Appendix “A”

Highlights of Growth Plan Components

From Places to Grow: Better Choices. Brighter Future.

A Discussion Paper on A Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe

How and Where We Grow: Growth Plan Objectives

1. Intensification and Compact Development

· Build on existing infrastructure capacity to increase compact urban form.

· More productive use of existing urban areas but preserve and enhance cultural

heritage.

· A balanced mix of growth accommodating both jobs and a range of housing choices –

affordable options along with options to live and work in close proximity.

· The Province will review current regulatory, fiscal and planning tools to ensure they, among other things, encourage up front financing of redevelopment areas by developers, allow for more relaxed municipal zoning controls, promote transit supportive design standards, and provide financial incentives to build in existing serviced areas rather than greenfield areas.

2. Priority Urban Centres and Emerging Urban Centres

· Supporting priority and emerging urban centres as residential and employment anchors

attractive to future urban growth ( Note: Markham has been identified as an emerging

urban centre on Map 3 of the discussion paper).

· Priority urban centres are the hubs of employment and residential growth with

infrastructure capacity to absorb further growth.

· Priority urban centres will be the targets for intensification, promotion of mixed use

and development of nodes on the transportation network and the key focus of transit

investment and investment of infrastructure.

· Emerging Urban Centres will become hubs of employment and residential growth

and emerge as regional centres as investments to attract development are made over

time.

· The Province will encourage growth and prosperity in Priority Urban Centres and

Emerging Urban Centres by providing a number of benefits and incentives.

3. Future Growth Areas

· The Growth Plan will identify areas that will be further assessed for their ability to accommodate additional growth over the long term including the GTA south of the Oak Ridges Moraine and outside of the greenbelt, Hamilton south of the Niagara Escarpment, Barrie, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Niagara-Fort Erie (Note: Markham has been identified as a Future Urban Growth Area on Map 4 of the discussion paper).

· The Province will commit to partnering with area municipalities to assess growth potential, environmental capacity, and long-term infrastructure needs and costs.

· Adjustments to expand urban boundaries in the five above areas over the next five years will be considered provided:

- there is less than 15 year supply of available land;

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- the proposed expansion provides a balance between population and employment growth (target ratio of 2:1);

- there is range and mix of housing;

- a minimum 40% of projected growth is planned to be accommodated through intensification;

- a transportation infrastructure plan is incorporated;

- the environmental capacity to support growth can be demonstrated;

- there are sustainable water and sewage services;

- there is a planned and protected natural heritage system;

- a plan to ensure costs of new development are covered fairly by proponents; and

- there is appropriate consideration of source water protection.

· Growth will continue outside of growth areas but only in accordance with upper tier

growth management plans.

4. Economic Strength

· Quality of life is the key to attracting economic activity, investment in skills and

capital.

· The Growth Plan will support vibrant downtowns and urban centres, manage congestion, reduce commute times, and protect natural heritage and greenspace, linking transportation and other infrastructure to growth management objectives.

· The Growth Plan will support the economic diversity of the region including a wide range of business clusters.

· The Province will promote economic development by, among other things:

- establishing tools to attract investment including Tax Increment Financing, brownfield

redevelopment incentives, and economic development corporations;

- ensuring that a diversity of employment lands are available and can be readily

serviced to provide flexibility in accommodating the needs of a wide range of

businesses.

5. Small Towns and Rural Communities

· Rural communities are diverse and have different characteristics and unique needs

· Rural areas must be protected from the impact of growth and development.

· A Plan for Growing Strong Rural Communities will establish measures to foster the vitality of rural communities

· Maintaining and renewing infrastructure is critical to rural Ontario

Infrastructure to Support Growth

The Growth Plan will identify strategic infrastructure investments to support urban growth, protect environment and identify how to pay for investments, establish integrated transportation network, co-ordinate long range provincial infrastructure plans. To ensure value for money, the use of existing infrastructure must be optimized. To ensure resource protection, infrastructure must support development that emphasizes compact urban form.

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The Province will focus infrastructure investment on priority urban centres and, through a phased approach, in emerging urban centres. Infrastructure projects will be evaluated according to criteria set out in the Growth Plan and based on these criteria, priority investments will be integrated into a 10 Year Strategic Infrastructure Investment Plan. The Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal is currently developing the 10 Year Plan for release later this year.

Key components of Strategic Infrastructure Investment include:

1. An Integrated Regional Transportation Network

· To grow transit ridership in urban areas, manage congestion and reduce commute times

· To link transportation investments to growth policies and plans (ie. compact form, mixed use and higher densities will be supported by complementary investments in transit systems)

· The Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA) will be critical in coordinating and implementing the transportation directions of the plan.

· Strategies for moving people:

- Build urban transit systems in urbanizing areas and invest in Priority Urban Centres;

- Establish new Interregional Transit Services on an interconnected grid network;

- Strengthen GO Transit Rail System; and

- Build New HOV lands.

· Strategies for moving goods:

- Strategic Goods Movement Network – 400 series, rail corridors, border crossings,

airports ;

- Future Economic Corridors - Niagara to GTA, GTA to Guelph, KW, 407 to 35/115;

- Focus on widening existing 400 north to Barrie; and

- Longer term initiatives 404 and 427 extension, Bradford By-pass not immediate

Priorities.

· To implement the transportation network the Province will, among other things,

- establish the GTTA;

- provide 2 cents a litre of the gas tax for public transit;

- continue investing in transit renewal and expansion in partnerships;

- implement an integrated ticketing system;

- streamline EA process;

- provide incentives for transit supportive development;

- implement coordinated and integrated approach to transit in priority urban centers;

- optimize highway infrastructure and vehicle use;

- capitalize on infrastructure that links priority urban centers within the GTA;

- fast track approvals system to spur development along interregional corridors within

the GTA, Hamilton, Kitchener- Waterloo;

- provide mechanism to protect key corridors while they are being assessed or studied

for future use; and

- minimize impact on Greenbelt.

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2. Sustainable Water and Wastewater Services

· A sustainable Water and Sewage Systems Act will be approved making it mandatory for municipalities to assess full cost of providing their water and sewer services.

· Full cost recovery will be required.

· The Province will develop a long-term water and wastewater infrastructure and financing strategy.

Protecting what is valuable:

1. Water Resources

· The Province will promote integrated and coordinated approaches to growth, source water protection and infrastructure planning by:

- requiring municipalities to take into consideration long term impacts of growth and

infrastructure when developing watershed based source water protection plans;

- directing development away from sensitive areas as identified in source water

protection plans; and

- regularly assess impacts of land use change.

2. Natural Heritage and Greenspace Systems

· The Province will establish the Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt by:

- bringing forward recommendations for a permanent greenbelt protection plan at

same time as a final Growth Plan;

- defining natural heritage system, water resources systems, natural and open rural

landscapes, network of open spaces;

- promote compact form;

- supporting municipalities in identifying and integrating natural systems and areas in

their growth management plans;

- provide additional tools through planning reform to enhance municipality’s ability

to protect natural heritage system;

- provide voluntary incentives to encourage conservation; and

- achieving coordinated approaches to assessing impacts of land use changes on

significant natural heritage features and systems.

3. Agricultural Resources

· The Province will protect prime agricultural lands from urban encroachments by:

- establishing greenbelt;

- strengthening policies through planning reforms;

- promoting compact form within settlement areas;

- promoting best practices;

- promoting research and development; and

- supporting the provincial agricultural advisory team’s findings.

4. Aggregate Resources

· The Province will support the conservation of mineral aggregate resources by:

- achieving a balance between mineral resource extraction and the protection of natural heritage features and functions;

- protect high potential aggregate areas;

- undertake extraction and rehabilitation in a timely manner; and

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- work with municipalities and industry to make aggregates more available to the

marketplace while minimizing impacts on local community.

Implementation: Moving Forward

Provincial Leadership and Partnership

The Province will assist and collaborate with stakeholders including municipalities to implement the plan. Among other things, the Province will develop a broad partnership strategy, public engagement strategy, and establish a provincial facilitator to address implementation issues and blue ribbon panel to monitor and advise province on implementation of plan. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal will:

· coordinate policies across ministries;

· promote alignment of federal, provincial and municipal policies and investment;

· ensure provincial conformity with Growth Plan and 10 yr infrastructure plan;

· advise ministries and stakeholders on implementing the plan;

· promote implementation tools including new infrastructure planning, financing and procurement policy framework; and

· regularly review and monitor the plan.

Effective Implementation Tools

· Mix of regulatory and planning as well as fiscal tools.

· Regulatory and planning tools that fall under the Planning Act – Planning Reforms, Upper Tier Plans.

· Fiscal tools – review existing DC Act, land transfer tax rebate, TIFs, Property Tax reform, full cost pricing for infrastructure, life cycle pricing, location efficient mortgages.

· Legislative framework – may require legislation to ensure compliance and ongoing municipal implementation of growth strategies – require province to adopt plan, establish roles and responsibilities of province and municipalities respecting implementation, establish timeframe for review of plan, link with other land use and infrastructure legislation and regulations, require upper tier plans to conform with plan.

Monitoring and Review

Full implementation of the strategies of the growth plan will be achieved by:

· Appropriate governance mechanisms are needed to support the plan such as provincial facilitator and blue ribbon panel;

· Reviewing provincial practices to ensure consistency with plan;

· Developing an appropriate mix of regulatory and fiscal tools;

· Developing partnerships between the Province and municipalities;

· Reviewing the plan on a regular basis, every five years;

· Monitoring the performance of the plan; and

· Providing provincial legislation to give status to the plan.