Malone Given Parsons Ltd. (…

ERO number

019-5952

Comment ID

82069

Commenting on behalf of

Individual

Comment status

Comment approved More about comment statuses

Comment

Malone Given Parsons Ltd. (“MGP”) are planning consultants and write this letter on behalf of Rick and Kathy Elliott, the long-standing owners of lands (“Elliott Lands”) identified for future residential development in the Township of North Dumfries (the “Township”), one of the lower-tier municipalities in the Region of Waterloo (the “Region”), in response to Regional Official Plan Amendment 6 (“ROPA 6”).

For the reasons noted in this letter, it is our opinion that the Region of Waterloo should have included an LNA scenario similar to that provided in Appendix 2, providing medium density housing as the primary housing form for growth from 2022-2051.

In this regard, it is our opinion that 944 hectares of additional Community Area lands beyond the existing supply are needed to accommodate future residential development in Waterloo Region.
The Elliott Lands should be included to provide the Township and Region with land required to meet the 2051 growth targets.

The Elliott Lands are able to contribute approximately 500 new homes toward meeting the Region of Waterloo responsibility for new home supply and towards meeting the provincial target of building 1.5 million homes by 2031. A copy of the Proposed Concept Plan is shown below and has been included in
These lands stand out in the Region of Waterloo as among the best opportunities to provide new community growth in a compact and complete community that logically and efficiently extends the settlement pattern in the Ayr community, within the Township of North Dumfries.

The lands are adjacent the Township Urban Area and are within the service limits of existing sanitary sewer and water supply infrastructure which will allow them to develop in an efficient manner. The lands are positioned to be developed as part of the existing complete community of Ayr and will provide connectivity and linkages to adjacent built and to be built approved neighbourhoods.

Well designed communities are best designed and planned comprehensively. If the Elliott lands are identified as required to meet the housing needs of the Region of Waterloo to 2051, planning for their development should occur in lock step with the immediately adjacent Ballantyne Swan Street Lands.

If the southwest boundary of Ayr (Elliott Lands and Ballantyne Swan Street Lands) was to be planned and developed comprehensively, it would provide an opportunity for urbanization of Brant Waterloo Road as an alternative route connecting the south end of Ayr to Trussler Road and the Highway 401 corridor, as well as communities to the south and west including Paris, Brantford, and Woodstock. Further, increased densities may provide opportunities for expansion of Grand River Transit service to the Ayr community.

The Elliott Lands are not Protected Countryside lands and are within the Region of Waterloo Countryside Line and meet the applicable expansion evaluation criteria as demonstrated in Appendix 4. Further, the lands are well suited to assist Waterloo Region in meeting the Provincial mandate of building 1.5 million new homes by 2031 as well as the Region’s requirement to accommodate growth to 2051.

We request that the Minister expand the settlement area boundary to include the Elliott Lands (PIN 227180023) and surrounding area and designate these for community uses. As illustrated in the figures in this letter and in Appendix 3, this entails a change to Map 1 to designate the property as Township Urban Area and Map 2 to designate the property as Designated Greenfield Area.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss this letter, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned at any time.

Matthew Cory, MCIP, RPP, PLE, PMP
Malone Given Parsons Ltd.
Principal, Planner, Land Economist, Project Manager