Re: Approval of Region of…

Re: Approval of Region of York Official Plan (ERO number 019-5865) – Reconsideration of 12470 and 12480 Weston Road to be in the Community Area

Our client, Westlin Farms Inc. owns approximately 52 Ha of land located at 12470 and 12480 Weston Road, Township of King (directly north of the City of Vaughan). To assist the Province with greater housing supply and more affordable housing, York Region planning staff initially recommended the inclusion of part of these lands (Whitebelt lands that do not contain natural heritage features) into the Community Area of the York Region Official Plan (ROPA) (Figure 1).

Inclusion of the lands into the Community Area of ROPA has the following direct benefits:

1. Infrastructure investments (approximately $160 million) to the south of King-Vaughan Road have been made and design is underway. This infrastructure will be able to fully service the subject lands and to ‘double load’ linear infrastructure along King Vaughan Road for better efficiency. Future development of the lands will also complement planned servicing along Weston Road. It is more cost effective to service to the Whitebelt lands with infrastructure already budgeted and being designed for.

2. The lands form the majority of the only remaining ‘white belt’ lands in the Township of King. Exclusion of these lands would represent a loss of jobs and assessment growth for the Township of King. The decision to remove the Whitebelt Lands also resulted in the loss of Employment Areas along the Highway 400 corridor.

3. Inclusion of the Whitebelt Lands north of King-Vaughan Road represents a logical extension and infill of the Community Area that can be fully serviced, in addition to reinforcing the limits of the Greenbelt Plan.

The original inclusion of the lands into the Community Area in 2021 by York Region staff was based on the practical benefits of lands contiguous with the Community Area of Vaughan and the opportunity for those additional lands to be fully serviced by approved infrastructure investments. However, on October 21, 2021, Regional Council removed these lands from the Community Area because of a local motion from the Township of King directing growth to the Nobleton Settlement Area (Figures 2 and 3). This motion was successful despite the request adding significantly more population (6 times) to Nobleton than what growth would have occurred by the inclusion of the Whitebelt lands. Furthermore, the allocation of population to Nobleton is in the absence of a servicing solution for growth in that location.
 
Our client is grateful for the continued direction by the Province to improve housing supply and to take a practical approach for the efficient use of infrastructure that maximizes public and private investment. To that end, we respectfully request that you include our client’s lands into the Community Area of the York Region Official Plan.