The Commissioner of Planning is responsible for over 100 employees in the City’s Building Standards Department, the Policy Planning Department and the Development Planning Department. Our Commission works with other departments, citizens, stakeholders and levels of government to regulate and manage growth to help achieve Councils objective of creating a vibrant and sustainable City.

As Commissioner, I am committed to ensuring my team demonstrates the highest standard of ethical and professional conduct. The timely and thorough review of development applications such as building permits, site plan applications, re-zoning and official plan amendments and subdivisions in consultation with the community, agencies, utilities, and stakeholders is an important part of our work.

Our team also prepares long term plans to guide development and manage growth including the Official Plan, secondary plans, block plans and planning related studies. Our efforts in collaboration with other departments of the City help to ensure Vaughan remains a prosperous municipality.

There are a number of challenges and opportunities facing our Commission. Vaughan’s population of 300,000 is forecasted to grow to a population of 420,000 by 2031. For Vaughan to prosper in our global economy we need to manage this growth while continuing to attract and sustain business opportunities by providing a high quality of life. To achieve Council’s objective of becoming a “City of Choice” we need to optimize community services, improve accessibility and protect and restore our natural and cultural heritage.

We also need to work closely with the community to create high quality mixed use and special spaces within the City. The city building prospect presented by three new subway stations and planned growth of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is an important opportunity.

Some of my immediate objectives for our Commission from 2011-2014 include working closely with other departments to:

• Implement the City’s new Official Plan

• Maintain the highest quality of service in the face of rapid growth

• Initiate secondary plans (community plans) for the areas surrounding Vaughan Mills mall and for other communities throughout the City

• Complete previously initiated secondary plans for the Centre Street and Weston and Highway 7 areas

• Initiate the Urban Design Review Panel to provide expert advice to our Commission and applicants on how to achieve high quality design standards in new construction

• Create and achieve a plan for the construction of new buildings, a public square and a Mobility Hub at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre by late 2015 to coincide with the arrival of the new subway

• Engage the public to ensure full consideration of the social, natural and cultural environment in the planning and design of our buildings and communities including block plans for proposed growth areas

• Update our existing information technology and computer systems to increase our ability to serve customers on time and under budget.

I welcome your input and advice as we move forward together to create a healthy more sustainable city. Information on our initiatives can be found on the Major Projects and Reports page of the City website and the Vaughan Tomorrow website.

If you have any questions comments or suggestions please feel free to contact me at john.mackenzie@vaughan.ca.

John MacKenzie
Commissioner of Planning

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