Regional Municipality of Halton - Approval to amend a municipality’s official plan

Instrument type: Approval to amend a municipality’s official plan

ERO number
019-4071
Ministry reference number
24-OP-217386
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Notice stage
Decision
Decision posted
Comment period
August 9, 2021 - September 8, 2021 (30 days) Closed
Last updated

This consultation was open from:
August 9, 2021
to September 8, 2021

Decision summary

A decision was made on November 10, 2021 to approve Regional Official Plan Amendment 48 to the Regional Municipality of Halton’s Official Plan, as adopted by By-law 31-21, with eight (8) modifications. Notice of this Decision was issued on November 11, 2021 to the Regional Municipality of Halton

Location details

Site address

Regional Municipality of Halton
ON
Canada

Site location details

Regional Official Plan Amendment 48 would apply to all lands within the Regional Municipality of Halton.

Site location map

The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.

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Proponent(s)

Regional Municipality of Halton
1151 Bronte Road
Oakville, ON
L6M 3L1
Canada

Decision details

A decision was made on November 10, 2021 to approve Regional Official Plan Amendment 48 to the Regional Municipality of Halton’s Official Plan, as adopted by By-law 31-21, with eight (8) modifications. Notice of this Decision was issued on November 11, 2021 to the Regional Municipality of Halton.

The modifications were necessary to ensure that the Amendment has regard for provincial interests in accordance with section 2 of the Planning Act, is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020, and conforms with A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019, as amended (“Growth Plan”).

The modifications within this Decision are intended to:

  • Ensure that protected major transit station areas are identified for those major transit station areas with delineations and minimum density targets and that policy direction is provided for lower-tier official plan policy requirements (Planning Act subsection 16(16));
  • Clarify that upper-tier approval is required for official plan amendments which add, amend or revoke lower-tier protected major transit station area policies under subsection 16(16) (Planning Act subsection 16(18));
  • Ensure that minimum density targets for other strategic growth areas are established by the upper-tier municipality (Growth Plan policies 5.2.5.3 d) and 5.2.5.5 a)); and
  • Ensure that the Urban Growth Centre policies within the Region's official plan continue to apply to applications for official plan amendments, zoning by-law amendments and draft plans of subdivision or condominium approvals made prior to the Minister's approval of Amendment 48 if the lands that are the subject of the application were within an Urban Growth Centre prior to the Minister's approval of Amendment 48.

The Minister has also updated mapping for the Downtown Burlington Urban Growth Centre, the Downtown Milton Urban Growth Centre, and Midtown Oakville Urban Growth Centre contained in the April 2, 2008 policy document “Size and Location of Urban Growth Centres in the Greater Golden Horseshoe”. Details regarding this decision can be found under ERO 019-4647

Comments received

Through the registry

8

By email

8

By mail

0
View comments submitted through the registry

Effects of consultation

Public consultation on adopted Regional Official Plan Amendment 48 was provided for 30 days, from August 9, 2021 to September 8, 2021.

As a result of public consultation on the adopted Regional Official Plan Amendment, the Ministry received eight (8) comments through the Environmental Registry of Ontario and eight (8) by email. The comments were carefully considered and analyzed as part of the Minister’s Decision.

  • Requests for additional employment area conversions were not addressed by the Minister, given the Region will be considering these requests as part of its ongoing Integrated Growth Management Strategy.
  • Requests for certain lands to be located within a major transit station area not located on a priority transit corridor were not addressed by the Minister, given the Growth Plan does not require the delineation of these major transit station areas.
  • The Minister has responded to concerns regarding the potential impact that relocating the Burlington Urban Growth Centre may have on applications made prior to the Minister’s approval of Amendment 48. The Minister has modified Amendment 48 to ensure that Urban Growth Centre policies within the Region's official plan continue to apply to applications on lands within an Urban Growth Centre prior to the Minister's approval of Amendment 48.

Supporting materials

View materials in person

Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.

Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.

Municipal Services Office - Central Ontario
Address

16th floor
777 Bay Street
Toronto, ON
M7A 2J3
Canada

Office phone number

How to Appeal

Appeals are not allowed

Pursuant to subsections 17 (36.5) and 21 (3) of the Planning Act, the decision of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing regarding Regional Official Plan Amendment 48 adopted in accordance with section 26 of the Act is not subject to appeal. Accordingly, Official Plan Amendment 48, as approved by the Minister, came into effect on November 11, 2021 pursuant to subsection 17 (38.1) of the Act.

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Original proposal

ERO number
019-4071
Ministry reference number
24-OP-217386
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Proposal posted

Comment period

August 9, 2021 - September 8, 2021 (30 days)

Proposal details

Halton Region adopted ROPA 48 on July 7, 2021 by By-law 31-21 and has forwarded ROPA 48 to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing ("Ministry") for a decision under sections 17 and 26 of the Planning Act.

ROPA 48 proposes to define a Regional Urban Structure by revising the boundaries and location of the Region's Urban Growth Centres; delineating and establishing densities for Major Transit Station Areas (“MTSA”); identifying strategic growth areas; and converting employment areas to allow for non-employment uses.

Urban Growth Centre Proposed Changes

Urban Growth Centres (“UGCs”) are existing or emerging downtown areas shown on Schedule 4 in A Place to Grow: the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019 (“A Place to Grow”) and further identified by the Minister in “Size and Location of Urban Growth Centres in the Greater Golden Horseshoe”.

The Ministry is seeking feedback on proposed updates to the Downtown Burlington UCG, the Downtown Milton UCG, and the Midtown Oakville UCG.

ROPA 48 proposes the following changes to the Region’s UCGs:

  • to change the location of the Downtown Burlington UCG to align with the lands in proximity to the Burlington GO Station on Fairview Street, and remove approximately 19 hectares;
  • to remove approximately 27 hectares from the Downtown Milton UCG associated with the Sixteen Mile Creek flood plain and a portion of the historic downtown character area; and
  • to remove approximately 14 hectares from the Midtown Oakville UCG associated with the Sixteen Mile Creek floodplain and a Queen Elizabeth Way right-of-way.

If these UCG changes were to be approved as part of ROPA 48, the Minister will consider revising the mapping in the online document “Size and Location of Urban Growth Centres in the Greater Golden Horseshoe” concurrently with the Minister’s decision on ROPA 48. See Supporting Materials for links to mapping for each of the three existing UCGs, and PDF maps illustrating the proposed updates for each UCG.

Major Transit Station Area Proposed Changes

ROPA 48 proposes defined boundaries, minimum density targets and a policy framework for all MTSAs in the Region. ROPA 48 also proposes to identify all MTSAs as Protected MTSAs under subsection 16(16) of the Planning Act. Additionally, ROPA 48 proposes to remove the Downtown Burlington MTSA and add a policy framework for proposed MTSAs.

Strategic Growth Area Proposed Changes

In addition to proposed changes to UCGs and MTSAs, ROPA 48 proposes to identify additional strategic growth areas known as Regional Nodes, which are considered locally and regionally significant, and a corresponding policy framework.

Employment Area Conversion Proposed Changes

ROPA 48 proposes employment area conversions which would allow for non-employment uses, such as residential and mixed-use, on lands currently designated for more traditional employment uses, such as warehousing and manufacturing.

Supporting materials

View materials in person

Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.

Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.

Municipal Services Division- Central Ontario
Address

777 Bay Street
13th floor
Toronto, ON
M5G 2E5
Canada

Office phone number
Ontario Growth Secretariat
Address

777 Bay St, Suite 2304
Toronto, ON
M7A 2J8
Canada

Office phone number

Comment

Commenting is now closed.

This consultation was open from August 9, 2021
to September 8, 2021

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