Businesses voice opposition to proposed 171% hike in development charges Belleville city council hears objections in public meeting Monday at City Hall in response to new DCs background study by Watson Associates Economics Limited. Try refreshing your browser, or Businesses voice opposition to proposed 171% hike in development charges Back to video We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Development charges, also known as DCs, are critical to “recover the capital costs associated with residential and non-residential growth within the municipality,” the study noted. If council approves the new DCs charges, non-residential development charges per square foot in the urban area of Belleville would increase from $9.84 to the proposed $26.64, according to the Watson report. Sprague said, “there is wisdom in the history of having no development charges for all these years.