By Staff
October 31st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington’s proposed new Official Plan is scheduled to be released to the public on November 10th.
The document will then be explained to the public at three community meetings and then be presented to the public at a Statutory Public meeting where the public can comment.
The Plan will then go to city council where it will be approved (unanimously?).
At that point it becomes the law of the land – unless someone appeals it to the Ontario Municipal Board.
The proposed new Official Plan contains additions, deletions and modifications to the draft new Official Plan that was released in April 2017.
Feedback received from agencies, stakeholders and the public was considered in undertaking revisions to the draft new Official Plan. Also, the proposed new Official Plan will contain the proposed new Downtown Precinct Plan and associated policies resulting from the Downtown Mobility Hub Area-Specific Planning process.
Following the release of the proposed new Official Plan, the city will hold three open houses and a Statutory Public Meeting.
The Official Plan, when approved will determine just how much of this kind of development can be approved.
Open Houses
The purpose of the Open House sessions is to provide the public with the opportunity to review and discuss the proposed new Official Plan with representatives of the city. There will be no formal presentation given.
Three Open Houses are being held to support the release of the proposed new Official Plan:
Thursday November 16, 2017
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Art Gallery of Burlington, Shoreline Room
1333 Lakeshore Road
Monday November 20, 2017
1:00 – 3:00 pm
City Hall, Room 247, Level 2
426 Brant Street
Monday November 20, 2017
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Haber Community Centre, Community Room 1 – East
3040 Tim Dobbie Drive
The city has created 13 different precincts in the city. Each will have specific Official Plan limitations and zoning attached to guide future development. Sown is the Upper Brant precinct.
There is then a Statutory Public Meeting which provides the public with the opportunity to provide comments to Council on the proposed new Official Plan. A staff report concerning the proposed new Official Plan will be available for public review on November 20th. This report will provide an overview of the key components of the new Official Plan and will include staff responses to feedback received on the draft Official Plan (April 2017).
The proposed new Official Plan will be presented to the Planning and Development Committee at a Statutory Public Meeting on:
Thursday November 30, 2017
1:00 pm and 6:30 pm
City Hall, Council Chambers, Level 2
426 Brant Street
It then goes to city Council where it will pass and then sent along to the Regional Council.
The new OP is not a legal document (in force and effect) until the Region approves it.
Having run in the last election when you question the Burlington transit plan or the official plan you get the same answer from council:
“That plan is done, we will address it again in x years.”
This is a despicable attempt to provide the same escape hatch for 2018.
The speed is about making sure people do not realize what is in it. The modification of the zoning of thousands of properties by decree.
Letting 20 story buildings be built any ware in down town Burlington, Brant Street Go, Aldershot Go, Appleby Go, along any arterial street, in any former school site, up at high way 5 and Appleby, or I’m sure there is some pretext for any other location you might like.
Irresponsible on the part of the city to quickly ram this through. City Hall wants this decided before the election year.
Making changes to the Official Plan is the most important decision council must make – it have permanent consequences on the city. This is not on the level of a sign bylaw change. More time is required to get citizen’s input.
I agree with your comments; however, when have some members of this council really considered citizen’s input? Craven has his own agenda and thinks he knows so much better than anyone else; much the same for Goldring although he pays lip-service to “engagement” while taking his marching orders from consultants, lobby groups, McMahon; Dennison–my councillor NEVER asks for input. The others to varying degrees do solicit input, especially MMW. Conclusion: do you really trust this council to create an OP that truly reflects the vision of Burlington residents or merely to create its own vision?
And how much credibility will this Official Plan have? With less than a year left in its mandate and with the likelihood that many members of council, hopefully all, will be removed from office in 2018, this OP is effectively “dead in the water” to be significantly amended or replaced by a new council. Once again, NONE of the current council ran in 2014 on a platform that included this new Official Plan–one with which the current council hopes to hamstring the next one. Clearly an exercise in futility.