New Official Plan Nearing Completion
After more than three years of work, the City of Vaughan’s new Official Plan is expected to be completed by September. This plan will set out where and how Vaughan will grow over the next 25 years while at the same time taking into consideration important social, economic and environmental issues and objectives.
The Plan will provide a policy framework that will guide where new development can locate; how existing and future neighbourhoods will be strengthened; how Vaughan's environment will be enhanced; what municipal services, such as roads, water mains, sewers and parks, will be provided; and when and where Vaughan will grow. It will reflect a community vision for future change and development.
The new Official Plan results in the smallest urban expansion in Vaughan’s history. Vaughan’s urban boundary will expand by only three per cent or approximately 450 hectares for residential and 450 hectares for employment lands. This represents a significant shift away from urban sprawl. The majority of growth will take place in existing areas with planned intensification along transit routes. It will strengthen employment areas and for the first time, is taking social services into consideration.
March 30, 2010 Update |
Green space is an important component of the new Official Plan. It will see over 40 per cent of the City’s land area preserved as natural areas and countryside. The headwaters of the Humber River and the western Don will be protected in Vaughan, and parks within community areas will make up an additional three per cent of Vaughan’s land area.
The Planning Act requires municipalities to hold statutory public open houses preceding public hearings to consider changes to their Official Plans. To this end, Council has approved additional meetings and some changes to existing ones. May 3, 2010 will now be a statutory open house for the City-wide policies for the new Official Plan which will precede the public hearing for City-wide policies on May 17, 2010.
For the secondary plans resulting from the focused area studies, open houses have already been planned for five evenings in April. These will be statutory open houses. These secondary plans will require consideration at a Committee of the Whole (Public Hearing) on June 14, 2010 (which had originally been scheduled for a Special Committee of the Whole). With these adjustments to the schedule, the new Official Plan can now be considered at the scheduled Committee of the Whole meeting of July 6, 2010. From there it will go to Council for final approval.
It has been a lengthy process to get to this point, one that has required a great deal of community involvement. From day one, we have encouraged our citizens to participate and help us define the future of our City. And we will continue to do so.