Taking a Closer Look at Downtown Burlington

The City of Burlington is taking another look at the policies in the City’s adopted Official Plan that will guide development in the downtown until 2031. We need your feedback to help shape these policies.Why is this important?Downtown Burlington is the core of our community. As the city’s population continues to grow, the downtown policies in Burlington’s adopted Official Plan will determine the placement, scale, and intensity of planned development, impacting the way you experience and navigate this part of the city.To create policies that reflect the community’s vision for the downtown, the City of Burlington needs to know what you’d like to see in the downtown. Thank you to everyone who participated in the first round of public engagement in August to share what matters most to them about the downtown.Upcoming opportunitiesBeginning in mid-October, the City will present two concepts for what the downtown could look like in the future. These concepts will be based on the feedback received from the public in August, combined with other inputs like technical studies and provincial requirements. Members of the public will be asked to comment on what they like and dislike about each concept; this input will help City staff make revisions and move towards a final concept that can be recommended to Council in winter 2020. We hope to hear from as many people as possible who care about the future of downtown.Stay InformedVisit and subscribe to the Get Involved Burlington calendar to learn more about upcoming engagement events. www.burlington.ca/getinvolvedcalendar.Visit www.getinvolvedburlington.ca/official-plan-2019 to learn about this project and find upcoming public engagement opportunities, including details of the tours, Action Labs, and surveys described below.Ways to Participate

• Attend a Downtown Walking Tour: Take a walking tour of downtown Burlington to get familiar with the areas of downtown that are being re-examined and to understand their present context and possible futures.
• Attend an Action Lab: Participate in a small, collaborative working group to discuss the two concepts for the future of downtown, and to communicate to the City what you like and dislike about them.
• Take the survey: Can’t make it to an Action Lab? Share your feedback online at www.getinvolvedburlington.ca/official-plan-2019 (survey closes Friday, Nov. 15).

Dates, times, and locations for these engagement opportunities will be available online at www.getinvolvedburlington.ca/official-plan-2019.--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist.