The Regional Municipality of Halton Report To: From: Chair and Members of the Planning and Public Works Committee Art Zuidema, Commissioner, Legislative and Planning Services Date: October 4, 2017 Report No. - Re: LPS72-17 - Commencement of Proposed Regional Official Plan Amendment to Address a Shortfall of Employment Lands in the Town of Halton Hills' Premier Gateway Employment Area RECOMMENDATION 1. THAT Regional staff be authorized to commence a Proposed Regional Official Plan Amendment to Address a Shortfall of Employment Lands in the Town of Halton Hills Premier Gateway Employment Area (File: RQ59A). 2. THAT Regional staff be authorized to proceed with a Statutory Public Meeting for the Proposed Regional Official Plan Amendment (File: RQ59A) Amendment to Address a Shortfall of Employment Lands in the Town of Halton Hills Premier Gateway Employment Area on November 8, 2017, prior to the regularly scheduled Planning and Public Works Committee Meeting as outlined in Report No. LPS72-17. 3. THAT the Regional Clerk forward a copy of Report No. LPS72-17 to the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, the Town of Oakville, Conservation Halton, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for their information. REPORT Executive Summary The Premier Gateway Employment Area (PGEA) is identified in the Town of Halton Hills Official Plan and is located along Steeles Avenue between Fifth Line and Winston Churchill Boulevard. The planning and development of the PGEA has been impacted by corridor protection implemented through Regional Official Plan Amendment (ROPA) No. 43, required by the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) West Corridor Study Area and the Halton-Peel Boundary Area Transportation Study (HPBATS). In order to address the supply of employment lands, ROPA 43 modified the Regional Phasing of certain PGEA lands. However, this rephasing did not fully 1
replace the amount of employment land frozen under corridor protection. ROPA 43 identified the need to work with the Town of Halton Hills and the Province to replace the remaining employment lands through a further amendment to the Regional Official Plan (ROP). The purpose of this report is to seek Regional Council authorization to commence a ROPA to add up to 75 hectares to the Region s urban area with an employment area overlay to replace the lands impacted by the ROPA 43 corridor protection. The report also seeks Regional Council authorization to hold a Statutory Public Meeting on November 8, 2017. Background Employment Lands Planning in the Premier Gateway Employment Area The PGEA consists of lands located north and south of Steeles Avenue between Fifth Line and Winston Churchill Boulevard in the Town of Halton Hills. The lands are within the Employment Area overlay as shown on Map 1 of the ROP and are strategically located near major transportation facilities, including Highways 401 and 407. For reference, the PGEA is shown on Attachment #1. The lands south of Steeles Avenue were added to the Region s urban area through ROPA 8 in 1999. At that time, the area was identified in the amendment as the Halton Hills 401 Corridor. Following ROPA 8, the Town of Halton Hills developed land use designations and zoning for these lands in their official plan and zoning by-law and identified the area as the PGEA. In 2009, ROPA 38 was adopted by Regional Council and added 1,110 hectares of new land for employment purposes to the Region s urban area to accommodate growth to 2031, including 340 hectares added to the PGEA. In 2011, ROPA 39 introduced Regional Phasing for these new employment lands. In the PGEA, the lands north of Steeles Avenue were identified as Regional Phasing between 2021-2031 on Map 5 of the ROP. The lands south of Steeles Avenue were not subject to Regional Phasing. The Town amended its Official Plan through OPA No. 10 to add the lands north of Steeles Avenue to the urban area. In addition, OPA 10 defined the PGEA as consisting of four quadrants as identified in Attachment #1 as Phase 1A and Phase 2A (south of Steeles Avenue) and Phase 1B and Phase 2B (north of Steeles Avenue). ROPA 43 GTA West & HPBATS Corridor Protection & PGEA Rephasing In June 2014 Regional Council approved ROPA 43 which introduced corridor protection policies and mapping based on the Provincial Greater Toronto Area (GTA) West Corridor Study and the Halton-Peel Boundary Area Transportation Study (HPBATS). ROPA 43 established a corridor protection area that prohibited development on the eastern half of 2
the PGEA as shown on Attachment #1. ROPA 43 amended the Regional Phasing on Map 5 of the ROP to bring lands into an earlier Regional Phase to mitigate the impact of corridor protection on the supply of available pre-2021 employment lands. The lands south of Steeles Avenue and east of Eighth Line were within the Town s pre- 2021 Regional Phase; however, as development in this area was prohibited due to corridor protection, the lands were re-phased to the 2021-2031 Regional Phase. The lands north of Steeles Avenue and west of Eighth Line (identified in the Town s OP as Phase 1B ) were within the 2021-2031 Regional Phase but outside the corridor protection area. Accordingly, the Phase 1B lands were re-phased by the Region to the pre-2021 Regional Phase to advance the planning and development of these lands. For reference, an illustration of the rephasing from ROPA 38 to ROPA 43 is provided as Attachment #2 to LPS72-17. ROPA 43 was appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) in July 2014. In February 2017, the Board approved the rephasing of the relevant PGEA lands on Map 5 as amended while the corridor protection policy and area on Map 3 and Map 5 remain under appeal at this time. Even with the rephasing of the Phase 1B area, a shortfall of approximately 75 hectares of pre-2021 employment lands remained within the PGEA compared to what was available prior to ROPA 43. As a result the Region is working with the Town of Halton Hills and the Province to address this shortfall by adding replacement employment lands to the Region s urban area by amendment to the ROP. Town of Halton Hills Premier Gateway Phase 1B Integrated Planning Project In January 2015 the Town of Halton Hills initiated the Premier Gateway Phase 1B Employment Area Integrated Planning Project. This work will identify the location for up to 75 hectares of employment lands and result in a comprehensive Secondary Plan for the area. In April 2017 Town Council endorsed a Preferred Land Use Concept for the Study Area, which is provided as Attachment #3. In addition to setting out a preferred land use framework, transportation network and natural heritage system, the Concept identifies what has been determined to be the appropriate location for up to 75 hectares of employment lands, thereby providing the basis for the ROPA proposed through this report. Discussion Proposed ROPA (File No. RQ59A) & Local OPAs The ROPA to be prepared by Regional staff would amend Map 1 of the ROP to add up to 75 hectares of land to the Urban Area designation with an Employment Area overlay to address the shortfall of available employment lands in the PGEA. Corresponding 3
changes to all other ROP maps which show the Urban Area will also be implemented. The other employment lands within the PGEA will remain within the 2021-2031 Regional Phasing on Map 5 and will also remain subject to the corridor protection area introduced through ROPA 43. The general area proposed to be added is illustrated in Attachment #1 and will be finalized through the Town s Integrated Planning Project. As such, the ROPA will be prepared concurrent with the completion of the Town-led Integrated Planning Project, which includes detailed technical work, such as the subwatershed study, anticipated to be completed in late 2017 / early 2018. Upon adoption, the ROPA will provide the basis for the Town of Halton Hills to adopt a corresponding amendment to add the lands to the urban area in their OP as well as adopt a Secondary Plan for the area. The Region will be the approval authority for these amendments. Proposed Consultation A Public Information Centre as well as the Statutory Public Meeting required under Section 17 of the Planning Act will be held to provide opportunities for the public to review and provide comments on the proposed ROPA. The Public Information Centre, to be held jointly with the Town of Halton Hills, is planned for November 1, 2017. The Statutory Public Meeting is scheduled to take place on November 8, 2017 at 9:30am in Council Chambers, Halton Regional Centre, 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville prior to the regularly scheduled Planning and Public Works Committee Meeting. Notice of these meetings will appear in local newspapers and on the Region s website. As required by the Planning Act, the proposed ROPA will be made available to the public at least 20 days before the statutory public meeting. Staff will ensure that the ROPA document is available to the public on the Region s website. 4
FINANCIAL/PROGRAM IMPLICATIONS The costs to complete this Regionally-initiated official plan amendment will be funded from the approved capital project T8021A (Regional Official Plan Implementation). Respectfully submitted, Curt Benson Acting Director, Planning Services Art Zuidema Commissioner, Legislative and Planning Services Approved by Jane MacCaskill Chief Administrative Officer If you have any questions on the content of this report, please contact: Curt Benson Tel. # 7181 Dan Tovey Tel. # 7208 Owen McCabe Tel. # 7391 Attachments: Attachment #1 Premier Gateway Employment Area Context Map Attachment #2 ROPA 38 and ROPA 43 Regional Phasing Comparison Attachment #3 Halton Hills Phase 1B Preferred Land Use Concept 5