Town endorses new Official Plan to guide Town growth and development

Key changes include include policies to promote and prioritize the provision of affordable housing

Newmarkettoday.ca
Jan. 15, 2023

Aurora Town Council adopted the Official Plan following extensive review and public consultation over the last four years.

The Official Plan is a document outlining policies about how land in a municipality will be used. It's the overarching plan that helps manage how a town grows and develops, guiding the location and type of housing, industry, offices and shops, as well as the infrastructure needed to support a growing town- including streets, parks, transit, schools and recreational facilities.

“The updated Official Plan does an excellent job of capturing the vision of council and the public- balancing growth with our collective desire to maintain small town charm,” says Mayor Tom Mrakas. “The amendment puts in policies that current and previous terms of Council wanted to see, such as complete streets and heritage landscapes and how we can protect them. This plan is a testament to our collective vision for a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable future, creating opportunities with a diverse housing stock that adds affordability and attainable units to ensure that more people current and future can live and thrive in the remarkable community that is Aurora.”

Over the next 30 years Aurora will continue to grow and change. It is expected that in 30 years an additional 23,100 people will move to our town and call Aurora home. Over that same time period, an additional 10,600 jobs will be created for people to work in Aurora. In total, by 2051 it is predicted that Aurora will grow to a population of 85,800 and have a job market with more than 41,600 jobs.

Some of the key changes and enhancements in the Plan include:

• Policies to promote and prioritize the provision of affordable housing
• Directs growth to newly characterized strategic growth areas
• Focus on gentle intensification within existing residential neighbourhoods
• Policies for climate change resilience, natural heritage protection and cultural heritage preservation
• Prioritization of active transportation including improvement of sidewalks and cycling infrastructure

 

The adopted plan is now pending final approval by Regional Municipality of York.