By Pepper Parr
February 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
City Council will discuss a staff report on the Burlington Lands Partnership and look at Partnership Potential for City-Owned Lands.
There are 277 City-owned properties that are part of the initial inventory. Preliminary internal staff engagement has identified the 13 potential opportunities with partnership potential.
Land exchange opportunity to facilitate amenities and housing in Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) – 2 potential opportunities
Redevelopment opportunity for mixed-use (public uses and amenities) in Burlington Downtown – 5 potential opportunities
Affordable housing opportunity – 6 potential opportunities
The locations were listed in a confidential report
In order to make existing city-owned sites available for partnerships, there are opportunity costs involved to define workplans to advance partnership arrangements and for the potential movement/replacement of current uses into new or other locations. In addition, if sites are to be released by the City for partnership development, these will need to be declared surplus. This report represents important initial step in mobilizing development on underutilized City-owned lands.
The assessment of city-owned sites will be integrated into the 2025 Burlington Lands Partnership (BLP) work plan and coordinated with other departments as applicable. Initial steps to continue exploring these and other opportunities will be pursued as described in this report.
Engagement: As specific land-related opportunities evolve, Council and staff will endeavor to make information on land opportunities available publicly at the appropriate time both for purposes of information and engagement and prior to final decisions where possible.
The analysis considered several high-level factors, including:
- Site location and suitability for partnerships
- Proximity to transit and vacant or developable land nearby
- Existing development interest in adjacent or nearby parcels
- Site servicing and constraints
- Proximity to parkland and public amenities
The potential opportunities outlined in this report have been verified through a desktop review exercise. The feasibility of any development or redevelopment of these sites has not been assessed yet and will be completed. Some of this work has been accommodated as part of the 2025 Budget. There may be additional resource requirements identified as some of these opportunities are pursued. These will be brought forward in future updates to Council as necessary.
Key Considerations
The City does not have any developable vacant land that has been declared surplus. There are undefined opportunity costs associated with making city owned lands available for partnerships. The cost to move/replace current uses into new or other locations must be studied. The financial implication of utilizing and/or intensifying City lands is unknown at this time. All real estate transactions will be managed by the Realty Services department in accordance with the City’s Sale of Land Policy.
Ticking off the boxes
[X] Designing and delivering complete communities
[X] Providing the best services and experiences
[X] Protecting and improving the natural environment and taking action on climate change
[X] Driving organizational performance
| Type of Opportunity | Potential Work Plan |
| 6.0 Land exchange opportunity to facilitate amenities and housing in Major Transit Station Area (MTSAs) | 6.1 Business case
6.2 Council update on business case 6.3 Public engagement (external) 6.4 Council request for support/budget/declaration to partner |
| 7.0 Redevelopment opportunity for mixed use (public uses and amenities) in Burlington Downtown | 7.1 Request for public interest for partner
7.2 Partner recruitment, due diligence, and selection 7.3 Council Update on public interest/selected process 7.4 Development of a joint business case with the city and partner 7.5 Council update on business case with selected partner 7.6 Public engagement (external) 7.7 Council request for support/budget/declaration to partner |
| 8.0 Affordable housing opportunity | 8.1 Request for public interest for partner
8.2 Partner recruitment, due diligence, and selection 8.3 Council update on public interest/selection process 8.4 Development of a joint business case with the city and partner 8.5 Council update on business case with selected partner 8.6 Public engagement (external) 8.7 Council request for support/budget/declaration to partner |
Station West in Ward 1 houses several thousand families with next to nothing in the way of park and recreational space.
The Station West development in Ward 1 has next to nothing in the way of park space. If the city owns any of the land in that area they might give some thought to adding parkland that the developer got away with having to provide when the development was approved. Mention in the report of: Land exchange opportunity to facilitate amenities and housing in Major Transit Station Area (MTSAs) opens a door for such an opportunity/
If the land is publicly owned, taxpayers have a right to know how it’s being used. Anyone know the answers to these questions ?
Does Burlington have open records laws that require disclosure ?
Are there redevelopment discussions that might show up in Council meeting agendas or minutes ?
Are community advocates already looking into this ?
The Community should be reaching out directly to council members (not Nisan) or planning departments to get answers.
Why is so much of what our City Council does held in confidence? This is not democratic whatsoever. Just like the Confidential Consent items at Council meetings?? If these consent items don’t get pulled, they don’t get discussed in public. And then just get adopted without any discussion.
Given that Burlington Property Tax Payers are the ones paying for all of the financial decisions made by Burlington City Council, Burlington Property Tax Payers have a 100% right to know in what, and where their Tax dollars are being spent.
We need 100% transparency from our elected members of council before our money is spent and Not after the fact.
The same goes for any land development the City is involved in!!