Summary of Changes for the Comprehensive Draft Proposed Official Plan Amendment Note: Due to the broad scope of the Official Plan Review, this list is not exhaustive of the extent of changes in the comprehensive Draft Proposed Official Plan Amendment. Reference should be made to the Draft Proposed Official Plan Amendment for a full understanding of the proposed changes. General: The Draft Proposed Amendment generally updates various policies to be consistent with the 2014 Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), and conform to the Greenbelt Plan and Durham Regional Official Plan and address the Lynde Creek Watershed Plan. Source Water Protection is partially addressed with further amendments expected to take place through a future Official Plan amendment following Durham Region s implementation exercise. Restructuring of policies in Section 4 is proposed, including relocating relevant intensification policies from Section 4.13, added by OPA 90, to other land use and urban design sections. In accordance with the Planning Act, a parks plan will be prepared at a future date which may result thereafter in proposed amendments to the parkland dedication provisions in Section 4.9. Additional amendments are expected following the conclusion of the Brooklin Study. Official Plan Discussion Paper Directions and Recommendations and other key supported concepts including age friendly, accessibility, sustainability, community gardens, community hubs, walkability/active transportation, and integrated decision-making have been incorporated. Other housekeeping amendments as necessary to update and improve the Official Plan are included. Specific highlights of the proposed Draft Amendment include: Section 1 Introduction: The purpose of the Official Plan has been updated Section 2 Vision, Goals and Strategic Objectives: A Vision Statement for the Official Plan is provided; The Guiding Principles in the Official Plan are restated; Page 1
Goals and Strategic Objectives are provided addressing urban structure, sustainable development, growth management, community character and the natural environment; Map 1, Urban Structure has been updated. Section 3 - Economic Prosperity and Sustainable Community Planning: Economic Development policies are revised and renamed Economic Prosperity; Sustainable Community Planning policies are introduced into a new section which will establish the framework for the future work that the Town will undertake. Consideration has been given to the Town s draft Corporate Sustainability Plan. Section 4 Land Use: Certain policies are relocated to the General section concerning uses permitted in all designations; The Intensification section is relocated to Section 4.2 with general and certain area specific intensification policies largely relocated from Section 4.13; Certain Central Area boundaries are expanded to better correspond to Intensification Area boundaries (as shown on the revised Schedule B Intensification) and integration of Intensification Area policies with Central Area policies; A new policy is proposed requiring a review of the Downtown Whitby Secondary Plan following the conclusion of the Heritage Conservation District Plan study; Includes updated home-based business policies; refinements to the Low, Medium and High Density Residential area policies and augmented policies to guide redevelopment within Low Density Residential areas; Proposed deletion of the Community Structure policies and associated deletion of Schedule B2 due to the sites identified being largely built out and future development areas subject to secondary plans; Augmented policies and criteria for the consideration of Medium Density and High Density Residential development proposals; Revised parking policies for Residential areas; Deletion of the Commercial Node designation and related policies and revisions to the Mixed Use policies to provide flexibility and to accommodate the added Commercial Node areas; Amendments to Industrial policies regarding permitted uses in Prestige Industrial areas, sensitive land uses and automobile dealerships; Page 2
New policies regarding the preparation of a secondary plan for new growth areas including policies for the identification of industrial land uses and business parks, the establishment of a Health Precinct and the future consideration of nonindustrial uses for the Armtec (formerly Brooklin Concrete) site; Revised school site policies and a new policy regarding the expansion of the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences site as a Health Precinct; Deletion of Hazard Lands section. Affected lands are proposed to be redesignated predominantly as Major Open Space on Schedule A and would be shown as Natural Hazards on Schedule C and subject to augmented Natural Hazards policies in Section 5 Environmental Management; Expanded Major Open Space policies to provide greater direction to uses within the rural area, including major recreational uses, commercial kennels, landscape industry uses, home industries and policy requirements for non-agricultural uses to implement the Greenbelt Plan and the Durham Regional Official Plan; Relocated and expanded policy for cemeteries; Amendments to the parks policies including the introduction of policies for urban squares and the requirement for the preparation of a parks plan; Updates to the Agricultural policies are proposed to conform with the 2014 PPS, Durham Regional Official Plan and Provincial guidelines (MDS and Agricultural Uses) for such matters as agriculture, agriculture-related uses and on-farm diversified uses; Updates are proposed to the Rural Settlements to reflect limited remaining potential for non-agricultural uses and in consideration that most rural settlements are addressed by secondary plans; Updated Mineral Aggregate policies; Revision and reorganization of Intensification policies implemented through Official Plan Amendment 90 and relocation to other sections of the Official Plan such as Intensification, Central Areas and Urban Design, and secondary plans, as appropriate. Section 5 Environmental Management: Updated and expanded Environmental Management Policies to address the Provincial Policy Statement 2014, Greenbelt Plan, Durham Regional Official Plan and watershed plan; New goal proposed to address climate change in accordance with the Provincial Policy Statement 2014 and revised objectives; New Natural Heritage System policies are proposed to replace the current Environmentally Sensitive Area policies and are expanded and enhanced, including a new policy requiring minimum vegetation protection zones; Page 3
New Natural Hazards policies are proposed to replace the current Hazard Land policies and are expanded and enhanced; New policies are proposed for the Greenbelt Protected Countryside, Watershed Planning, Water Resources, Light Pollution, Noise, Vibration and Odour, and Implementation as well as updates to policies on Lake Ontario Waterfront, the Former Lake Iroquois Beach, Oak Ridges Moraine, Storm Water Management, Former Waste Disposal Sites, Waste Management, Contaminated Sites and Other Hazards, Airport-related Hazards (relocated from Section 8), and Construction Management Plans. Section 6 Community Development: Updated and expanded Cultural Heritage and Archaeological Resource policies including revised objectives and enhanced policies; Revisions, relocated policies and substantial enhancements to the Urban Design section are proposed to provide urban design direction at the site and community level for design matters and for special areas within the municipality including Central Areas, Intensification Areas and Corridors, the Major Transit Station Area, and the Waterfront; and to provide additional direction to the preparation and consideration of urban design guidelines, studies, and plans; Expanded policies for Community Improvement are proposed, including enhanced implementation policies, and the addition of two new Community Improvement Areas: Dundas Street East and Brownfield Redevelopment as shown on the proposed Schedule E. Section 7 Housing: Updated and restructured Housing policies including deletion of policies referencing the Municipal Housing Statement which is no longer relevant, revised policies for Residential Intensification, and refinement of monitoring policies. Section 8 Transportation, Servicing and Utilities: Updated policies to implement the Town s Transportation Master Plan recommendations that do not require a Regional Official Plan Amendment to implement, as well as the Transportation Directions arising from the Policy Discussion Papers; Updated policies providing more direction for active transportation (cycling and walking) including policies requiring the provision of bicycle parking facilities in new development as appropriate and for consideration of pedestrian crossings; Page 4
New policy to support on-street parking in the Brooklin and Downtown Whitby Major Central Area and in proximity to community use facilities to enhance the supply of parking and maximize the use of existing infrastructure; New policies to implement the haul route provisions of the Durham Regional Official Plan; New policies addressing environmental considerations for roads and trail infrastructure and implementing infrastructure requirements within the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt Protected Countryside; New policy with respect to Transit Spines, identified on Schedule D to conform to the Durham Regional Official Plan; New policy related to the Commuter Station (GO Station) identified on Schedule D and the addition of the planned GO Rail extension from the CN Rail line; New policy for the future Transitway Stations along Highways 407 and 412; New policy related to the updating of the Transportation Master Plan, and the undertaking of corridor studies and environmental assessments for new or expanded collector or arterial roads; New policies for storm water management for lands within the Greenbelt Protected Countryside; New policy concerning the use of utility and hydro corridors for open space uses subject to zoning and the approval of the authority having jurisdiction. Section 9 Growth Management and Monitoring: Various changes are proposed including updated and improved phasing and secondary plan policies. Section 10 Implementation and Interpretation: Various updates are proposed to the Implementation and Interpretation section, including changes to the public consultation process, new policies for area specific and corridor studies, and updated definitions to conform to the 2014 PPS. Secondary Plan Changes: Renumbering of sections listed in Secondary Plans, that cross-reference sections in Part 1 of the Whitby Official Plan, for consistency; Renumbering of sections listed in Secondary Plans, which cross-reference sections of the Durham Regional Official Plan, as amended, for consistency; Minor changes to policies, phrasing, and/or terminology for consistency with Part 1 of the Official Plan, or for additional clarification; Minor changes to names of Provincial Ministries or organizations; Page 5
Minor changes for consistency with OPA 90 (e.g. Rossland / Garden Major Urban Central Area Secondary Plan; increased maximum building heights). Minor changes to, and/or deletion of, existing policies that are out of date; Relocation of certain existing policies which are more appropriately located within Secondary Plans. Schedules and Appendices Changes Schedule A Land Use (shown in two sets of schedule amendments for clarity): Lands currently designated as Hazard Lands on Schedule A Land Use are proposed to be predominatly included in the Major Open Space designation, and the relevant policies relocated (note that the restrictions and protections for hazard lands will still be maintained through the Environmental Management policies and schedule); Other proposed redesignations to Major Open Space for consistency with updated environmental mapping; Expansion of certain Central Area boundaries; Redesignation of Commercial Node areas to Mixed Use and Special Purpose Commercial; extension of the Mixed Use designation along Brock Street in Downtown Whitby and other Commercial redesignations; Addition of Local Central Area symbols; Redesignation of certain General Industrial areas to Prestige Industrial; Redesignation of lands at Conlin/Anderson from Prestige Industrial to Residential and from an indication of Future Urban Development #2 to Future Urban Development Area #5 to implement Regional Official Plan Amendments 114 and 128 from Employment Area to Living Area (appropriate changes are also proposed to the Taunton North Community Secondary Plan); New designation Hamlet added to distinguish rural settlements from Residential within the Urban Area; Land uses for the Oak Ridges Moraine area deleted through Official Plan Amendment #48 are proposed to be added back to Schedule A for consistency purposes. The detailed designations and provisions of the Oak Ridges Moraine Secondary Plan still apply. Greenbelt Protected Countryside Boundary has been added. Schedule B Intensification: Schedules B1 and B2 are proposed to be deleted. Schedule B3 is renamed as Schedule B Intensification; Page 6
With the proposed deletion of Schedule B2, density symbols for lands outside of secondary plans would be deleted. Remaining unbuilt sites which had density symbols are proposed to be addressed as site specific policies in Section 4.4 and future proposals outside of secondary plan areas to be addressed in accordance with Section 4.4.3.2. Park and school symbols would also be deleted as they are largely implemented and are shown in Secondary Plans. Local Commercial and Convenience Commercial symbols would likewise be deleted from Schedule B2 (addressed by policy and in Secondary Plans); Intensification Corridors have been refined appropriately to reflect potential opportunities for intensification in appropriate corridor locations; Regional Centres are proposed to be removed as they are implemented through the Downtown Whitby, Brock/Taunton and Baldwin/Winchester Central Areas shown on Schedule A and associated Intensification Areas shown on Schedule B and addressed through corresponding policies; Brock/Rossland Intensification Area is proposed to be renamed Rossland/Garden Intensification Area for consistency with Central Area and Secondary Plan names. Schedule C Environmental Management: Existing Schedule C - Environmental Management is proposed to be replaced with a new schedule that replaces Environmentally Sensitive Areas with a revised and updated Natural Heritage System, and includes revised mapping as provided by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority for Natural Hazards. Natural features mapping is proposed to be relocated to Appendix 1. Note: the Natural Heritage System within the Greenbelt Plan Area reflects a refinement of Greenbelt Natural Heritage System in accordance with Section 5.5.2 of the Greenbelt Plan; Addition of 1km Lake Ontario Shoreline Limit to implement watershed plan. Schedule D Transportation: Various road updates including adding Highway 407 and 412, adding the future Consumers Drive and Manning Road extensions as Type C arterial roads, reclassifying portions of Ashburn Road and Halls Road North from Type B arterial to collector, and reclassifying various roads from local to collector and collector to local; Note: Other road classifications recommended in the Whitby Transportation Master Plan will await the conclusion of the Region s Transportation Master Plan update and any related Regional Official Plan amendments; Page 7
Note: Additional road-related changes may arise from the Brooklin Study and will be undertaken through a separate amendment; Identifies the Transit Spine, Future Transitway Stations and the planned GO Rail extension from the CN Rail line; Removes labels for Road Link Subject to Special Study, possible Myrtle By- Pass Subject to Further Study and Road Realignment in Conjunction with Improvements. (Road improvements will be subject to the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process. Removal of the label does not indicate deletion of future roads.) Other changes are proposed such as removing symbols for completed grade separations, removing the symbols for proposed intersection and interchange improvements, adding existing interchanges, realigning, adding or deleting of roads as built, and relabelling for updated terminology. Schedule E - Secondary Plans and Community Improvement Areas: Merges Community Improvement Area A and B in Downtown Whitby into one larger Community Improvement Area; Addition of two new Community Improvement Areas for Dundas East and Brownfields; Adjustment of the Brooklin Community and Taunton North Community Secondary Plan boundaries; Removal of Myrtle and Myrtle Station Secondary Plan boundaries as addressed by the Oak Ridges Moraine Secondary Plan. Schedule P and Q of the Taunton North Community Secondary Plan: Adjusts Taunton North Community Secondary Plan boundary to exclude lands at Conlin Road and Anderson Street since being addressed as part of the Brooklin Study. Appendices: Proposed deletion of existing Appendix 1 as adequately addressed by the revised urban design policies and will be further implemented and addressed through municipal urban design guidelines and the development review process; New Appendix 1 Technical Mapping of Environmental Elements showing ANSI s, wetlands and High Potential Aggregate Resource Areas; New Appendix 2 - Water Resources showing Highly Vulnerable Aquifers and Significant Groundwater Recharge Areas. Page 8