City Council votes to re-examine the policies in Burlington's adopted Official Plan - Feb 8, 2019

UPDATED MARCH 5, 2019 - Committee of the Whole Workshop will be held on Monday March 18 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. Council and staff will discuss the scope of work for further study related to the Official Plan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burlington City Council voted in favour of a motion to begin the process of re-examining the policies in Burlington’s Official Plan, adopted in April 2018 and currently with Halton Region for approval. The motion, brought forward by Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, was approved during a Special Meeting of Council yesterday.

The motion directs Burlington’s Director of City Building to immediately commence a process to re-examine the policies of the Official Plan adopted April 26, 2018 in their entirety related to the issues of height and density and conformity with provincial intensification targets.

A copy of the approved motion is available online.

Summary of additional directions in the approved motion:

• Send a letter to Halton Region acknowledging receipt of the Region’s Notice of Statement of Opinion of Non-Conformity with the Regional Official Plan dated Dec. 4, 2018. The letter should include requests for clarification on the elements of non-conformity identified in the notice and sufficient time to address the identified issues.
• Refrain from giving the adopted Official Plan any weight in evaluating development applications that may be processed while the Official Plan policies are being re-examined.
• Report back to the Planning and Development Committee meeting in March 2019 to provide a progress update on the work plan to re-examine the Official Plan, including key milestone dates, public engagement plan, budget and resource requirements.
• Discontinue the use of the “Grow Bold” brand.

Burlington is one of Canada’s best and most livable cities, a place where people, nature and business thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at Burlington.ca/enews and download the free City of Burlington app.

Quote

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

“I am thankful to all of City Council for voting to see this through. Re-examination of the policies of the Adopted 2018 Official Plan is another step toward fulfilling a more community-based vision for our city. This action will also provide residents and staff with more clarity going forward. We expect our city’s Official Plan to truly reflect the needs, input and best interests of the entire community and its elected council. This re-examination will give the new council the time necessary to define what areas we want to study, undertake that work, consult with the community and work with Halton Region to approve a comprehensive plan we can all feel good about.”

Quick Facts

• An Official Plan is a statutory document required by the province of Ontario that describes a city's land-use strategy to 2031, and beyond. It addresses the location and form of new housing, industry, offices and shops as well as anticipated needs for infrastructure. Streets, parks, transit, schools, community amenities, and other elements of a growing city are all considered in the Official Plan.

Links and Resources