Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown

Upcoming Council Discussion

Discussion about the re-examination of the downtown policies in the adopted Official Plan will continue at a Burlington City Council Planning and Development Committee meeting on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 9:30 a.m. at City Hall in Council Chambers at 426 Brant St.

City Council will consider a staff report

At the meeting, City staff will:

• provide an overview of the project
• present a report, PB-89-19: Taking a Closer Look at Downtown: Concepts Discussion, that highlights the themes, principles and land-use concepts developed to show two possible concepts for how downtown Burlington could accommodate growth and development in the future
• share a preliminary review of the public feedback received to date and preliminary directions.

Register to speak at the meeting:

The meeting will also 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. Opportunities to delegate in the evening at 6:30 p.m. are also available. Register to speak to Council by Weds. Dec 4 at 12:00 noon.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend an Action Lab over the last few weeks to review and share your thoughts on the two future concepts of downtown Burlington. Revising the downtown policies in Burlington’s adopted Official Plan is complicated and we appreciate your continued commitment to participating in the discussion and the process. The feedback shared at the Action Labs and through the online survey will help City staff identify which aspects of the two concepts you like and dislike so that they can develop a third concept which will be presented to City Council in January 2020.

If you did not have a chance to attend an Action Lab but would still like an opportunity to meet with a City planner to review the two proposed concepts, please drop by a pop-up event on the following days:

Friday, Nov. 8 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at City Hall, room 305

Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at City Hall, room 305

Friday, Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at City Hall, room 307

These informal drop-in sessions will provide participants with an opportunity to:

1. Review the work done to date on the project
2. Ask questions about the two concepts
3. Talk to a planner

This report presents an updated vision for Downtown Burlington and a Land Use map with revised precincts, and introduces two different concepts for how the downtown vision can be achieved with different development approaches in each precinct.

The report also explains how the vision, precincts, and concepts were created based on public feedback received in August-September, as well as technical studies and consideration for the need to conform with regional and provincial policy.

Survey is live and open until end of day on November 19th.

Read the Feedback Report

An objective set out in the public engagement plan was to create an ongoing record of what is said during engagements and to make it available to the public throughout the process. This is so the public can track the progress of the project, including reports back to the community to highlight how feedback was or was not incorporated in the final recommendations to Council.

The purpose of this report is to provide that record. The Feedback Report summarizes what we heard through the August engagement period and includes feedback received up to and including the September 14^th Food for Feedback event.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first round of public engagement in August to share what matters most to them about the downtown.

Some things heard most often include:

• Keep and attract new businesses
• Protect and enhance existing green spaces, strengthen connections to the waterfront and plant more trees
• Enhance downtown's role as a year-round cultural, tourism, shopping, leisure and event destination
• Housing options and affordability
• Mid and low-rise built form is preferred in many areas
• Enhance pedestrian spaces and provide more transit and cycling options, and reduce congestion
• Maintain the small-town charm and preserve heritage
• Safer, more usable, inclusive public spaces
• Parking

The background report - Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown - What you need to Know is now available.

This report is provided on behalf of the City of Burlington by SGL Planning and Design Inc. It is the first step in the re-examination of the Official Plan, and it is intended to provide you with a guide to the background to the City’s Official Plan (OP) Policies for the Downtown and the process the City is currently undertaking to re-examine the Downtown OP Policies

The first public engagement opportunity will take place in August both online and in person. Look for the following events to participate:

1. Citizen Action Labs: Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown
To help identify what matters most about downtown Burlington, the City will host two Citizen Action Labs on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. No registration is required.

Citizen Action Labs: Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown
When: Thursday, Aug. 22
Times: 1 to 3 p.m. or 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Art Gallery of Burlington, 1333 Lakeshore Rd

What to Expect
At these in-person, public sessions, participants will work in small groups to discuss and identify what is most important to them about downtown Burlington. The feedback gathered will be used to inform the creation of two concepts of what the downtown could look like in the future. These concepts will be shared with the public in October for further review and input.

Please note:

• Free parking passes will be provided

• This event is accessible to people who use mobility devices. To request other disability related accommodation, please contact thomas.douglas@burlington.ca or 905-335-7600 ext. 7811.
  
  

2. Participate Online
For those who are unable to attend one of the Citizen Action Labs, an online survey will be available beginning the week of Aug. 12 until Aug. 30 on Get Involved Burlington.

3. Drop by a Pop-up Event
Throughout the month of August, City staff will be visiting a variety of locations and events throughout the community to talk with residents and identify what is most important to them about downtown Burlington. Stay tuned to Get Involved Burlington for a full list of locations and times.

Over the next few months, the City of Burlington will be looking for your feedback and ideas to help refine and improve the downtown policies.

In early August, the City will share with the public: