Motion Directing Growth to Existing Urban Boundary to Regional Council Feb. 16
Analysis/Opinion: A motion directing population and job growth to the existing built boundary is coming to Regional Council this Wednesday (Feb. 16).Co-sponsored by myself and Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, the motion asks staff to prepare a Regional Official Plan Amendment (ROPA) that directs population and employment growth to the existing approved urban boundary to 2041, with no urban boundary expansion (Resolution #1).We are required by the Province to plan for population growth to 2051, so to satisfy that requirement, the motion also directs staff to come back with a framework for distributing growth from 2041 to 2051 "minimizing land consumption" (Resolution #2). We will take all of the growth we are assigned to 2051 (1.1 million people and 500,000 jobs) but assign it to each municipality in two phases: now to 2041, and 2041-2051.No additional population or job growth will assigned to any municipality from now to 2041 -- that was especially important to Burlington. Burlington's overall urban density is already the highest in the Region, at 37.2 people or jobs per hectare, followed by 32 in Oakville, and 25 each in Milton and Halton Hills (See Question 60 of Appendix 9 of the Draft Preferred Growth Concept).The two-step process achieves several objectives, including that we will have a plan to deliver to the Province by July 1, as required; the plan will achieve our overall population and job growth to 2051 as required; and the plan will assign that population growth in two phases, now to 2041 (with no boundary expansion) and from 2041-2051 subject to a future framework that minimizes land consumption, which keeps us compliant with the current Land Needs Assessment and other supporting planning documents. For those who may be concerned the phased approach may not be in compliance, the Places to Grow Act enables the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to address issues of nonconformity in Official Plans by advising the municipality of areas of non-conformity and inviting the municipality "to submit, within a specified time, proposals for the resolution of the non-conformity (s.13[1])." That is what the framework will provide for 2041 to 2051, when completed. (See Question 59 of Appendix 9)A Statutory Public Meeting and Open House will be scheduled to obtain comments on an updated draft ROPA no later than April 30, 2022.
My Take:
I want to thank Regional Staff, Regional councillors and members of the public for your questions, information and input over the last few weeks that has lead to this motion for a modified Preferred Growth Concept. The modified plan involves no urban boundary expansion for 20 years, buys us time to plan for 2041 to 2051 when we have more updated information, and doesn't assign any new growth to Burlington or any municipality.
Options considered
A number of options were considered along the way, including deferral to 2023 when the agricultural policies will be ready, and no urban expansion to 2051 - which would potentially have put us offside the current Land Needs Assessment. The approach in the motion appears to be the most reasonable and defensible.By phasing the plan in two parts, we can be compliant with the current Land Needs Assessment - as it does not require any expansion between now and 2041 - and provide a path to complete additional work to determine where the balance of growth between 2041 and 2051 will go, including reviewing density in existing approved areas that haven't yet been built. We need time to plan where additional growth can go within existing urban boundaries. We need time to take into consideration changes in market patterns over the next 20 years, and any changes arising from the provincial housing task force report that directs growth to existing urban areas. The motion gives us that time by referring the 2041-2051 planning to a framework to be developed at a future date.Further, the planning work so far "has not determined a need" to expand the urban boundaries for the entire employment areas in Milton and Halton Hills, and more work needs to be done to validate what land is needed (See Question 50 of Appendix 9)
Suggested amendments
I'm aware of suggested amendments to the motion to be more specific about how to direct population allocation from 2041 to 2051. I've sent these suggestions to Regional Staff for review to determine if they can be accommodated and/or are necessary as part of this motion, given that the analysis of where growth can be accommodated from 2041-2051 will be completed as part of the framework the motion already directs staff to undertake.
The first step of many
This motion, if approved by Regional Council Feb. 16, will represent a significant achievement for those concerned about urban boundary expansions. But our work will not be done. We are required to review Official Plans every five years. The pressure to expand urban boundaries is only going to get more intense over the next 30 years as Halton's population continues to grow. We will need to protect our farmland again, many more times, between now and 2051. It also must be noted that any applicant can bring a site specific Official Plan amendment (see Question 64, Amendment 9). We will need to be vigilant.It's also not enough to protect farmland; we need to protect farming. We will have an opportunity to do that in 2023 when we will review our agricultural policies.I invite all of you to stay involved in this conversation as we go through the next steps.BackgroundRead my earlier Analysis/Opinion piece on the Preferred Growth Concept here: Our choices aren't just "tall" or "sprawl" - how we can find ways to accommodate population growth in Halton.Meeting InformationYou can watch the live stream of the meeting on the agenda page here: Regional Council, Feb. 16, 10:30amYou can delegate to speak to the motion here: Guide for Delegates to Regional Council
Motion for Feb. 16
Visit: Motion for Modified Preferred Growth Concept (Full text below)
HALTON REGION
NOTICE OF MOTION
DATE: February 16, 2022
ITEM: Modified Preferred Growth Concept
DATE OF MEETING NOTICE OF MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED: Council Meeting – February 16, 2022
MOVED BY: Mayor Rob Burton
SECONDED BY: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
WHEREAS the Region of Halton is in the process of updating the Regional Official Plan to conform with the 2019 Growth Plan, as amended, in accordance with the Places to Grow Act, 2005, and to plan to accommodate a total population of 1.1 million and total jobs of 500,000 to 2051; and
WHEREAS the Region is committed to meeting the Provincial conformity deadline of July 1, 2022; and
WHEREAS by letter dated November 12, 2019, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing clarified that municipalities may choose to take a phased approach to their municipal comprehensive review through multiple official plan amendments; and
WHEREAS the Region is completing its municipal comprehensive review using a phased approach, including updating the Regional Urban Structure, considering a Draft Preferred Growth Concept arising from the Integrated Growth Management Strategy that has explored issues and opportunities related to growth management, and considering a Policy Directions Report to guide the development of updated official plan policies; and
WHEREAS the market for housing and employment is constantly evolving due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shifts in demographics, work from home opportunities, housing affordability, and other factors that are anticipated to significantly change the way people live, work and play in Halton; and
WHEREAS on February 8, 2022, Ontario published a report from the Housing Affordability Task Force that may have significant implications on the supply of market housing to address the housing crisis and which implications are unclear;
WHEREAS the Draft Land Needs Assessment provided in support of the Draft Preferred Growth Concept indicates that the majority of pre-2041 population and employment growth can be accommodated without expansions to the existing approved urban boundary; and
WHEREAS it would be prudent for the Region consider all relevant information that is available to it during its municipal comprehensive review exercise to make a determination on land requirements and other fundamental planning decisions that will dictate growth in Halton to 2051;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
THAT Halton Regional Council directs Staff to prepare a Regional Official Plan Amendment (ROPA 49) that advances a modified Preferred Growth Concept in two phases to accommodate growth pre-2041 and from 2041 to 2051:
1. For accommodating growth pre-2041, directing population and employment growth to the existing approved urban boundary;
2. For accommodating growth from 2041 to 2051, providing a clear framework for when, and how planned growth should be distributed based on principles of minimizing land consumption, making the most efficient use of land andinfrastructure, and achieving other principles of the Growth Plan;
AND FURTHER THAT Staff be directed to schedule a Statutory Public Meeting and Open House to obtain comments on an updated draft ROPA 49 no later than April 30, 2022;
AND FURTHER THAT Staff be directed to prepare its recommendation report and bring it forward to Regional Council such that ROPA 49 could be adopted and forwarded to the Province for approval to meet the July 1, 2022 conformity deadline, subject to being directed by the Minister to meet an alternative date, as requested the Region and othermunicipalities;
AND FURTHER THAT this resolution be circulated to the City of Burlington, Town of Halton Hills, Town of Milton and Town of Oakville.