candidate positions are from reporting dated October 13, 2026. Oakville Midtown and pipeline figures are from the Town of Oakville's own reporting, with zoning order detail from ontario.ca. The November 15 term start is per a published legal summary of the Municipal Elections Act. Files move — confirm anything time-sensitive with the municipality.