Newmarket eyes growth plan changes: Unintended Impacts

NRU
Oct. 5, 2016
Andrew Cohrs

Compared to many other GTHA municipalities, the Town of Newmarket has relatively few concerns about proposed changes to the provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. However, the town is concerned about how the density targets applied in neighbouring municipalities may impact development in downtown Newmarket.

Newmarket senior planner Adrian Cammaert told NRU that the town would likely be better able to meet the new targets than other GTHA municipalities.

“The vast majority of Newmarket is within the built-up area as defi ned in the Growth Plan... therefore the town would be subject to the 60 per cent intensifi cation target. This is a quite different situation than municipalities like Markham, Vaughan and East Gwillimbury that have large areas subject to the 80 people and jobs combined per hectare that is proposed in the designated greenfield areas.”

Deputy Mayor John Taylor agrees, telling NRU that while Newmarket may not have a problem meeting the new targets, neighbouring municipalities’ greenfield development could impact Newmarket’s ability to intensify downtown.

“Newmarket is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Ontario... anything that is being built now is pretty much intensification which means meeting any of these targets is not terribly onerous but we recognize that it is a very different standard to place on other places with significant amounts of greenfield development to come.”

Taylor is afraid that new targets for greenfield development in neighbouring communities could potentially take away from Newmarket’s downtown intensification and drive development outside of the core to outlying areas elsewhere in York region.

The province needs to have a mature conversation with municipalities, Taylor said, to discuss how density targets are calculated. He is concerned with the potential for unintended consequences resulting from the way the targets are calculated and the one-size-fits-all approach, worrying that it could push dense development to outer fringes of municipalities where it is not appropriate.

Friday GTHA mayors and chairs voiced similar concerns about the proposed Growth Plan amendments. Taylor described the tone of the summit, chaired by former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion, as being one of optimism. Participants voiced shared concerns and were hopeful that the province would consider their comments.

While Taylor approves of the province’s general policy direction, some details are causing staff concern.

“The overall vision of the province to increase density, to drive transit-oriented development, to make sure there is signifi cant intensifi cation within the built boundary, I believe that is supported by council.”

While the density target remains unchanged for the Newmarket urban growth centre, an October 3 staff report to council outlining comments on the proposed Growth Plan amendments raises concerns with the provincial one-size fits-all approach, saying it may not be effective. It questions whether the density targets in and around Major Transit Station Areas are appropriate given the surrounding context of each station.

“This is important to us as we have numerous such stations in the form of Viva Rapidway stations and GO Train stations, both existing and planned,” said Cammaert.

Staff have asked the province for clarification of these targets, remarking that it seems inconsistent that the minimum density target for bus rapid transit stations would exceed that of GO train stations. Staff also requested the province to reexamine the designated greenfield density target of 80 people and jobs combines per hectare and to provide greater levels of autonomy and flexibility to municipalities to enable them to reflect their individual circumstances.

The deadline for comments on the proposed amendments to the Growth Plan, Greenbelt Plan, Niagara Escarpment Plan and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan is October 31.