Highway 413 Focused Analysis…

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the revised Focused Analysis Area (FAA), related to the Highway 413 project, and Narrowed Area of Interest (NAI), related to the Northwest GTA Transmission Corridor.

Town of Halton Hills staff appreciate that additional land has been released from the FAA/NAI; however, considering that 90 percent of the preliminary design has been achieved, further efforts should be made by the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Energy to expedite the release of additional land, particularly in areas that are designated for future growth.

Ensuring that land is released that will not be required for the Highway 413 and the Northwest GTA Transmission Corridor, is crucial in areas of the Town that are designated to accommodate future growth i.e., the Premier Gateway Employment Area and future expansion lands just north of the Premier Gateway Employment Area. The Premier Gateway Phase 2B Employment Area Secondary Plan has been completed and a number of landowners have expressed interest in pursuing their development plans expeditiously. Ensuring that land is released as soon as possible will provide certainty to the Town and landowners in the area and will allow development to proceed in a timely manner.

Town staff would like to request that the Ministry of Energy engages with the Town through the advancement of the planning work on the Northwest GTA Transmission Corridor and the refinement of the Narrowed Area of Interest (NAI). In addition, future mapping should clarify where the transmission corridor is anticipated to be located, i.e., east or west of the Highway 413 right of way, and timing for when the transmission line is expected to be built. This will provide additional clarity regarding the lands that will continue to be under corridor protection for the foreseeable future.

The Town continues to work with the 413 Team to ensure that potential impacts to the Town road network are studied. It is anticipated that as the highway design progresses, Town staff and Council will be engaged and that the Ministry will address any anticipated impacts to the local road network including added congestion to local roads which will require substantial upgrades and maintenance of local infrastructure.