Staff Present Final Report on Burlington's Park Provisioning Master Plan to Council & Impacts of Province's Bill 23
At our March 28 Community Planning, Regulation & Mobility (CPRM) Committee, we received an update from staff and a presentation on their final report for Burlington's Park Provisioning Master Plan. as well as approved the final report's findings and results.The purpose of staff's report was to provide Council with an assessment of current parkland service levels, guidelines and recommendations on the acquisition of parkland in the short, medium and long-term and decision-making methodology for future parkland acquisition.They provided much insight into the future of additional parks in our city, including forecasted impacts from the Province's Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster: Ontario's Housing Supply Action Plan.Staff noted in their presentation that parkland dedication at the time of development applications will become more challenging and that alternative methods of parkland acquisition will be necessary to achieve parkland service targets as our population continues to grow.The Park Provisioning Master Plan (PPMP) provides service level targets, recommendations and strategic actions to guide the acquisition and planning of parks over the next 20-30 years.
MY TAKE:Thank you to staff for their great work and analysis – there are great insights in here that will be refined as we continue to consider all the moving parts involved, such as schools, etc.It’s important to realize that parks and housing are not mutually exclusive. We are building complete communities in Burlington, not just housing units. People need parks and communities that plan for 7 generations in the future. When it comes to the urban parks piece, we absolutely need to distinguish between hard-scapes and greenspaces – they must not be understood as the same thing. When we use the word park, it should refer to actual greenspaces. Hardscapes, trails, etc., should be considered as a different kind of amenity.
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To view the full staff report and related documents, please see the links below:
- Staff report: ES-02-23 Parks Provisioning Master Plan Final Report
- Staff presentation: ES-02-23 Parks Provisioning Master Plan Final Report - Staff Presentation
- For additional Appendices & supporting documents, please click/tap the link
Here is the full motion we approved at our April 18 Council meeting:
- Receive and file the Park Provisioning Master Plan, listed as Appendix A in engineering services report ES-02-23, as the framework to guide the planning of future parks in the City of Burlington and satisfy Provincial legislative requirements (as amended by Bill 23) to have a park plan in place prior to passing an update to the Parkland Dedication Bylaw; and
- Approve the updated park classification system and authorize the Director of Engineering to report back to Council with an updated inventory of existing parks recategorized within the new classification system; and
- Approve the future parkland target service levels identified in Section 2.5 of the Parks Provisioning Master Plan, listed as Appendix A in engineering services report ES-02-23; and
- Approve the parkland criteria, listed as Appendix B in engineering services report ES-02-23, as a support document to help guide the development community and staff in deciding which lands to obtain through parkland dedication; and
- Direct the Executive Director of Legal Services and Corporation Counsel or designate to develop a proactive strategy to acquire park lands based on service levels set forth in the Park Provisioning Master Plan; and
- Approve monitoring the City’s parkland service levels and acquisition priorities as part of Multi-Year Community Investment Plan reporting and updates to the Vision to Focus; and
- Direct the Director of Community Planning to conduct an exploration of a Community Planning Permit System as a tool to aid in the acquisition of infrastructure, parkland or monetary contribution, in exchange for offering a more streamline and transparent approval process within the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) specific planning process; and
- Direct the Director of Community Planning to begin work with land owners in the MTSAs or any area of the City subject to an area-specific planning process to guide future development and to identify specific City infrastructure needs; and
- Direct the Director of Engineering Services in consultation with the Director of Community Planning to bring updates throughout the year as well as annually to incorporate new information. (SD-18-23)
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