On behalf of Indy Properties…

On behalf of Indy Properties Inc. and DG (Alliston 2) Inc., (the ‘Owners’), Corbett Land Strategies Inc. (CLS) is pleased to provide comments regarding the County of Simcoe Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. This letter has been prepared to assist the Province in its review of the County of Simcoe’s Official Plan Amendment No.7, which is currently under review by the Province, with public comments due by February 3, 2023.

The Owners are interested in the long-term inclusion of several properties to be located within the settlement area but which are presently located within the rural area of New Tecumseth. These lands are generally located to the south of the existing settlement area and are on the south and east side of the Nottawasaga River (See Appendix B for PIN Parcel numbers). Each parcel is presently used for cash crop purposes and include:
1. Railside Property - approximately 48 hectares
2. Riverside Property - approximately 109 hectares
3. Parkside Property - approximately 32 hectares

The Owners have retained a consulting team to undertake comprehensive assessments of the materials prepared through the MCR to understand the emerging planning framework for the County and its constituent municipalities. In particular, a separate Land Needs Assessment (LNA) has been prepared by MGP City Plan in accordance with the Provincial Growth Plan that examines and addresses the increased housing demands that have been identified and brought forward in the recently approved Bill 23 by the Provincial Government.

SIMCOE COUNTY MUNICIPAL COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW PROCESS

The following provides the Province with the Owners comments on OPA No. 7:

Allocation

The County should consider a higher allocation of population growth for New Tecumseth. As addressed
within the MGP City Plan LNA prepared in support of the Owners landholdings, additional land should be allocated to ensure a sufficient and affordable housing supply. This allocation would ensure that the Town remains’ flexible in its ability to achieve the projected growth within the planning horizon of 2051, and more importantly the initiatives and expedited growth targets set by the Province in Bill 23. By planning the Town’s community structure with this mindset, it would encourage advances to the Town’s current competitive market while supporting its strong manufacturing base.

Given the above, allocating higher land supply for New Tecumseth is appropriate to accommodate higher population and employment growth. There is a higher potential for New Tecumseth to accommodate more growth as presented in the attached map.

It is suggested that the land supply by Hemson does not take full advantage of New Tecumseth’s existing and future strengths. Instead it may fall short of the creation of a community with a high-quality urban environment. Higher growth targets will ensure that there is a housing market which is diverse in both product type and affordability. It will provide opportunities for infrastructure costs to be shared more broadly amongst a wider population base and thereby further ensuring improved affordability. For these reasons, we respectfully request the County consider a greater allocation of lands for New Tecumseth.

SOUTH ALLISTON

The Project Team conducted preliminary analysis on why growth in Alliston should be allocated in the south area. The Project Team identified the following main drivers:
1. The Alliston area already offers a strong employment base, access to highway infrastructure and
an existing rail transit system. ,
2. The potential future role as a GO Transit node which can connect Alliston to downtown Toronto,
surrounding GTA and neighboring Cities.
3. There are expected upgrades to water servicing by 2031, which includes additional groundwater
wells (2022) and upgrades to Collingwood Water Treatment Plant (2024 onward). Further
upgrades beyond 2031 to the Collingwood Water Treatment Plant could result in additional
capacity.
4. Upgrades are required to the existing wastewater treatment facilities for both the current and
anticipated future growth. Partnerships with the development community can assist in the financing
and construction of these upgrades.

It is evident that infrastructure upgrades are necessary to accommodate the short and long-term growth for the Town of New Tecumseth. However, these must be considered alongside efforts to minimize the financial burden on residents of the County and municipality. Solutions include adjustments to development charges or even increased reliance on the private sector. As the development community has historically been relied upon as a partner, the later establishes numerous possibilities in the delivery of community infrastructure.

In summary, capitalizing on the strong employment base and the equitable delivery of upgrades to the
infrastructure system, are some of the many reason the lands delineated within Appendix A should be
considered for inclusion within the Alliston urban boundary.

CONCLUSION

As set out in the previous sections, additional modifications to the County adopted OPA No.7 are necessary to fully accommodate the projected population and employment growth needs to 2051 and as mandated by the Provincial Government through Bill 23. The Owners put forward that the lands set out in Appendix A should be the primary location for consideration of boundary expansion. It is the full intent of the Owners to commit to work on a fully co-operative basis with all approval agencies on all aspects of the MCR process. If further discussion is necessary to clarify the above comments, the project team would be more than willing to make itself available.