Completed Studies
Mount Nemo Plateau Heritage Conservation District Study
The City of Burlington reviewed the Mount Nemo Plateau cultural heritage landscape through a Preliminary Study in 2014, and began a Heritage Conservation District Study in 2015. While the City remains committed to protecting the special character of rural Burlington, the City did not complete the Heritage Conservation District Study. Instead, policies to address the Mount Nemo cultural heritage landscape will be included in the new Official Plan.
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Background - Preliminary Study As part of the city's Official Plan Review/New Official Plan process and as directed by City Council, the city commissioned a Preliminary Study of the Heritage Character of the Mount Nemo Plateau. The study was completed by a heritage consultant and presented by staff to the Development and Infrastructure Committee on January 13, 2014 (Staff Report: PB-07-14). The work of the consultant identified that the Mount Nemo Plateau possesses heritage character worthy of recognition as a cultural heritage landscape through further study and possible designation as a Heritage Conservation District. Staff recommended that decisions on whether or not to pursue a Heritage Conservation District study not occur until after public consultation. After this process, public consultation was conducted and, subsequently, staff recommended that a study proceed and provided Council with a terms of reference for the Heritage Conservation District (Staff Report: PB-38-14 - Official Plan Review: Mount Nemo Public Consultation and Next Steps). |
Character Area Study
In February 2013, the City retained Brook McIlroy to complete a Character Areas Study (completed in August 2014) aimed to identify and define the character of the Roseland and Indian Point neighbourhoods. The study involved collaboration with residents and stakeholders to develop tools to manage neighbourhood character issues and resulted in community design recommendations for consideration as part of the New Official Plan.
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December 2016 Report PB-80-16 Character Studies and Low Density Residential Areas - Statutory Public Meeting was presented to the Development and Infrastructure Committe on Dec. 13, 2016. Council approved the amendment to the Official Plan as contained in Appendix A and the amendment to the Zoning By-law as contained in Appendix B of report PB-80-16.
September 2016 Report PB-70-16 Character Area Studies and Site Plan Approval for Low Density Residential Areas was presented to the Community and Corporate Services Committee on Sept. 12, 2016. Council supported the staff recommendations from report PB-70-16 subject to further public consultation. Staff held drop-in open house meetings on:
The boards used at the open house meetings can be found here (PDF)
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Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints
Completed in May 2014, this study identified and addressed opportunities and constraints related to Burlington's mobility hubs (Burlington GO station area and the Downtown Urban Growth Centre) and major transit station areas (Aldershot and Appleby GO station areas). Staff are reviewing the study findings and recommendations, and developing policy directions for the Official Plan. This work will result in policies which will incorporate the mobility hubs concept and guide future detailed studies in these areas as part of the Official Plan.
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June 2014 Council Workshop on Mobility Hubs The discussion with Council, staff internal review, and consultation with the public, agencies, stakeholders and interdepartmental review in the coming months will inform the development of draft mobility hub policy directions for the Official Plan (targeted for early 2015).
Details Note: Outlook invitation extends beyond the time frame of the session. Once regular Development and Infrastructure Committee Meeting business is completed, Committee/Council will move from Council Chambers to Room 247 for the Workshop. No delegations will be registered and only staff directions and motions to receive and file will be permitted. Please refer to these material provided in advance of the discussion: Briefing Note: Council Workshop on Mobility Hubs - Mobility Hubs Briefing May 2014 Official Plan Review: Transmittal of Final Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints Study Planning Staff has prepared a report titled Official Plan Review: Transmittal of Final Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints Study (PB-54-14). The report is now available and was considered by the Development and Infrastructure Committee on Monday, May 26, 2014 at 1 p.m., Council Chambers, second level, Burlington City Hall. See the agenda and staff report with appendices. To view the Final Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints Study prepared by Brook McIlroy, dated May 2014, please see Appendix A. February 2014 Second Public Session for the Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints Study Thank you for your interest in the Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints Study. The Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints event held on Wednesday February 12 provided a great opportunity to connect and talk about the future role and vision for these important areas of the City. There was a lot of information to take in so please find the evening's presentation, workshop boards, implementation strategy board and a digital version of the comment sheet below. Please submit your comments by Feb. 28. Workshop Boards: January 2014 Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints Study Burlington is growing in place, that means growing within our urban limits. To grow in a sustainable way the City of Burlington must make strategic decisions about growth and development and use our land and infrastructure efficiently. One way to do that is to focus growth in key parts of the city. The Big Move, the province's transportation plan outlines a common vision for transforming transportation in the GTAH. Part of that vision requires the city to determine the role and vision for regional transit nodes called mobility hubs. Mobility Hubs are more than just a transit station. They are places of connectivity where different modes of transportation - from walking to commuter rail - come together seamlessly and where there is an intensive concentration of place to live, work, shop and play. They serve as a place to wait for and connect with transit whether you are walking, cycling, taking transit or driving. Successful mobility hubs have the potential to become vibrant places of activity over time. The City of Burlington as part of the Official Plan Review is doing a mobility hub opportunities and constraints study. The purpose of this study is to set a high level vision and guiding design principles for the city's two mobility hubs (Burlington GO and Downtown Burlington) and the two major transit station areas (Appleby GO and Aldershot GO), as well as the corridors that connect them. On September 10th the City held the first public session (workshop presentation) to collect comments and insights from the public related to the Mobility Hubs Opportunities and Constraints Study. The summary of the session can be found here. Please review and please let us know if we captured your thoughts on the Vision for these key parts of the City. SAVE THE DATE September 2013 Vision Workshop On Sept. 10, 2013 a public visioning session was held at the Burlington Arts Centre. If you were unable to attend the meeting or are interested in providing further feedback please follow the links below: Please check back to this site for a summary of the event and to learn about future events. August 2013 For general mapping of the study areas click on the various links below: January 2013 The City has retained Brook McIlroy to complete a comprehensive study to identify and address the opportunities and constraints related to Burlington's Mobility Hubs and Major Transit Station Areas. The study will focus on the provincially identified Mobility Hubs in Burlington (Downtown Burlington and the Burlington GO Station) as well as the other two other Major Transit Station Areas in the City (Aldershot GO and Appleby GO) and will also consider opportunities to capitalize on existing connections and identify new connections among these major transit nodes. |
Employment Lands Study, Part One
The Employment Lands Study involved updating the city's inventory of employment lands and comparing that supply to forecasted demand. Completed June 2011, this study concluded the city should complete a policy review as a phase two of the Employment Lands Study. That work is underway.
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October 2010 - June 2011 In July 2010 City Council directed staff to undertake a comprehensive study of the City's employment area as the initial study of the Official Plan review. The study Terms of Reference identified the following key components:
A Metropolitan Knowledge International (MKI) and MMM Group were retained by the City to complete the study. The study involved a detail parcel by parcel review of the land supply. Demand was calculated based on a recognized methodology. Stakeholders from the business and real estate community were consulted. The study's key finding included:
The study concluded that the City should complete a policy review as a Phase 2 of the Employment Lands Study. That work is now underway. Staff Report, June 2011 First Phase Report, June 2011 |
Employment Lands Study, Phase Two
The findings of the Employment Lands Study (completed in June 2011) identified the need to initiate a further phase of the study. Phase Two of the study (completed in March 2014) considered the existing vacant employment land inventory, reviewed current policy and recommended policy directions for employment lands in the city.
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December 2011 The findings of the Employment Lands Study identified the need to initiate a further phase of the Completion of a parcel by parcel review of the city's vacant employment land inventory to assess the characteristics of the parcels relative to the forecasted demand. In the content of the review, the consultant will:
The complete Terms of Reference are available as part of the Request for Proposal. Dillon Consulting Limited has been retained by the City to undertake this study. Through the Phase 2 work the scope of the project evolved to include a servicing assessment related to the ability to develop those vacant employment lands identified in the Employment Lands Study. Employment Lands Study Phase 2 Draft Report and Draft Employment Land Conversion Policies Dillon Consulting Limited have completed a draft report outlining the opportunities and issues for developing employment lands and the recommended policy directions for employment land planning in the City of Burlington. The staff transmittal report and the Consultants report can be accessed in the Official Plan Review "Resources" section under Staff Reports. In early 2013 staff also presented draft employment land conversion policies which built on the existing policies of the Official Plan. The staff report and the draft policies can be accessed in the Official Plan Review "Resources" section under Staff Reports. Both the 'Employment Lands Study Phase 2 Draft Report' and the draft employment land conversion policies will be the subject of targeted stakeholder engagement. March 2013 Employment Lands Study Draft Phase 2 Report - targeted Stakeholder Session On March 19, 2013 the City hosted a meeting to share the findings of the Employment Lands Study Draft Phase 2 Report. Representatives from Dillon Consulting Ltd., and Watson and Associates presented the context, study findings and recommendations from the Employment Lands Study Draft Phase 2 Report. The presentation is posted here for your reference. The agenda included time for general questions of clarification as well as an opportunity for group discussion of 4 discussion questions. Please review the Agenda and Comment Form which offers details on the session and presents the discussion questions posed to the group. The discussion from the session will be compiled and considered as part of the Official Plan Review. Please review the presentation, the draft report and the draft conversion policies and share any comments, concerns or questions with the contact below. April 2014 Planning staff has prepared a report titled Official Plan Review: Transmittal of Final Phase 2 Employment Lands Study (PB-17-14). The report is now available and was considered by the Development and Infrastructure Committee on Monday, March 24, 2014. Click here to access the staff report and its appendices or view the D&I agenda for March 24th here (see item 9). You can access and review the Final Phase 2 Employment Lands Study prepared by Dillon Consultants and Watson & Associates, dated February 28, 2014 here. May 2014 Council Workshop on Employment Lands On May 6, a Council Workshop will be held to discuss the City's Employment Lands Study. This multi-phased study was undertaken to help the City of Burlington develop a new long-term employment lands strategy. The Final Phase 2 Employment Lands Study, a component of the Official Plan Review, will be the focus of discussion with Council on May 6.
Please refer to these material provided in advance of the discussion:
2018 Update An update memo titled "Update to Phase 2 Employment Lands Analysis" was prepared to determine whether the key findings, conclusions and recommendations of the Phase 2 Employment Lands Study remain valid. The analysis reviewed updated supply, demand and market trends identified in the Phase 2 Employment Lands Study (2014). |
Commercial Study
The Commercial Strategy Study (completed in March 2014) assessed market supply and demand to the year 2031, and recommended policy and design options for ensuring commercial land uses support the success of existing neighbourhoods and transition towards more compact and complete communities. These recommendations will inform the city's new Official Plan.
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May 2015 - Accessory Drive-Through Stakeholder Meeting #2On May 7th, 2015 a stakeholder meeting was held with drive-through developers, businesses and industry representatives in order to:
Minutes from this meeting and a copy of City staff's presentation are now available. Questions or comments regarding the City's review of Accessory Drive-Throughs can be directed to Phillip Caldwell, Planner - Policy, at 905-335-7600 ext 7536 or phil.caldwell@burlington.ca February 2015 Official Plan Review: Report recommending endorsement of Official Plan Review: Proposed Commercial Lands Policy Directions. On February 9, 2015, Committee endorsed report PB-09-15, however, Council referred the report back to staff on February 23, 2015 and a staff direction was issued to address one of the recommendations: The intent of the staff direction was to require further examination of minimum and maximum criteria for building height in new Neighbourhood Centres (e.g. commercial plazas). Given Council's interest in redeveloping the City's aging commercial plazas as expressed in the City's Strategic Plan, there was discussion at Council whether the proposed building height framework was adequate to trigger redevelopment and to transform them into mixed-use neighbourhood hubs. Official Plan Review: Report recommending endorsement of Official Plan Review: Proposed Accessory Drive-Through Facilities Policy Directions. On February 9, 2015, Committee endorsed report PB-10-15 for the purpose of developing policies to be brought forward as part of the proposed Official Plan Amendment arising out of the Official Plan Review. July 2014 Council Workshop on the Commercial Strategy Study As part of the Council Workshop, a Briefing Note on the Commercial Strategy Study was distributed. Page 2 of the document contains an error pertaining to the residual shortfall of commercial space. The correct information will be provided as part of the Workshop presentation. This presentation will be made available following the Council Workshop on the Official Plan Review website, or may be obtained by contacting Hugo Rincon at hugo.rincon@burlington.ca. The Briefing Note, under "Links to Additional Information", also now includes a link to two versions of the Phase 1: Commercial Market Supply and Demand Analysis Report (versions dated March 4, 2013, and June 10, 2013). The June 2013 version contains an amendment to Figure 3-15: Potential Future Commercial Developments on page 44, and related text amendments. Please refer to the revised Briefing Note dated July 4, 2014 here. For more information, please refer to the Council's meeting website here. July 2014 A Council Workshop has been scheduled on Monday, July 7, to discuss the final Commercial Strategy Study (March 2014). This workshop will be held as part the regular Development Infrastructure Committee Meeting. The discussion with Council, staff internal review, and consultation with the public, agencies, stakeholders and interdepartmental review in the coming months will inform the development of draft commercial lands and mixed use activity areas policy directions for the Official Plan (targeted to September 2014). As staff and/or agency representatives, you are invited to attend the Council Workshop on July 7, 2014. Purpose of the July 7 Council Workshop:
Details: Please Note: Outlook invitation extends beyond the time frame of the session. Once Development and Infrastructure Committee Meeting business is completed, Committee/Council will move from Council Chambers to Room 247 for the workshop. No delegations will be registered and only staff directions and motions to receive and file will be permitted. Please refer to these material provided in advance of the discussion: Briefing Note: Council Workshop on The Commercial Strategy Study May 2014 A meeting with the members of the Downtown Burlington Business Association Board of Management was held to discuss and receive feedback on the strategic recommendations from the Official Plan Review Commercial Strategy Study for Downtown Burlington. The meeting included a presentation by City staff, followed by a discussion of key items related to the strategic recommendations. Phase 2 and Phase 3 are now complete. As part of Burlington's Official Plan Review, the City has retained urbanMetrics and The Planning Partnership to prepare a Commercial Strategy Study to assess market supply and demand to the year 2031, and policy and design options for ensuring commercial land uses support the success of existing neighbourhoods and a transition towards more compact and complete communities. Phase 1: Data Collection & Analysis Phase One of the Commercial Strategy Study included data collection and analysis, and it is now complete. The consultants' reports were submitted to the Development and Infrastructure Committee on March 25, 2013. The reports include an analysis of the market supply and demand for commercial land uses in Burlington, existing commercial land use policies, and strategies for better integrating commercial land use planning with community planning. Key findings from Phase 1:
Phases 2 and 3: Formulating Policy & Design Recommendations Two stakeholders meetings (City-wide and Downtown) were scheduled on Sept. 12, 2013 to inform the business community on the progress of the Study and to receive feedback on the preliminary findings and strategic recommendations. The presentations from the City-wide and Downtown meetings are both available. A summary of the principal points of discussion identified by the stakeholder attendees at the two sessions is available here. Car Dealership Stakeholder Meeting
Drive-through Industry Stakeholder Meeting
In Phase 2 the consultant team developed policy recommendations that build on the background analysis and will inform the City's new Official Plan. The Phase 2: Commercial Policy Recommendations Report is intended to provide the strategic considerations and a set of policy recommendations. The study has identified several opportunities to better incorporate commercial land use planning with neighbourhood planning and urban design. These recommendations are supported by Commercial Urban Design Guidelines. Strategic Considerations for the City-wide Network of Commercial Uses:
Strategic Considerations for Downtown:
Strategic Considerations for implementation:
Urban Design Guidelines for Mixed Use Activity Areas What are commercial land uses? Commercial land uses include a broad range of retail and service shops, such as food stores, clothing stores, hair dressers, banks, restaurants, movie theatres, gyms, book stores, etc., and they vary greatly in terms of their size and function. Commercial land uses also include office spaces, but these are not included in the Commercial Strategy Study. Why are commercial land uses important? Commercial land uses are an important part of successful communities. They provide places where people can shop and access services to meet their basic daily needs, and they contribute to our local economy and municipal tax base. They are essential to a community's vitality, attractiveness and basic function. Commercial hubs can also serve as important community gathering places when they are planned and designed as people-oriented places. This has benefits for businesses - who benefit from more frequent foot traffic - and for residents - who gain a place for social interaction, entertainment, and passive recreation. Where do commercial land uses fit within our communities? Like many other suburban communities, most of our commercial land uses in Burlington are located in regional malls, big box "power centres" and community plazas, which have developed on greenfields as residential development expanded outward. Outside of the downtown, commercial nodes are segregated from neighbourhoods and employment areas, and are most conveniently accessed by car. As the City grows and the population changes, the way we use our land needs to change as well - and this includes our commercial lands. To create healthier, sustainable and attractive places that will succeed in the face of changing economic, environmental and social conditions, the City of Burlington will be developing policies to bring commercial land uses closer to where people live and work - in both new and existing communities - and to make them more pedestrian friendly. By doing so we will be creating the kinds of "mixed use" communities that market trends are showing people want, while encouraging people to replace car trips with walking, bicycling, and transit. This will create opportunities for increased physical activity, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, greater community interaction, and greater inclusiveness for those who cannot drive - especially children and seniors. This last point will become increasingly important as our population ages. How can we integrate commercial land uses within communities? A number of long-term strategies have been identified for better integrating commercial uses with the places where people live and work, and making them safer and more convenient for people travelling by foot, bike or transit. The two primary strategies involve redeveloping commercial centres with a mix of uses to bring residents in, and incrementally permitting small-scale commercial uses to develop closer to where people already live. The full list of strategies is outlined in the Commercial Policy & Design Review Background Report. These changes will happen over the long-term as opportunities for redevelopment arise. Through the Official Plan Review we need to create a policy framework that supports appropriate forms of redevelopment that will help transition our communities into mixed use people places. The policy framework must also protect the qualities that already make our communities attractive, so that they truly are enhanced as they change. We know these changes are significant. We thank you all for your participation in the online forum and for sharing your ideas about how we can best succeed in re-thinking the future of commercial land use planning in Burlington. Reports Phase 2 and Phase 3 Staff Report PB-09-14 to Development and Infrastructure Committee, Official Plan Review Commercial Strategy Study: Transmittal of Phase 2 and Phase 3 Reports, March 24, 2014 Appendix A of Report PB-09-14 - Commercial Policy Recommendations Report & Design Guidelines, March 6, 2014 Appendix B of Report PB-09-14 - Land Use Re-Designation Summary, March 6, 2014 Appendix C of Report PB-09-14 - Urban Design Guidelines for Mixed use Activity Areas, March 6, 2014
Commercial Market Supply and Demand Analysis, Feb. 21, 2013 - Revised Version Commercial Policy & Design Review Background Report, March 7, 2013 Interim Commercial Strategy Discussion paper - Downtown Burlington, Feb. 21, 2013
Staff Report PB-35-12 to the Community Development Committee, Proposed Terms of Reference for the Official Plan Review Commercial Strategy Study, April 30, 2012 |
Highway 403 and Waterdown Road
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May 2013 As part of the Official Plan Review and following a staff direction from Council, the City is reviewing the land use vision and policies for the lands north of Hwy 403 and west of Waterdown Road that are zoned H-RNA1 as identified on the map below. The City held a meeting on May 13, 2013 to discuss current issues, emerging issues and future opportunities for this area. The City will summarize the input received at the meeting; identify which matters fall within the scope of the Official Plan Review; and hold a second meeting in the Fall of 2013 to discuss potential policy changes with the residents and stakeholders in the area. The presentation from the public meeting can be found here. Summary Report A draft summary report prepared by City staff has been made available for public review and comment. The report includes a compilation of the input received and is available here. |