City of London - Approval to amend a municipality’s official plan

Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs) are defined as the areas “surrounding and including an existing or planned higher order transit station or stops” in the Planning Act (s.16 (15)). PMTSAs are intended to accommodate increased residential and employment growth with highly urban, mixed-use, transit-supportive forms of development.

OPA 30 was adopted by the Council of the City of London on December 8, 2020 and is before the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for a decision under the Planning Act.

OPA 30 is intended to accommodate increased residential and employment growth with highly urban, mixed-use, transit-supportive forms of development in the City of London in areas designated Downtown, Transit Village, and Rapid Transit Corridor Place Types in the City of London Official Plan<. These designated areas are envisioned within the plan as higher density, mixed-use, and transit-oriented communities that are centrally located around higher order transit stations approved in the the City of London’s 2019 Rapid Transit Environmental Project Report.

Specifically, OPA 30 includes policies that are proposed to align the PMTSAs with the Downtown, Transit Village, and Rapid Transit Corridor Place Type boundaries and which identify targets for the number of residents and jobs (combined) per acre for each Place Type. OPA 30 is also proposed to specify minimum and maximum building heights and will provide direction on minimum densities (including floor area ratios) for individual development within each Place Type, as well as identify the permitted uses within each Place Type.

The City of London has identified that OPA 30 would support the growth management policies of the City of London Official Plan by providing additional policy directions that support the vision of the plan to grow “inward and upward” by encouraging transit-supportive development and intensification concentrated in proximity to higher order transit stations, especially within the Transit Villages and Rapid Transit Corridor Place Types. As well, this Amendment will allow for the future consideration of Inclusionary Zoning to create affordable housing units in London.

Further, OPA 30 is proposed to support efforts to address the Climate Emergency that Council of the City of London declared on April 23, 2019, by supporting intensification in areas that are planned for higher order transit. This is intended to promote more intense and efficient use of existing urban lands and support the City’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobile use.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is the approval authority for official plan amendments for Protected Major Transit Station Areas. The decision of the Minister regarding this official plan amendment is final and is not subject to appeal.