City seeks feedback from residents in subdivisions under construction

If you live in a neighbourhood that’s still under construction, you may not realize that most of the basic city services are the responsibility of the developer, as opposed to the city itself.

The city now wants to hear from residents in those so-called ‘unassumed subdivisions’ or ‘developer maintained’ subdivisions to find out what can be done better.

It’s asking residents in developer-maintained subdivisions to fill out an online form to share their experiences.

“[London is] one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada, and with that comes this type of development,” said Jeff Shaughnessy, manager of Policy with London’s Planning and Economic Development Department. “You know, all you have to do is take a drive around the periphery of the city and you can see all the subdivision development activity. There are lots of people moving into these neighbourhoods, and the city’s here to help,” he said.

Developer-maintained subdivision in south London, seen on Nov. 19, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

The city assumes a subdivision once 70 per cent of the lots have been built out. Until then, the developer is responsible for services such as snow removal, clearing mud from the streets, or installing streetlights, to name a few.

“It’s not uncommon for us to receive phone calls throughout the city. ‘Streetlights aren’t working in my subdivision right now.’ We can go in and check whether it’s assumed or unassumed,” said Shaughnessy.

You can find out if you live in a developer-maintained subdivision by checking a city map, hit 'Layer List,' then scroll down to 'Subdivision Assumption Status.' Developer-maintained subdivisions will be highlighted in red.

The online feedback form is available until Dec. 16.