February 01, 2023 Ministry…

February 01, 2023

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Re: County of Simcoe’s Official Plan Amendment No. 7 Phase 1 of the County's growth to 2051 (ERO #019-6113)

On behalf of 812235 Ontario Limited (8093 Yonge Street), we are submitting our comments regarding the OPA and the reasons why our two properties should be considered as a settlement expansion area in Stroud, Innisfil.

In October 2022, the Provincial government introduced Bill 23, known as the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022. The Bill’s purpose is to increase the housing supply throughout Ontario and to achieve the Province’s goal of 1.5 million homes in the next 10 years.

The OPA No. 7 amendment will update policies relating to settlement hierarchies, population and employment growth forecasts, density and intensification targets, identification of Major Transit Station Areas, and establishing policy frameworks for managing new growth areas and future settlement area boundary expansions. We understand that future MCR work is required to be completed to address additional MCR components as outlined in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including identifying Settlement Area Boundary Expansions, etc.

We wish to provide the Ministry with a series of infrastructure factors that were not taken into account during the MCR and identify our lands as future settlement area boundary expansions. A key component of the MCR is a Needs Assessment to determine how much growth can be accommodated in the existing settlement areas and whether additional land is needed. The County received numerous requests to include their lands as part of the future settlement areas however, half of the requests were not considered because of the forecasted growth for the Town of Innisfil. Following are some of the reasons why our lands should be reconsidered for future settlement area boundary expansion:

1. Our 150 acres are located on the East side of Yonge Street south of Lockhart Road in Stroud. Lockhart Road is the municipal boundary line between Barrie and Innisfil.

2. Next to a Residential Growth Centre - Barrie’s new OP approved in February 2022 designates the area north of Lockhart Road as Residential with Moberly Drive and Greer Street terminating at Lockhart Road. A major Community Hub is also planned at the north/east corner of Yonge Street and Lockhart Road. The development policies for the Community Hub are based on development with a residential component that is located within or adjacent to the Urban Growth Centre, a Major Transit Station Area, or a Strategic Growth Area. The residential density range is between 125 to 300 units per hectare but limited to 12 storeys.

3. Close to GO Station – The existing Barrie South GO Transit Station is located 2 km north of the subject properties. In addition, the proposed Innisfil Go Station is an exciting development as part of the Orbit development, which will be situated on the 6th Line & 20th Sideroad.

4. New Hospital – Approximately 4 km south of the subject properties, RVH has chosen an 83-acre site at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Innisfil Beach Road, south of Stroud, as the location for its South Campus Hospital. Accessibility to Highway 400 and arterial roads, central to population centres in Innisfil and Barrie, and accessible by public transit were noted as the primary reasons for the location.

5. Services Proposed to Stroud – InnServices is Innisfil’s water and wastewater utility company that is in the process of updating the 2018 Master Servicing Plan in the next few years. The MSP will identify future water and wastewater servicing need to accommodate the population and employment growth outlined in OPA No. 7. The company is proposing the opportunity of building water and sewer infrastructure from Innisfil Beach Road (Hospital location) north on Yonge Street to Stroud to service existing residential only). Notwithstanding their limited scope of infrastructure development to Stroud, this presents an opportunity for the development industry along Yonge Street north to Stroud to collaborate and share in the costs to build the infrastructure. We are committed to participating in the cost of the proposed infrastructure but will require the County and Town to support our vision to include the subject lands in the future settlement area boundary expansion.

Conclusions

We are respectfully requesting that our subject property be reconsidered for future settlement area boundary expansion as part of OPA No. 7 which is before the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
As part of the supporting materials provided above, the County and the Town require a more in-depth review of the growth of development and infrastructure surrounding and in close proximity to our property. We are prepared to collaborate and work closely with the County and the Town to allow the inclusion of the properties in the settlement area.

If you require further analysis or information related to our submission, please contact the undersigned.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Frank Miele, BES, MAES, CMMIII
Principal
Civic Development Solutions
civicdevelopmentsolutions@gmail.com

Cc. Danny Romano - 812235 Ontario Limited