Burlington Official Plan, 2020 Targeted Realignment Exercise

At the Regular Meeting of Council on May 20 (Agenda), Council voted unanimously to adopt OPA 4 which sets out a planning framework and is a guide for future study, to support development and growth within Bronte Creek Meadows.

Following this project and the adoption of OPA 4, there will be opportunities for public engagement through future development applications.

OPA 4 is subject to a 20-day appeal period and is posted on the City’s Public Notice page.

Thank you for your interest in this project and for contributing to the future vision for the Bronte Creek Meadows Community. Please email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions.

Staff report DGM-32-25: Bronte Creek Meadows Official Plan Amendment No.4 Recommendation Report is now available online. The purpose of the report is to recommend adoption of the City-initiated Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No.4 to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020.

The proposed amendment sets a framework that provides directions for Bronte Creek Meadows (BCM) to be developed as a vibrant mixed-use, transit-supportive, complete community inclusive of economic, social and environmental benefits. The OPA set out a high-level vision for BCM, and includes robust implementation guidance to outline expectations for key next steps to continue building on the vision for BCM.

The amendment has been informed by the BCM Area Specific Planning Project and various inputs including Council direction, technical studies and public feedback gathered in fall 2024 and spring 2025.

Along with the staff report, the following appendices have been included:

A. Official Plan Amendment No.4

B. Official Plan Amendment No.4 Tracked Changes

C. Provincial Planning Statement (2024) Consistency Analysis to OPA 4

D. Regional Official Plan Conformity Analysis to OPA 4

E. Public Submissions and Response Table

F. Agency Submissions and Response Table

G. Key Next Steps Table

H. Response Table to Landowner Team Comments

Key Changes Since March 4 Statutory Public Meeting

On March 4, 2025, staff presented proposed Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No.4 to a Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting through staff report DGM-13-25 Bronte Creek Meadows Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4, in order to hear comments and questions from members of Council and the public. Staff continued to accept questions, comments and recommendations until March 18, 2025.

This feedback was used to refine and finalize recommended Official Plan Amendment No.4. A detailed commenting table related to public feedback can be found in Appendix E. Agency comments can be found in Appendix F to this report.

Feedback received resulted in a number of key changes:

• Revisions clarifying future study process expectations. A summary of these key next steps is contained in Appendix G of this report.
• Burloak Commons District: Revisions to outline maximum height expectations in response to public and agency feedback have been implemented. Policies outline that the Zoning By-law will establish a minimum building height of two (2) storeys and the maximum building height of eleven (11) storeys. Tall buildings up to a maximum of twenty (20) storeys may be considered subject to criteria including appropriate tall building locations to be determined through the Land Use and Built Form Strategy and building transitions to the Natural Heritage System, existing neighbourhoods and Bronte Creek Provincial Park.
• Addition of policies to encourage innovation in Bronte Creek Meadows in response to Council comments at the Statutory Public Meeting.
• Minor revisions for clarity and consistency.

See page 9 of the staff report to see a more details about key changes.

The report can also be found in the Agenda Meeting Package for the May 12, 2025 Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting at www.burlington.ca/calendar.

Staff continue to be available to answer any questions about the project. Email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions or would like to Talk to a Planner.

On March 4, 2025, staff presented proposed Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No.4 to a Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting through staff report DGM-13-25 Bronte Creek Meadows Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4,in order to hear comments and questions from members of Council and the public. Staff continued to accept questions, comments and recommendations until March 18, 2025.

City staff have reviewed and considered the feedback received, and are targeting bringing forward a Recommendation Report to Council for adoption of the OPA in May 2025. Subscribe to this project page to receive notifications of updates.

Staff continue to be available to answer any questions about the project. Email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions or would like to Talk to a Planner.

Thank you to all those who were able to join us for the Bronte Creek Meadows Public Open Houses in February. The presentations are now available from the meetings:

• The slide deck from the In-person Presentation from February 19 at Tansley Woods Community Centre and February 24 at Corpus Christi Secondary School.
• A Recording of the Virtual Open House (To access Closed Captioning, click onto the icon that says CC) and a copy of the Virtual Presentation from February 25 on Zoom

Staff report DGM-13-25 Bronte Creek Meadows Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4, is now available online.

The staff report provides an overview of the proposed Official Plan Amendment (OPA), transmits a number of technical studies, outlines engagement events and outlines next steps. The report can be found in the Document Library on this webpage or the Agenda Meeting Package for the March 3/4, 2024 Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting at www.burlington.ca/calendar.

Along with the staff report, the following Appendices have been included:

1. Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4
2. Development Limits Report (January 2, 2025) prepared by Colucent Environmental
3. Existing Conditions Report (January 15, 2025) prepared by Terrastory Environmental Consulting Inc.
4. Planning Brief (January 27, 2025) prepared by Bousfields Inc.
5. Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4 Overview Booklet
6. Feedback Themes and Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4 Response Poster Boards

A link to watch the March 4 Statutory Public meeting be found in the Agenda Meeting Package for the March 3^rd/4^th, Committee of the Whole (COW) Meeting at www.burlington.ca/calendar.

If you would like to speak at the Statutory Public meeting, please see the February 12^th post below for information on how to delegate.

We are looking for your feedback!

We are looking for your feedback on proposed Official Plan Amendment (OPA) for the Bronte Creek Meadows Community! Feedback received will inform a recommendation to Council later this year.

Please send us your feedback by March 18, by emailing newop@burlington.ca or by mail to:

Community Planning Department
PO Box 5013, 426 Brant St., Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6

Thank you for your continued interested in Bronte Creek Meadows and this project! Please email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions or comments.

Staff will present report DGM-20-25 - Findings of the “Growth Analysis Review – City of Burlington”, at the March 3rd Committee of the Whole meeting. Staff report DGM-20-25 provides an overview of the findings of the report titled “Growth Analysis Review – City of Burlington” which was prepared for the City by Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. (Watson), in association with Dillon Consulting Limited (Dillon). The Growth Analysis Review Report contains the most recent population, housing, and employment estimates to 2051 for Burlington. These estimates are based on the most up to date information available and gives consideration to the recent changes to Provincial and Regional policy.

The City of Burlington is proposing amendments to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 through an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) and it is now available online for review and comment. It will implement a revised vision and other area-specific policies for the Bronte Creek Meadows area to guide future development proposals for the property.

The Official Plan Amendment contains a proposed policy framework that provides direction for Bronte Creek Meadows (BCM) to be planned as a vibrant mixed-use, transit supportive, complete community inclusive of economic, social and environmental benefits. The amendment has been informed by the BCM Area Specific Planning Project and various inputs including Council direction, technical studies and public feedback gathered fall 2024.

The proposed Official Plan Amendment to the City of Burlington Official Plan (2020) will:

• Establish a community structure, informed by protected Natural Heritage features, organized in districts with a new transportation network;
• Establish appropriate targets and change the authorized land uses in Bronte Creek Meadows to allow for a mix of residential and non-residential uses;
• Provide policies relating to infrastructure, transportation, public service facilities, parks, public space, housing, land use compatibility, natural heritage and hazards; and
• Outline requirements for further study, policies related to tertiary planning, phasing and monitoring, etc.  

You are invited to:

• Review and provide comments on the proposed Official Plan Amendment- AVAILABLE NOW
  
• Review the staff information report (available Friday February 21, 2025. The staff information report and a discussion of the proposed Official Plan Amendment will be posted on the Official Plan Get Involved Burlington webpage on Friday February 21, 2025. You can also search for the March 4 Statutory meeting date for the Committee of the Whole.
• Attend the Statutory Public Meeting under the Planning Act on Tuesday, March 4 to provide comments on the proposed Official Plan Amendment. No decisions about the proposal have been made yet. We are asking for your feedback to inform staffs’ future recommended amendment to the Committee of the Whole later this year.

Statutory Meeting Date: March 4, 2025
Time: 9:30 a.m.

Location: Online at www.burlington.ca/calendar or in-person at Burlington City Hall, Council Chambers, 2^nd floor, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.

To speak at the Public Meeting, there are two options:

1. Pre-register to speak by noon the Friday before the meeting is to held. You can pre-register in one of the following ways:
   1. Complete the online delegation request form at www.burlington.ca/delegation;
   2. Submit a written request by email to Legislative Services at clerks@burlington.ca, or
   3. Phone 905-335-7600, ext. 7481
      

2. Register during the Public Meeting.

1. If you are attending the meeting virtually, you can register to speak by emailing clerks@burlington.ca, as noted in the ticker tape that will be scrolling along the bottom of the live stream webcast of the meeting with registration information.

2. If you are attending the meeting in person, you can register to speak during the meeting by following instructions provided at the meeting.

Speakers are limited to a maximum of 10 minutes each and are webcasted online. If you have presentation materials, they must be submitted to Legislative Services no later than Friday February 28^th at noon to allow for their distribution and review by all members of the Committee. Please note the content of all submissions is considered public and will be posted on the City’s website.

The formal Notice of Statutory Public Meeting is available here.

Public Open Houses

In advance of the Statutory Meeting on March 4, 2025, consider attending a public open house to learn more about the Bronte Creek Meadows Area Specific Planning Project and the proposed Official Plan Amendment:

• In-person Public Open House – Wednesday, Feb. 19, 7 to 9 p.m. Tansley Woods Community Centre, Community Room 1
• In-person Public Open House – Monday, Feb. 24, 7 to 9 p.m. Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School, Auditorium
• Virtual Public Open House – Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7 to 9 p.m. on Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87134076494
  

Talk to a Planner to discuss any questions or comments about the project. Staff have set aside time for Talk to a Planner meetings. Email newop@burlington.ca if you would like to Talk to a Planner during one of the following times:

1. Tuesday Feb. 18^th or 25^th from 10am to 12pm
2. Thursday Feb. 20^th or 27^th from 2-4 pm

Tell us what you think: Email newop@burlington.ca with any questions or comments by March 18, and set up time to meet with staff.

Written Comments:

Any written comments about the proposed amendment can be mailed or e-mailed to the City’s Planning Policy team. Your comments will be considered by staff.

To submit written comments, or for more information, please contact:

Community Planning Department
PO Box 5013, 426 Brant St., Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
newop@burlington.ca

Your written comments should be submitted by: March 18, 2025

To learn more, check out the following or contact staff at newop@burlington.ca:

• Quick fact sheet
• Staff Report PL-81-24 Bronte Creek Meadows Area-Specific Planning Project Update and Proposed Policy Directions
• Background & Draft Visioning Report for this project
• Engagement Plan

Following engagement events throughout the Fall, staff are bringing forward staff report PL-81-24 Bronte Creek Meadows Area-Specific Planning Project Update and Proposed Policy Directions to the December 2^nd Committee of the Whole meeting.

The report provides proposed policy directions for Council’s consideration to guide the development of the Bronte Creek Meadows Area-Specific Plan.

The report also includes an overview of the Fall engagement events and public feedback received. A more detailed overview of public engagement and feedback can be found in Appendix B to PL-81-24 (Preliminary Feedback Report: Fall 2024).

A link to watch the meeting be found in the Agenda Meeting Package for the December 2^nd / 3^rd, Committee of the Whole (COW) Meeting at www.burlington.ca/calendar. If you would like to speak at the COW meeting, you can do so by pre-registering to speak by noon on Friday November 29^th, 2024 by:

1. Filling out the form at www.burlington.ca/delegation
2. submitting a written request by email to the Office of the City Clerk at clerks@burlington.ca or
3. calling 905-335-7600, ext. 7481.

Should Council approve the recommendations in the report, staff will continue work on the area-specific plan including policy development and review of on-going technical studies. Staff will also identify more public engagement opportunities for early 2025. More information will be posted to this webpage once available.

Thank you for your continued interested in Bronte Creek Meadows and this project! Please email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions or comments.

Thank you to all those who were able to join us for the Bronte Creek Meadows Public Open Houses. The presentations are now available from both meetings:

• The slide deck from the In-person Presentation from November 5, 2024 at Appleby Ice Centre
• A Recording of the Virtual Open House (To access Closed Captioning, click onto the icon that says CC), a copy of the Mentimeter live polling results, and a copy of the Virtual Presentation from November 6, 2024 on Zoom

Stay tuned for the upcoming survey about Bronte Creek Meadows. It will be available on October 28 for the public to fill out. Check back then or subscribe to the project page to get all the latest updates!