New Official Plan Project

On Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020, City Council endorsed the Halton Region Draft Notice of Decision and all related changes on the adopted Burlington Official Plan (2018). For more information on the meetings please see the minutes for the Nov. 26, 2020 Community Planning Regulation and Mobility Committee meeting and the Special Meeting of Council. The Region’s Draft decision, dated Nov. 16, 2020, is available as Appendix A to staff report PL-22-20.

As directed by City Council, the Director of Community Planning notified Halton Region on Nov. 27, 2020 that City Council had endorsed the Draft Notice of Decision for the adopted Burlington Official Plan and requested that the Region issue a final Notice of Decision approving the new Burlington Official Plan, as modified.  

On Nov. 30, 2020, Halton Region released a final Notice of Decision approving the new Burlington Official Plan, as modified, followed by a twenty-day appeal period from Nov. 30 to Dec. 21, 2020. Sections of the new Official Plan for which a Notice of Appeal were not filed by Dec. 21, 2020 are considered in-effect as of Dec. 22, 2020. At the appropriate time, through consultation with City legal staff, planning staff will bring forward a repeal bylaw for the former Burlington Official Plan.

To understand the effect of the Region’s decision, please see the Halton Region Notice of Decision and the tracked changes version of the new Burlington Official Plan. The tracked changes document has been updated from the version attached to staff report PL-22-20 (see Appendix B) to reflect minor differences between the Region’s draft and final Notice of Decision, as follows:

• a typographical error in subsection 6.1.2(h)(vi)(c) was corrected by changing the reference “Appendix H: Cultural Heritage Landscape Study Area” to “Appendix A-1: Cultural Heritage Landscape Study Area: Rural”;
• a numbering error in subsection 12.1.4(3) was corrected by changing the subsection number to 12.1.4(2); and
• all Appendices to the Official Plan brought before City Council on Nov. 26, 2020 (see Appendix C to staff report PL-22-20) have been incorporated; there were no changes to the individual Appendices.

City staff are working to update the status of the Official Plan based on appeals filed during the appeal period and will provide more information in January 2021. In the meantime, if you have questions regarding specific policies, please contact City planning staff.

As the approval authority, Halton Region is reviewing the City’s adopted Official Plan to make sure it:

• conforms to and does not conflict with the Regional Official Plan, 
• is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement and 
• conforms to and does not conflict with applicable Provincial plans.

 City staff have collaborated extensively with Regional staff to:

• address issues of Regional and Provincial conformity, 
• respond to Provincial policy updates occurring post-plan adoption, 
• identify opportunities to enhance structure and readability and 
• incorporate housekeeping changes. 

City staff have also requested that the Region consider the modifications endorsed by City Council through the Scoped Re-examination of the adopted Official Plan in its decision.

As the Region's delegated representative, Halton’s Chief Planning Official has prepared a draft Notice of Decision, which includes modifications to the City’s adopted Official Plan. The Halton Region draft Notice of Decision and the accompanying City staff report  are now available on the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility agenda. 

On Thursday, Nov 26, 2020, City Council will decide if they will endorse the Regional modifications to the adopted Burlington Official Plan. 

Modifications to the adopted Burlington Official Plan fall into the categories of Regional Conformity, Provincial Conformity, Clarity and Consistency, City-Initiated Scoped Re-Examination of the Official Plan, Official Plan Amendments, and Housekeeping. For a description of the categories of the proposed modifications please refer to Staff Report PL-22-20 and the draft Notice of Decision attached as Appendix A to PL-22-20.

With the proposed modifications described in the draft Notice of Decision, Halton Region is of the opinion that the City of Burlington New Official Plan conforms to, or does not conflict with, the Regional Official Plan, is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement 2020, and conforms to, or does not conflict with, the applicable Provincial Plans and policies.

Burlington City Council endorsed the modifications to the adopted Official Plan at the Council meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The Official plan will now go to Halton Region for final approval.

On Sept. 30, 2020, staff presented their recommendations for consideration at a public meeting of the Community Planning, Regulation, and Mobility Committee of Council.

The recommendations were described in two reports:

• Report PL-16-20 recommended new policies and mapping for the Downtown. The policies and mapping recognize the distinct character, needs, functions, and opportunities of various different areas within the Downtown, and identify how the City intends to achieve its objectives for each of those areas and for the Downtown as a whole.
• Report PL-18-20 recommended modifications to the adopted policies for Neighbourhood Centres, Mixed Use Nodes, and Intensification Corridors. The modifications were refinements for the purpose of clarifying the policies.

On Sept. 30, Committee made 10 amendments to staff’s recommendations for Downtown (PL-16-20). A memo from staff, dated Oct. 7, 2020, explains how Committee’s amendments were incorporated into the policies.

The recommendations of report PL-16-20, as amended, and report PL-18-20, were endorsed by Committee on Sept. 30 and by City Council on Oct. 7. Council has directed staff to submit the endorsed policy modifications to Halton Region for inclusion in the Region’s approval of the adopted Official Plan.

Follow-up on Sept. 16: Virtual Open House

Thank you to those of you who joined the virtual Open House on Sept. 16, 2020. We hope it was a helpful resource to answer your questions about the recommended modifications to the adopted Official Plan for Downtown and Neighbourhood Centres.

If you missed the virtual Open House, you can view a video recording and transcript at Get Involved Burlington.

During the meeting, staff said they would follow up with more information about two questions that were asked:

1. Regarding Bird-Friendly Design Guidelines: the City will be working on Bird-Friendly Design Guidelines in 2021.
2. Regarding the number of new residential units and jobs expected in Downtown during the time covered by the Official Plan: for more information, refer to section 3.6 of SGL’s October 2019 report, “Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown: Themes, Principles, and Land Use Concepts” page 35.

Minor Changes to Technical Reports

The City has made minor changes to some of the technical reports released on June 8, 2020. The changes were made to respond to comments made by Halton Region and Conservation Halton. They are explained in a memo  included in the meeting package for the Sept. 30, 2020 meeting of Community Planning, Regulation, and Mobility Committee. The revised reports were included in the meeting package for the Oct. 7, 2020 special meeting of Council.

Release of Submissions

Staff summarized and responded to comments that were received between March 20, 2020 and Sept. 4, 2020 in Appendix 21-A of report PL-16-20, “Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown: Recommended Modifications to the Adopted Official Plan”.

Here is a link to the full submissions:

• Submissions  received between March 20, 2020 and Sept. 4, 2020

Official Plan – Next Steps

The City will send the Council-endorsed policies and mapping to Halton Region to be included in the adopted Official Plan that the Region is reviewing.

Halton Region is the approval authority who will make a decision to approve the City’s new Official Plan.

The Region will provide a draft decision for City Council to consider before the Region makes a final decision on the City’s adopted Official Plan. The Region’s draft decision is expected later this year.

After Halton Region makes a final decision to approve the City’s new Official Plan, parts of the Official Plan can be appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).

The City will share updates about the Region’s approval process on the New Official Plan website at burlington.ca/newop and the “Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown” project webpage at getinvolvedburlington.ca/official-plan-2019.

Design Guidelines – Next Steps

In August 2020, City staff released a first draft of the new Downtown Burlington Placemaking and Urban Design Guidelines, which will help to implement the Official Plan policies for Downtown. The City will continue to seek public feedback on the draft guidelines before presenting the final guidelines to City Council for approval.

The City will share updates about how you can get involved with the Downtown Burlington Placemaking and Urban Design Guidelines at www.getinvolvedburlington.ca/official-plan-2019.

The “Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown” (Scoped Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan) project team has released recommended modifications to the downtown policies in the Adopted Official Plan. These policies will guide development in downtown Burlington to the year 2031. The recommended modifications and associated reports are linked below.

The recommended modifications are discussed in staff report PL-16-20 and in Appendix 1 of PL-16-20, SGL Planning & Design Final Report.

• Staff report PL-16-20 – Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown: Recommended Modifications to the Adopted Official Plan
• PL-16-20 Appendix 1: SGL Planning & Design Final Report, June 2020

The Official Plan recommended modifications themselves are contained in Appendices 2, 3, and 4 of report PL-16-20.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 2: SGL Planning & Design Recommended Policy Modifications to the adopted Official Plan, June 2020
• PL-16-20 Appendix 3: Recommended modified Schedules to the adopted Official Plan
• PL-16-20 Appendix 4: Recommended modifications to policies in other parts of the adopted Official Plan

Appendices 5-14 of report PL-16-20 contain technical studies that have been completed in support of the Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 5: Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment:  Revised Report (Prepared by ASI, Feb 19, 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 6: Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment:  Built Heritage Resources and Cultural Heritage Landscapes Downtown Mobility Hub Study Area (Prepared by ASI, May 2019, revised September 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 7: Downtown Burlington Mobility Hub Market Analysis (prepared by N. Barry Lyons and Associates, August 2017)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 8: Downtown Burlington Mobility Hub – Illustrative Economic Analysis (prepared by N. Barry Lyons and Associates, July 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 9: Scoped Environmental Impact Study Downtown Mobility Hub (Prepared by Dillon Consulting, October 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(A-1): Flood Hazard and Scoped Stormwater Management Assessment (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions Wood, June 1, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(A-2): Flood Hazard and Scoped Stormwater Management Assessment – Drawings (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions Wood, June 1, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(B-1): Hager-Rambo Flood Control Facilities Study Report:  Downtown and Burlington GO Mobility Hub (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, May 29, 2020))
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(B-2): Appendices to Hager-Rambo Flood Control Facilities Study Report: Appendices (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, May 29, 2020))
• PL-16-20 Appendix 10(B-3): Hager-Rambo Flood Control Facilities Study Report:  Drawings (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, May 29, 2020))
• PL-16-20 Appendix 11: Downtown Burlington Traffic Overview (Prepared by CIMA+, October 2019)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 12: Downtown Burlington Micro-Level Traffic Operations:  Review of the preferred Land Use Scenario (Prepared by CIMA+, May 1, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 13: Updated Area Servicing Plan (ASP) for Stormwater, Water and Wastewater: Downtown Burlington (Prepared by Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, May 28, 2020)
• PL-16-20 Appendix 14: Fiscal Impact Analysis (Prepared by Watson & Associates Economists Ltd and shared in August 2020)

Appendix 15 of report PL-16-20 contains draft Downtown Burlington Placemaking and Urban Design Guidelines, prepared by SGL Planning & Design and released in August 2020.

Appendices 16-19 contain information about public engagement that informed the recommended modifications to the adopted Official Plan. This includes responses to feedback received.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 16: Responses to Submissions Received in 2017-2018
• PL-16-20 Appendix 17: Responses to Submissions Received December 6, 2019 to March 19, 2020
• PL-16-20 Appendix 18: Engagement Summary
• PL-16-20 Appendix 19: Communications and Social Media Data

Appendix 20 contains updates on other City projects, as of May 2020. This appendix may be further updated in September 2020.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 20: Updates on Other Initiatives and General Timeframes (May 2020)

Appendix 21 of report PL-16-20 contains a project update that was released on September 10, 2020. This appendix includes an update on how the project has evolved over the summer of 2020, a summary of comments received and staff responses to those comments, and some revisions to the Official Plan modifications that were recommended in June 2020 through Appendices 2 and 3.

• PL-16-20 Appendix 21: Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown: Project Update and Responses to Submission (September, 2020)
  

On Jan. 27, 2020, City Council endorsed the land use vision and built form concept that had been put forward in report PL-02-20, subject to a few elements of the concept that Council directed staff to further consider between now and April 2020.

• View the minutes or watch a video from the Jan. 27 City Council meeting
• Read report PL-02-20, including the endorsed concept for downtown

On Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, at 1 p.m. (reconvened at 6:30 p.m.), discussion about the re-examination of the downtown policies in the adopted Official Plan continued at a meeting of Burlington City Council’s Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee meeting.

At the meeting, City staff presented a single recommended land use vision and concept for the future built form of downtown Burlington [Report PL-02-20). The recommendation is based on the evaluation of two preliminary concepts presented for public feedback in fall 2019, which was informed by several inputs including public feedback, technical studies, and an understanding of existing and approved development in the downtown.

View a copy of report PL-02-20, containing the recommendation

Details about the preliminary preferred concept, including maps and diagrams, can be found in Appendix A of the report.

A feedback report documenting what was heard during the October to December public engagement is contained in Appendix E

As part of the project, the following technical studies have been completed to date:

Archaeological Assessment

Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment

Market Analysis

Illustrative Economic Analysis Memo

Traffic Overview

Environmental Impact Study

Flood Study Report

Flood Study Drawings

Area Servicing Plan

Please note: Further review of these studies is anticipated by other agencies, such as Halton Region and Conservation Halton. The completed studies will be shared with City Council in Spring 2020 as part of the final report.

In the fall of 2019, more public engagement opportunities were held to gather the public's input on two concepts of what the downtown could look like, including:

• Actions Labs held on Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Nov. 2 at 1 p.m.
• A walking tour of downtown Burlington on Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m.
• Drop-in sessions at City Hall to review the concepts, on Nov. 8, 12 and 15
• An online survey, open from Nov. 1 to 19
• A presentation at the Dec. 5 Planning and Development Committee meeting, with delegations from the public. View report PB-89-19

A report explaining how the vision, precincts, and two concepts were created was also released in the fall.

• Two Action Labs held on Aug. 22, where participants worked in small groups to discuss and identify what is most important to them about downtown Burlington. The feedback gathered was used to inform the creation of two concepts of what the downtown could look like in the future.
• An online survey and pop-up events across the city were also held to gather public input.

A community engagement plan was also shared in August.

View the feedback report summarizing what was heard through the August and September engagement.

On Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 10 a.m. a Committee of the Whole workshop was held to assist in the creation of a community engagement plan for the re-examination of the adopted Official Plan. This educational workshop for Council was open to the public, however no delegations were heard.

With the area of downtown policies identified, City staff presented report PB-47-19, Work Plan for the Scoped Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan, to Burlington City Council at the May 21 meeting of the Planning and Development Committee. The report identified details of the work and timing that needs to take place to bring modified policies back to Burlington City Council for approval by March 2020.

Report PB-47-19 was approved by Burlington City Council at its meeting on May 27, 2019.

On Monday, March 18, 2019, City staff and members of Burlington City Council discussed the scope of the work for further study at a Committee of the Whole workshop. 

Through the discussion, it was identified that while Council supports many of the policies in the adopted Official Plan, an area that requires targeted reconsideration is the Downtown Precinct Plan.

View the webcast

On Feb. 7, 2019, Burlington City Council voted to re-examine the policies in Burlington's Official Plan, adopted in April 2018.

View a copy of the adopted Official Plan

The motion, approved by Council, directs Burlington’s Director of City Building to immediately commence a process to re-examine the policies of the Official Plan adopted April 26, 2018 in their entirety related to matters of height and intensity and conformity with provincial density targets.

Read the media release

View the approved motion

Dec. 4, 2018

On Dec. 4, 2018, the City of Burlington received notice from Halton Region regarding the city’s Official Plan. The notice advised that the city’s adopted Official Plan does not conform with the Regional Official Plan in a number of respects related to policies and mapping, and among others, in the areas of:

• proposed employment land conversions and permitted uses within the employment areas and lands;
• the identification of and permitted uses within agricultural lands;
• the identification of and permitted uses within the Natural Heritage System; and
• transportation matters, including road classifications.

Ongoing work will continue between the city and Region which will result in a draft notice of decision containing modifications to the city’s Official Plan. These modifications will be shared with the city and brought forward to City Council for consideration.

View cover letter from Halton Region

View notice from Halton Region

Read the media release: Update on the Region of Halton's review of the city's Official Plan, Dec. 7, 2018

Development applications that are submitted before Regional approval will continue to be processed under the current in force and effect Official Plan (1994, as amended), but during the review of the application, the new Official Plan will inform land-use decisions, and staff will encourage applicants to consider the objectives and policies of the adopted new Official Plan.

Once the plan is approved by Halton Region it may be appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.

Revisions to policies in the new Official Plan, as directed by Council at the Planning and Development Committee meeting on April 24, 25 and 26, were incorporated into the Official Plan that was sent to Halton Region for approval.

View a copy of the adopted Official Plan

A copy of Burlington's Official Plan, adopted on April 26, 2018, can be downloaded here. (Please note: this version contains the most recent revisions requested by Burlington City Council at the adoption meeting on April 26, 2018)

• Individual chapters of the proposed new Official Plan (April 2018) are available for download here.

A summary of the motions passed by Council related to the Official Plan recommended for adoption can be downloaded here:

• Table 1: OP-Related Councillor-Initiated Council Motions
• Table 2: OP-Related Staff-initiated Council Motions
• Table 3: Non-OP Related Council Motions

Please visit the Staff Reports and Studies pages for more background on the new Official Plan.

A fourth version of the proposed new Official Plan, Burlington's Official Plan (April 2018) was released on March 28, 2018, for adoption.

View a copy here.

• Individual chapters of the proposed new Official Plan (April 2018), can be downloaded here.

A document that compares the proposed new Official Plan (February 2018) and Burlington's Official Plan (April 2018) in tracked changes can be downloaded here:

• Tracked Changes [10 MB] 

Please visit the Staff Reports and Studies pages for more background on the new Official Plan.

On July 1, 2017, the Province of Ontario approved a revised Provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), which outlines policies for planning and managing growth in the GGH to the year 2041, and includes the City of Burlington.

The revised Growth Plan policies recognize the importance of both a Natural Heritage System and an Agricultural System to the GGH. The protection of these resources is vitally important to the Growth Plan's long-term vision for the GGH.

Natural Heritage System
The revised Growth Plan states the Province will map a Natural Heritage System for the GGH to support a comprehensive, integrated, and long-term approach to planning for the protection of the GGH's natural heritage and biodiversity. Municipalities are required to incorporate the Natural Heritage System as an overlay in their Official Plans. They are also required to apply appropriate policies to maintain, restore, or enhance the diversity and connectivity of the system and the long-term ecological or hydrologic functions of these features and areas.

Agricultural System
The revised Growth Plan also states the Province will identify an Agricultural System for the GGH. Prime agricultural areas, including specialty crop areas, are to be designated in official plans in accordance with mapping identified by the Province and these areas must be protected for long-term use for agriculture in municipal Official Plans.

Feb. 9, 2018
On February 9, 2018, the Province announced the release of the final mapping for both the Natural Heritage System and the Agricultural System for the GGH to support the Growth Plan. It is now in full force and effect, as of the date of its release. It therefore applies in the consideration of all planning matters, including development applications, within municipalities in the GGH, including the City of Burlington.

The City of Burlington has incorporated the Provincial Natural Heritage System and Agricultural System mapping as released by the Province into the mapping of the new Official Plan as adopted by Council, in order to conform to the Provincial Growth Plan. The mapping does not impact the Urban Area of Burlington.

Refinements to the provincial mapping
In implementing the Natural Heritage System and Agricultural System, the Province permits municipalities to refine provincial mapping with greater precision in a manner that is consistent with the Growth Plan. However, this is only permitted as part of a "municipal comprehensive review," which is a new official plan or an official plan amendment initiated by the upper-tier or single-tier municipality, in this case Halton Region, that comprehensively applies the policies and Schedules of the Growth Plan.

The refinement of the Natural Heritage System and Agricultural System mapping will be undertaken on a Regional basis as part of Halton Region's next Regional Official Plan Review. The city cannot make refinements to the mapping in the Burlington Official Plan until the Region completes its municipal comprehensive review through its Official Plan Review process.

A third version of the proposed new Official Plan (February 2018) was released on Feb. 7, 2018. It contained  revisions that were made as a result of feedback the city received at the Nov. 30, 2017 statutory public meeting, the Jan. 23 and 24, 2018 public meeting, and through written submissions.

View a copy of the Official Plan (February 2018) [31 MB]

• Individual chapters of the proposed new Official Plan (February 2018) are available for download here.

A document that summarizes feedback received on the draft new Official Plan, and staff's response to that feedback can be downloaded here:

• Agency, Public and Stakeholder Feedback [890 KB]

A document that compares the proposed new Official Plan (November 2017) and the proposed new Official Plan (February 2018) in tracked changes can be downloaded here:

Tracked Changes [9.2 MB]

A second version of Burlington's proposed new Official Plan (November 2017) was released on Nov. 9, 2017. It contained revisions 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.

View a copy of the Official Plan (November 2017) [31 MB]

• Individual chapters of the proposed new Official Plan (November 2017) are available for download here.

Tables have been prepared that summarize all feedback received on the draft new Official Plan, and staff's response to that feedback. The tables can be downloaded here:

• Agency Feedback [1.6 MB]
• Public Feedback [590 KB]
• Stakeholder Feedback [3 MB]

A document that compares the draft new Official Plan (April 2017) and the proposed new Official Plan (November 2017) in tracked changes can be downloaded here:

Through the engagement and consultation process, the city received over 1,000 surveys, over 100 written submissions and collected information at a variety of different events. A summary of public consultation and engagement can be found in staff report PB-47-17.

The top highlights of the new Official Plan included:

1. Updates the community vision and guiding principles to align with the 2016 Strategic Plan;
2. Reaffirms the commitment to maintain a firm urban boundary;
3. Introduces a new Urban Structure and Growth Framework to direct growth to the right parts of the city, and to prioritize growth around our Mobility Hubs. Mobility Hubs include the downtown and the lands within a short walking distance of our three GO Stations;
4. Protects established residential neighbourhoods by directing growth to other areas of the city;
5. Highlights the importance of employment by supporting the retention of employment lands, supporting innovation and supporting employment intensification;
6. Improves integration of land use and transportation planning, and introduces Frequent Transit Corridors to service Burlington's growth areas;
7. Updates policies and land use designations to better support mixed use development in our intensification areas;
8. Puts a strong emphasis on design excellence and great public spaces;
9. Includes direction to protect and strengthen our rural area, by supporting the viability of farming through an agriculture system, and the protection and enhancement of the natural environment;
10. Introduces a city-wide Natural Heritage System, and improved policies to support environmental sustainability;
11. Emphasizes the important role of public participation, and includes updates to other implementation matters; and
12. Includes new policies for the Downtown.

View a copy of the Official Plan (April 2017) [32MB]

• Individual chapters of the draft new Official Plan (April 2017) are available for download here.