Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown

You’re Invited to a Virtual Information Meeting on Aug. 18. In June 2020, the project team released recommended modifications to the downtown policies in the adopted Official Plan, along with related reports.

We know there is a lot of information to sift through. To help you navigate and understand the recommended modifications to the adopted Official Plan, the project team will hold a virtual information meeting on Aug. 18 from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Meeting details:

Event date and time: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020 at 7 - 8 p.m.

Prior to the meeting, it is recommended that you review the SGL Planning & Design report here.

The virtual information meeting will be a chance for you to ask questions and learn more about the recommended policy modifications. The project team will present the recommendations and then answer your questions. We hope you will find this to be helpful in case you would like to submit comments on the recommendations. Information on how to participate in the virtual information will be posted on the project web page on Get Involved Burlington closer to the meeting date.

Your Feedback is Requested by Aug. 28

If you have comments on the recommended policy modifications, please submit your comments by Friday, Aug. 28. This will give the project team time to consider your feedback while finalizing the report for the Sept. 30 Committee meeting.

Questions and comments can be directed to the project team as follows:

1. email newop@burlington.ca

2. 905-335-7600, ext. 7787 - Leave a message and staff will call you back during business hours. Staff are monitoring voicemail and will respond as soon as possible.

3. City of Burlington c/o Alison Enns Community Planning Department 426 Brant St. P.O. Box 5013 Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6

You can also delegate at the public meeting on Sept. 30.

Additional documents will be released in August

Two additional documents were expected to be released in July but will now be released in August:

· Draft Downtown Burlington Placemaking and Urban Design Guidelines

· Fiscal Impact Analysis

The “Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown” (Scoped Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan) project team has released recommended modifications to the downtown policies in the Adopted Official Plan. These policies will guide development in downtown Burlington to the year 2031. The recommended modifications and associated reports are linked below.

The recommended modifications are discussed in staff report PL-16-20 and in Appendix 1 of PL-16-20, SGL Planning & Design Final Report.

• Staff report PL-16-20 – Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown: Recommended Modifications to the Adopted Official Plan
• PL-16-20 Appendix 1: SGL Planning & Design Final Report, June 2020

The Official Plan recommended modifications themselves are contained in Appendices 2, 3, and 4 of report PL-16-20.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 2: SGL Planning & Design Recommended Policy Modifications to the adopted Official Plan, June 2020
• PL-16-20 Appendix 3: Recommended modified Schedules to the adopted Official Plan
• PL-16-20 Appendix 4: Recommended modifications to policies in other parts of the adopted Official Plan

Appendices 5-14 of report PL-16-20 contain technical studies that have been completed in support of the Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 5: Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment: Revised Report (Prepared by ASI, Feb 19, 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 6: Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment: Built Heritage Resources and Cultural Heritage Landscapes Downtown Mobility Hub Study Area (Prepared by ASI, May 2019, revised September 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 7: Downtown Burlington Mobility Hub Market Analysis (prepared by N. Barry Lyons and Associates, August 2017)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 8: Downtown Burlington Mobility Hub – Illustrative Economic Analysis (prepared by N. Barry Lyons and Associates, July 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 9: Scoped Environmental Impact Study Downtown Mobility Hub (Prepared by Dillon Consulting, October 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(A-1): Flood Hazard and Scoped Stormwater Management Assessment (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions Wood, June 1, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(A-2): Flood Hazard and Scoped Stormwater Management Assessment – Drawings (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions Wood, June 1, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(B-1): Hager-Rambo Flood Control Facilities Study Report: Downtown and Burlington GO Mobility Hub (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, May 29, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(B-2): Appendices to Hager-Rambo Flood Control Facilities Study Report: Appendices (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, May 29, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(B-3): Hager-Rambo Flood Control Facilities Study Report: Drawings (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, May 29, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 11: Downtown Burlington Traffic Overview (Prepared by CIMA+, October 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 12: Downtown Burlington Micro-Level Traffic Operations: Review of the preferred Land Use Scenario (Prepared by CIMA+, May 1, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 13: Updated Area Servicing Plan (ASP) for Stormwater, Water and Wastewater: Downtown Burlington (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, May 28, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 14: Fiscal Impact Analysis (To be prepared by Watson & Associates Economists Ltd and shared in July 2020)

Appendix 15 of report PL-16-20 contains draft Downtown Burlington Placemaking and Urban Design Guidelines, to be prepared by SGL Planning & Design and released in July 2020.

Appendices 16-19 contain information about public engagement that informed the recommended modifications to the adopted Official Plan. This includes responses to feedback received.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 16: Responses to Submissions Received in 2017-2018
• PL-16-20 Appendix 17: Responses to Submissions Received December 6, 2019 to March 19, 2020
• PL-16-20 Appendix 18: Engagement Summary
• PL-16-20 Appendix 19: Communications and Social Media Data

Appendix 20 contains updates on other City projects, as of May 2020. This appendix may be further updated in September 2020.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 20: Updates on Other Initiatives and General Timeframes (May 2020)

Appendix 21 of report PL-16-20 will contain a project update that will be prepared and released in September 2020, in advance of the public meeting. This appendix will address all feedback received up until August 28, 2020.

The recommended policy modifications come from a re-examination of the downtown policies in the new Official Plan that Council adopted in 2018. In accordance with the August 2019 Public Engagement Plan for the project, these recommended policy modifications have been informed by extensive public engagement, technical studies, analysis of the existing context of the downtown, and the need for City policies to conform to regional and provincial policies and plans.

Next Steps

July 2020: The City will share two more documents:

• Financial Impact Analysis concerning the recommended policy modifications, and
• Draft Downtown Burlington Placemaking and Urban Design Guidelines for public review.

Aug. 28, 2020: Deadline to submit comments on the recommended modifications to the adopted Official Plan so the project team has time to consider the feedback in advance of the Sept. 30 Committee meeting.

Sept. 2020: The project team will release an additional appendix to the staff report PL-16-20 that was published in June. This appendix will provide project updates and a response to all feedback that was received prior to Aug. 28.

Sept. 30, 2020: City Council will consider all reports at a public meeting of the Community Planning, Regulation, and Mobility Committee on Sept. 30. This meeting will include a presentation from City staff and the project consultants. The public will have a chance to delegate.

Oct. 7, 2020: Council will consider the Sept. 30 recommendations at a Special Council meeting on Oct. 7. Council will decide whether to endorse the recommended policy modifications and submit them to Halton Region for inclusion in the Region’s approval of the new Official Plan that Council adopted in Apr. 2018.

Public Engagement

Anyone with comments on the recommended policy modifications should submit their comments by Aug. 28 so the project team has time to consider the feedback in advance of the Sept. 30 Committee meeting.

Questions and comments can be directed to the Project Team at

• newop@burlington.ca
• 905-335-7600, ext. 7787 - Leave a message and staff will call you back during business hours. Staff are monitoring voicemail and will respond as soon as possible.
• City of Burlington
  c/o Alison Enns
  Community Planning Department
  426 Brant St.
  P.O. Box 5013
  Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6

There will also be an opportunity for interested persons to delegate at the public meeting on September 30. As the meeting approaches, it will be possible to register as a delegation in advance (advance registration is optional).

The project team continues to work toward the release of the recommended modifications to the adopted Official Plan, and of the associated reports. The materials will be posted the week of June 8, 2020.

The “Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown” project (Scoped Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan) has experienced delays due to COVID-19. Here is an updated project timeline. It includes opportunities for you to get involved through public engagement.

End of May 2020: The City will release:

• the recommended policy changes for Downtown Burlington,
• the associated staff report,
• consultant report and
• technical studies.

These documents will be posted on the project web page on Get Involved Burlington for public review.

July 2020: The City will share two more documents:

• Financial Impact Analysis concerning the recommended policy modifications, and
• Draft Downtown Burlington Placemaking and Design Guidelines for public review.

Aug. 28, 2020: Anyone with comments on these documents should submit their comments to the project team by Aug. 28 so the project team has time to consider the feedback in advance of the Sept. 30 Committee meeting.

Sept. 30, 2020: City Council will review all reports at a public meeting of the Community Planning, Regulation, and Mobility Committee on Sept. 30. This meeting will include a presentation from City staff and the project consultants, and opportunities for the public to delegate.

Oct. 7, 2020: Council will consider the Sept. 30 recommendations at a Special Council meeting on Oct. 7.

For more information, including information about the recent letter from the Province on the Downtown Major Transit Station Area and Mobility Hub, refer to the memo in the Council Information Package of May 7, 2020 by visiting the Council Information Package web page, selecting the May 7, 2020 and scrolling to page 13 of the package.

Stay tuned to the project web page on Get Involved Burlington for the upcoming release of documents, and any other project updates.

Questions and comments can be directed to the Project Team

• by email: newop@burlington.ca
• by phone: 905-335-7600, ext. 7787 - Leave a message and staff will call you back during business hours. Staff are monitoring voicemail and will respond as soon as possible.
• by mail:

Alison Enns
Community Planning Department
426 Brant St.
P.O. Box 5013
Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6

The release of modified policies and associated reports has been delayed. The City will work towards releasing this work later this spring, and scheduling a public meeting to consider these materials in fall 2020. A more detailed timeline will be shared soon.

Official Plan Update

Over the past few months, the Official Plan project team with help from planning firm, SGL Planning and Design, have been working on developing detailed policies. The endorsed land use vision and built form concept for the Downtown was largely endorsed by Council this past January. The detailed policies were going to be available for public review during the week of March 23rd and presented to Council in April 2020 as recommended modifications to the policies of the Adopted Official Plan. However, these timelines have been delayed to protect the public and City staff and to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus, the City has closed facilities, including City Hall. These closures and workplace changes have had an impact on the project timeline. As a result, the public release of the detailed policies and associated reports will be delayed.

The detailed policies will now be released at the end of April and the Public Meeting will be scheduled for the fall.

The City recognizes the work of the Scoped Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan is vitally important to continue to move forward. The City remains committed to ensuring the public has the full ability to comment on the detailed policies and for this reason, the associated timelines have been changed.

Stay Tuned:

In advance of the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee Meeting on April 14, Staff will be releasing the Official Plan Amendment for the Downtown policies in the Adopted Official Plan for public review and input during the week of March 23^rd. The policies included in the Official Plan Amendment will be uploaded here by the end of the day on March 23^rd. Anyone who has provided their email address or delegated at Committee on the project will receive an email notice containing a link to the policies.

On Jan. 27, Council endorsed a land use vision and built form concept for downtown. Planning staff, working with SGL Planning and Design, will now begin developing detailed policies to implement the endorsed vision and concept.

These will be presented to Council as recommended modifications to the policies of the adopted Official Plan at the April 14, 2020 meeting of Community Planning, Regulation, and Mobility Committee, beginning at 9:30a.m. Members of the public can speak at this meeting without needing to register in advance. Council will be asked to endorse the modifications so they can be sent to the Region of Halton for a final decision.

Members of the public can still provide comments that will inform policy development. Please submit comments by February 14, 2020:

• By email to newop@burlington.ca
• By mail or in person to Thomas Douglas, Planner, Community Planning Department, 426 Brant Street, L7R 3Z6.

On Jan. 27, 2020, City Council endorsed the land use vision and built form concept that had been put forward in report PL-02-20, subject to a few elements of the concept that Council directed staff to further consider between now and April 2020. The details of Council’s decision are contained in item 10.2 of the Council minutes.

view the appendix of the vision and concept in Appendix A of PL-02-20

Review the minutes or watch the recording of Jan. 16 meeting

Next steps

Planning staff, working with SGL Planning and Design, will now begin developing detailed policies to implement the endorsed land use vision and built form concept for the downtown.

These will be presented to Council in April 2020, as recommended modifications to the policies of the adopted Official Plan. The date and time of the April 2020 meeting will be communicated once confirmed.

Opportunity to have your say

Members of the public can still provide comments that will inform the project.

Comments must be submitted no later than Friday, Feb. 14, 2020:

• By email to newop@burlington.ca

By mail or in person to “Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown”, care of Thomas Douglas, Planner, Community Planning Department, 426 Brant St, L7R 3Z6.

On Jan. 16, 2020, City staff presented report PL-02-20 to the Community Planning, Regulation, and Mobility (CPRM) Committee of Council. This report and its appendices are available online at both www.getinvolvedburlington.ca/official-plan-2019 and www.burlington.ca/newop.

Report PL-02-20 recommended that Council endorse a land use vision and built form concept for downtown Burlington, developed by the City’s consultants SGL Planning and Design. The recommended concept was informed by several inputs including public feedback, technical studies, and an understanding of existing and approved development in the downtown.

Staff recommendation report PL-02-20 is now available for review. This report will be presented to the Community Planning, Regulation, and Mobility Committee of Council on January 16, 2020 at 1 p.m. and continuing in the evening session at 6:30 p.m.

The report recommends that Council endorse the land use vision and “preliminary preferred concept” for downtown. The recommendation is based on the evaluation of two preliminary concepts presented for public feedback in fall 2019, which was informed by several inputs including public feedback, technical studies, and an understanding of existing and approved development in the downtown. The details of the preliminary preferred concept, including maps and diagrams, can be found in Appendix A of the report.

Appendices B, C, and D contain reports that have been previously published on this website but have not been formally transmitted to Council until now.

Appendix E contains a new Feedback report documenting the October-December 2019 public engagement period.

Appendices F1 and F2 provide responses to stakeholder submissions on the project that the project team received up to December 5, 2019.

• PL-02-20 Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown Preliminary Preferred Concept (668 KB) (pdf)
• PL-02-20 Appendix A - SGL Preliminary Preferred Concept Interim Report Jan 2020 (7.26 MB) (pdf)
• PL-02-20 Appendix B-Engagement-Plan (291 KB) (pdf)
• PL-02-20 Appendix C SGL What you need to know report (1.81 MB) (pdf)
• PL-02-20 Appendix D - Feedback_Report August to September (1.45 MB) (pdf)
• PL-02-20 Appendix E Feedback Report Jan 2020 (6.76 MB) (pdf)
• PL-02-20 Appendix F1 - Response Matrix Aug-Sep (365 KB) (pdf)
• PL-02-20 Appendix F2 - Response Matrix Oct-Dec (1020 KB) (pdf)

The meeting will provide an opportunity for input from the public and City Council. To register as a delegate to speak to Council at the meeting, please visit burlington.ca/delegate.

The project team is also pleased to release the technical studies that have been completed to date. A brief summary of each study is available here. The full studies can be accessed in the Document Library. The technical reports posted to date will be reviewed by appropriate agencies and further refined, as needed. Completed studies will be transmitted to Council as part of SGL’s final report in the Spring of 2020.