Ministry approves Vaughan's flood prevention initiative for downtown core

Flood prevention initiative known as the Black Creek Renewal EA study

Yorkregion.com
August 26, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Vaughan announced Tuesday, Aug. 20, that the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has approved its flood prevention initiative at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.

VMC is a much-coveted downtown core that’s expected to reach targets of 12,000 residential units, 1.5 million square feet of commercial office space and 750,000 square feet of new retail space by 2031.

This new flood prevention initiative is known as the Black Creek Renewal Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Project (Black Creek Renewal Class EA Study).

"The new Black Creek corridor will be a defining feature of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and will represent another transformational milestone for our thriving, dynamic and emerging downtown,” Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said in a statement.

 “We are taking an innovative approach to flood control and mitigation, while delivering on our commitment to position Vaughan as a leader in municipal sustainability,” he added.

Bevilacqua said the Black Creek corridor is to “align with our environmental goals” as outlined in the city's 2018-2022 Service Excellence Strategic Plan.

“It will also serve to attract further investment, support urban growth and establish an identity for the VMC that is uniquely Vaughan."

VMC’s employment targets are expected to reach up to 11,500 jobs, of which 5,000 will be new office jobs.