Download Official Plan Review - Draft Recommended

January 13, 2017
Summary of Changes for the Comprehensive Draft
Recommended Official Plan Amendment
Note: Due to the broad scope of the Official Plan Review, this list is not
exhaustive of the extent of changes in the comprehensive Draft Recommended
Official Plan Amendment. Reference should be made to the Draft Recommended
Official Plan Amendment for a full understanding of the proposed changes.
The following highlights changes made since the November 23, 2016 Draft
Proposed Official Plan Amendment:
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Refinements to Cultural Heritage policies, including an additional policy regarding
cultural heritage impact assessments and clarification in Section 4.2 that cultural
heritage matters must be addressed in the consideration of development and
redevelopment proposals in Intensification Areas and Intensification Corridors;
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An added policy in the Prestige Industrial land use designation regarding the
permissibility for warehousing and wholesale distribution uses and to remove
locational restrictions for hotels and convention/banquet facilities;
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An addition to a policy regarding railways to indicate that development and
redevelopment adjacent to rail corridors should be compatible with and
supportive of the role and long term purposes of the rail corridor for the
movement of goods and people;
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Updated definition for Sensitive Land Uses and an added definition for
Greenfield;
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An adjustment to the Major Open Space designation to encompass all of the
lands occupied by the Mount Lawn cemetery;
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An adjustment to the extent of the Mixed Use designation on the northeast corner
of Brock Street South and Consumers Drive;
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An adjustment to the extent of the Major Open Space designation on the east
side of Thickson Road, south of Wentworth Street, to retain the Prestige
Industrial designation of existing residential properties;
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Adjustments to road classifications from local to collector and from collector to
local, and to identify road alignment refinements for certain future roads as a
result of Class Environmental Assessment studies;
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A new designation “Low Density Residential 7” and new policies have been
added for lands along Baldwin Street South, outside of the Robmar subdivision,
as municipal services are now available (formerly designated as “Low Density
Residential 2”).
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A number of other minor policy refinements.
The following is a summary of the major changes proposed to the Whitby Official
Plan as contained in the Draft Recommended Official Plan Amendment.
General:
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The Draft Recommended Amendment generally updates various policies to be
consistent with the 2014 Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), and conform to the
Greenbelt Plan and Durham Regional Official Plan and address the Lynde Creek
Watershed Plan.
Source Water Protection is partially addressed with further amendments
expected to take place through a future Official Plan amendment following
Durham Region’s implementation exercise.
Restructuring of policies in Section 4 is proposed, including relocating relevant
intensification policies from Section 4.13, added by OPA 90, to other land use
and urban design sections.
In accordance with the Planning Act, a parks plan will be prepared at a future
date which may result thereafter in proposed amendments to the parkland
dedication provisions in Section 4.9.
Additional amendments are expected following the conclusion of the Brooklin
Study.
Official Plan Discussion Paper Directions and Recommendations and other key
supported concepts including age friendly, accessibility, sustainability, community
gardens, community hubs, walkability/active transportation, and integrated
decision-making have been incorporated.
Other housekeeping amendments as necessary to update and improve the
Official Plan are included.
Specific highlights of the Draft Recommended Amendment include:
Section 1 – Introduction:
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The purpose of the Official Plan has been updated
Section 2 – Vision, Goals and Strategic Objectives:
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A Vision Statement for the Official Plan is provided;
The Guiding Principles in the Official Plan are restated;
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Goals and Strategic Objectives are provided addressing urban structure,
sustainable development, growth management, community character and the
natural environment;
Map 1, Urban Structure has been updated.
Section 3 - Economic Prosperity and Sustainable Community Planning:
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Economic Development policies are revised and renamed Economic Prosperity;
Sustainable Community Planning policies are introduced into a new section
which will establish the framework for the future work that the Town will
undertake. Consideration has been given to the Town’s draft Corporate
Sustainability Plan.
Section 4 – Land Use:
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Certain policies are relocated to the General section concerning uses permitted
in all designations;
The Intensification section is relocated to Section 4.2 with general and certain
area specific intensification policies largely relocated from Section 4.13;
Certain Central Area boundaries are expanded to better correspond to
Intensification Area boundaries (as shown on the revised Schedule “B”
Intensification) and integration of Intensification Area policies with Central Area
policies;
A new policy is proposed requiring a review of the Downtown Whitby Secondary
Plan;
Includes updated home-based business policies; refinements to the Low,
Medium and High Density Residential area policies and augmented policies to
guide redevelopment within Low Density Residential areas;
Proposed deletion of the Community Structure policies and associated deletion
of Schedule “B2” due to the sites identified being largely built out and future
development areas subject to secondary plans;
Augmented policies and criteria for the consideration of Medium Density and
High Density Residential development proposals;
Revised parking policies for Residential areas;
Deletion of the Commercial Node designation and related policies and revisions
to the Mixed Use policies to provide flexibility and to accommodate the added
Commercial Node areas;
Amendments to Industrial policies regarding permitted uses in Prestige Industrial
areas, sensitive land uses and automobile dealerships;
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New policies regarding the preparation of a secondary plan for new growth areas
including policies for the identification of industrial land uses and business parks,
the establishment of a Health Precinct and the future consideration of nonindustrial uses for the Armtec (formerly Brooklin Concrete) site;
Revised school site policies and a new policy regarding the expansion of the
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences site as a Health Precinct;
Deletion of Hazard Lands section. Affected lands are proposed to be
redesignated predominantly as Major Open Space on Schedule “A” and would be
shown as Natural Hazards on Schedule “C” and subject to augmented Natural
Hazards policies in Section 5 – Environmental Management;
Expanded Major Open Space policies to provide greater direction to uses within
the rural area, including major recreational uses, commercial kennels, landscape
industry uses, home industries and policy requirements for non-agricultural uses
to implement the Greenbelt Plan and the Durham Regional Official Plan;
Relocated and expanded policy for cemeteries;
Amendments to the parks policies including the introduction of policies for urban
squares and the requirement for the preparation of a parks plan;
Updates to the Agricultural policies are proposed to conform with the 2014 PPS,
Durham Regional Official Plan and Provincial guidelines (MDS and Agricultural
Uses) for such matters as agriculture, agriculture-related uses and on-farm
diversified uses;
Updates are proposed to the Rural Settlements to reflect limited remaining
potential for non-agricultural uses and in consideration that most rural
settlements are addressed by secondary plans;
Updated Mineral Aggregate policies;
Revision and reorganization of Intensification policies implemented through
Official Plan Amendment 90 and relocation to other sections of the Official Plan
such as Intensification, Central Areas and Urban Design, and secondary plans,
as appropriate.
Section 5 – Environmental Management:
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Updated and expanded Environmental Management Policies to address the
Provincial Policy Statement 2014, Greenbelt Plan, Durham Regional Official Plan
and watershed plan;
New goal proposed to address climate change in accordance with the Provincial
Policy Statement 2014 and revised objectives;
New Natural Heritage System policies are proposed to replace the current
Environmentally Sensitive Area policies and are expanded and enhanced,
including a new policy requiring minimum vegetation protection zones;
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New Natural Hazards policies are proposed to replace the current Hazard Land
policies and are expanded and enhanced;
New policies are proposed for the Greenbelt Protected Countryside, Watershed
Planning, Water Resources, Light Pollution, Noise, Vibration and Odour, and
Implementation as well as updates to policies on Lake Ontario Waterfront, the
Former Lake Iroquois Beach, Oak Ridges Moraine, Storm Water Management,
Former Waste Disposal Sites, Waste Management, Contaminated Sites and
Other Hazards, Airport-related Hazards (relocated from Section 8), and
Construction Management Plans.
Section 6 – Community Development:
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Updated and expanded Cultural Heritage and Archaeological Resource policies
including revised objectives and enhanced policies;
Revisions, relocated policies and substantial enhancements to the Urban Design
section are proposed to provide urban design direction at the site and community
level for design matters and for special areas within the municipality including
Central Areas, Intensification Areas and Corridors, the Major Transit Station
Area, and the Waterfront; and to provide additional direction to the preparation
and consideration of urban design guidelines, studies, and plans;
Expanded policies for Community Improvement are proposed, including
enhanced implementation policies, and the addition of two new Community
Improvement Areas: Dundas Street East and Brownfield Redevelopment as
shown on the proposed Schedule “E”.
Section 7 – Housing:
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Updated and restructured Housing policies including deletion of policies
referencing the Municipal Housing Statement which is no longer relevant, revised
policies for Residential Intensification, and refinement of monitoring policies.
Section 8 – Transportation, Servicing and Utilities:
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Updated policies to implement the Town’s Transportation Master Plan
recommendations that do not require a Regional Official Plan Amendment to
implement, as well as the Transportation Directions arising from the Policy
Discussion Papers;
Updated policies providing more direction for active transportation (cycling and
walking) including policies requiring the provision of bicycle parking facilities in
new development as appropriate and for consideration of pedestrian crossings;
New policy to support on-street parking in the Baldwin/Winchester and
Downtown Whitby Major Central Areas and in proximity to community use
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facilities to enhance the supply of parking and maximize the use of existing
infrastructure;
New policies to implement the haul route provisions of the Durham Regional
Official Plan;
New policies addressing environmental considerations for roads and trail
infrastructure and implementing infrastructure requirements within the Oak
Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt Protected Countryside;
New policy with respect to Transit Spines, identified on Schedule “D” to conform
to the Durham Regional Official Plan;
New policy related to the Commuter Station (GO Station) identified on Schedule
“D” and the addition of the planned GO Rail extension from the CN Rail line;
New policy for the future Transitway Stations along Highways 407 and 412;
New policy related to the updating of the Transportation Master Plan, and the
undertaking of corridor studies and environmental assessments for new or
expanded collector or arterial roads;
New policies for storm water management for lands within the Greenbelt
Protected Countryside;
New policy concerning the use of utility and hydro corridors for open space uses
subject to zoning and the approval of the authority having jurisdiction.
Section 9 – Growth Management and Monitoring:
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Various changes are proposed including updated and improved phasing and
secondary plan policies.
Section 10 – Implementation and Interpretation:
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Various updates are proposed to the Implementation and Interpretation section,
including changes to the public consultation process, new policies for area
specific and corridor studies, and updated definitions to conform to the 2014
PPS.
Secondary Plan Changes:
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Renumbering of sections listed in Secondary Plans, that cross-reference sections
in Part 1 of the Whitby Official Plan, for consistency;
Renumbering of sections listed in Secondary Plans, which cross-reference
sections of the Durham Regional Official Plan, as amended, for consistency;
Minor changes to policies, phrasing, and/or terminology for consistency with Part
1 of the Official Plan, or for additional clarification;
Minor changes to names of Provincial Ministries or organizations;
Minor changes for consistency with OPA 90 (e.g. Rossland / Garden Major
Urban Central Area Secondary Plan; increased maximum building heights);
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A new designation “Low Density Residential 7” and new policies have been
added for lands along Baldwin Street South, outside of the Robmar subdivision,
as municipal services are now available (formerly designated as “Low Density
Residential 2”).
Minor changes to, and/or deletion of, existing policies that are out of date;
Relocation of certain existing policies which are more appropriately located within
Secondary Plans.
Schedules and Appendices Changes
Schedule “A” – Land Use (shown in two sets of schedule amendments for
clarity):
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Lands currently designated as Hazard Lands on Schedule “A” – Land Use are
proposed to be predominantly included in the Major Open Space designation,
and the relevant policies relocated (note that the restrictions and protections for
hazard lands will still be maintained through the Environmental Management
policies and schedule);
Other proposed redesignations to Major Open Space for consistency with
updated environmental mapping;
Expansion of certain Central Area boundaries;
Redesignation of Commercial Node areas to Mixed Use and Special Purpose
Commercial; extension of the Mixed Use designation along Brock Street in
Downtown Whitby and other Commercial redesignations;
Addition of Local Central Area symbols;
Redesignation of certain General Industrial areas to Prestige Industrial;
Redesignation of lands at Conlin/Anderson from Prestige Industrial to
Residential and from an indication of Future Urban Development #2 to Future
Urban Development Area #5 to implement Regional Official Plan Amendments
114 and 128 from Employment Area to Living Area (appropriate changes are
also proposed to the Taunton North Community Secondary Plan);
New designation “Hamlet” added to distinguish rural settlements from
“Residential” within the Urban Area;
Land uses for the Oak Ridges Moraine area deleted through Official Plan
Amendment #48 are proposed to be added back to Schedule A for consistency
purposes. The detailed designations and provisions of the Oak Ridges Moraine
Secondary Plan still apply.
Greenbelt Protected Countryside Boundary has been added.
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Schedule “B” – Intensification:
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Schedules “B1” and “B2” are proposed to be deleted. Schedule “B3” is renamed
as Schedule “B” – Intensification;
With the proposed deletion of Schedule “B2”, density symbols for lands outside
of secondary plans would be deleted. Remaining unbuilt sites which had density
symbols are proposed to be addressed as site specific policies in Section 4.4 and
future proposals outside of secondary plan areas to be addressed in accordance
with Section 4.4.3.3. Park and school symbols would also be deleted as they are
largely implemented and are shown in Secondary Plans. Local Commercial and
Convenience Commercial symbols would likewise be deleted from Schedule “B2”
(addressed by policy and in Secondary Plans);
Intensification Corridors have been refined appropriately to reflect potential
opportunities for intensification in appropriate corridor locations;
Regional Centres are proposed to be removed as they are implemented through
the Downtown Whitby, Brock/Taunton and Baldwin/Winchester Major Central
Areas shown on Schedule “A” and associated Intensification Areas shown on
Schedule “B” and addressed through corresponding policies;
Brock/Rossland Intensification Area is proposed to be renamed
Rossland/Garden Intensification Area for consistency with Central Area and
Secondary Plan names.
Schedule “C” – Environmental Management:
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Existing Schedule “C” - Environmental Management is proposed to be replaced
with a new schedule that replaces Environmentally Sensitive Areas with a
revised and updated Natural Heritage System, and includes revised mapping as
provided by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority for Natural Hazards.
Natural features mapping is proposed to be relocated to Appendix 1. Note: the
Natural Heritage System within the Greenbelt Plan Area reflects a refinement of
Greenbelt Natural Heritage System in accordance with Section 5.5.2 of the
Greenbelt Plan;
Natural Heritage System and Natural Hazard mapping has been added for the
Oak Ridges Moraine for consistency with the rest of the Municipality, on the basis
that the Oak Ridges Moraine Secondary Plan still provides the more detailed
mapping of environmental areas and features for lands within the Oak Ridges
Moraine;
Addition of 1km Lake Ontario Shoreline Limit to implement watershed plan.
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Schedule “D” – Transportation:
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Various road updates including adding Highway 407 and 412, adding the future
Consumers Drive and Manning Road extensions as Type C arterial roads,
reclassifying portions of Ashburn Road and Halls Road North from Type B
arterial to collector, and reclassifying various roads from local to collector and
collector to local;
The alignments of future roads, including the east-west midblock arterial road
between Conlin and Winchester Roads, Manning Road and Bonacord Avenue
have been adjusted in accordance with the Class Environmental Assessment
studies undertaken;
Note: Other road classifications recommended in the Whitby Transportation
Master Plan will await the conclusion of the Region’s Transportation Master Plan
update and any related Regional Official Plan amendments;
Note: Additional road-related changes may arise from the Brooklin Study and will
be undertaken through a separate amendment;
Identifies the Transit Spine, Future Transitway Stations and the planned GO Rail
extension from the CN Rail line;
Removes labels for “Road Link Subject to Special Study”, “possible Myrtle ByPass Subject to Further Study” and “Road Realignment in Conjunction with
Improvements”. (Road improvements will be subject to the Municipal Class
Environmental Assessment process. Removal of the label does not indicate
deletion of future roads.)
Other changes are proposed such as removing symbols for completed grade
separations, removing the symbols for proposed intersection and interchange
improvements, adding existing interchanges, realigning, adding or deleting of
roads as built, and relabelling for updated terminology.
Schedule “E”- Secondary Plans and Community Improvement Areas:
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Merges Community Improvement Area A and B in Downtown Whitby into one
larger Community Improvement Area;
Addition of two new Community Improvement Areas for Dundas East and
Brownfields;
Adjustment of the Brooklin Community and Taunton North Community
Secondary Plan boundaries;
Removal of Myrtle and Myrtle Station Secondary Plan boundaries as addressed
by the Oak Ridges Moraine Secondary Plan.
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Schedule “P” and “Q” of the Taunton North Community Secondary Plan:
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Adjusts Taunton North Community Secondary Plan boundary to exclude lands at
Conlin Road and Anderson Street since being addressed as part of the Brooklin
Study.
Changes the Low Density Residential 2 designation to Low Density Residential 7
on Schedule “P”, for certain lands on Baldwin Street South, as services are now
available.
Appendices:
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Proposed deletion of existing Appendix 1 as adequately addressed by the
revised urban design policies and will be further implemented and addressed
through municipal urban design guidelines and the development review process;
New Appendix 1 – Technical Mapping of Environmental Elements showing
ANSI’s, wetlands and High Potential Aggregate Resource Areas;
New Appendix 2 - Water Resources showing Highly Vulnerable Aquifers and
Significant Groundwater Recharge Areas.
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