July 27, 2020 Ontario Growth…

July 27, 2020

Ontario Growth Secretariat
Municipal Affairs and Housing
777 Bay St
23rd Floor, Suite 2304
Toronto, ON M7A 2J3

Dear Ontario Growth Secretariat,

RE: ERO 019-1680 - Proposed Amendment 1 to A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe

On behalf of NAIOP Greater Toronto, we are pleased to provide our comments on the proposed Amendment 1 to A Place to Growth: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe in response to ERO posting 019-1680.

NAIOP Greater Toronto represents developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate. With almost 1,300 members from over 300 companies in the Greater Toronto Area, we are residents and stakeholders who are committed to the region’s future and play an important role in the non-residential development sector, which is vital to region’s economic health, facilitating job growth for the ever-growing population of the area.

The population and employment forecasts in Schedule 3 of the Growth Plan are used by municipalities and other agencies for planning land use and infrastructure. The municipalities, Metrolinx and other government agencies that provide the infrastructure and services our members depend on require high quality, up-to-date and long-term population and employment forecasts. The proposed amendment would replace outdated forecasts (prepared in 2012) with a new set of forecasts that are based on the up-to-date information and extend the planning horizon to 2051. NAIOP supports the replacement of the existing Schedule 3 with the “Reference Forecast – Mock B”.

NAIOP supports the flexibility the proposed amendment would provide in the use of the Schedule 3 forecasts, employment area conversions in major transit station areas and new aggregate operations. Increased flexibility in these areas will help promote economic recovery in the coming years.

Thank you for the opportunity to share our comments. We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure the continued success of the non-residential development sector.

Sincerely,
Joseph Shaw
President
NAIOP Greater Toronto