Halton Hills plans for 2031 - Georgetown set to grow

NRU
April 13, 2015
By Leah Wong

Halton Hills is preparing for its next phase of growth with a new community, which is being planned through the Vision Georgetown initiative. While residents have been consulted on three preliminary concepts for the area, staff has asked council to approve a revised work program which includes greater specificity about retail uses, transportation and the natural heritage system.

Town of Halton Hills planning policy manager Steve Burke told NRU that while many of these decisions typically would be addressed later in the planning process staff wants to provide more certainty about what will happen in the 1,000-acre study area.

“Post-Growth Plan we’ve recognized there are growth constraints on the land budget,” said Burke. “We’ve got a whole range of uses we have to accommodate and there are a bunch of pieces that we need as much certainty on [as possible] before we get to a preferred elements plan.”

The new community being planned through Vision Georgetown is integral to Halton Hills’ plans to accommodate its projected population growth to 2031. The community, which is bounded by Trafalgar Road, Eighth Line, 15th Sideroad and 10th Sideroad, is expected to accommodate a future population of at least 19,000 people and 1,700 jobs and comprise single-and semi-detached houses, townhouses and apartments.

The five-phase project began in April 2013 with a community engagement strategy, project charter and detailed work plan. It will conclude with a secondary plan being presented to council for approval.

Phase two, which is currently underway, will end with the presentation of a preferred elements plan to council. The additional work being proposed will ensure the general layout of key elements includes the amount and location of key commercial lands, the collector road network and the natural heritage system.

“We’re trying to get as much certainty in this phase of the process, while recognizing that there are still opportunities for refinement based on new information and public input,” said Burke. Staff recommended the town retain its consultant team-Meridian Planning Consultants, Planning Alliance, AECOM, Beacon and Scott Morgan and Associates-to complete the additional work.

Ward 2 councillor and Vision Georgetown steering committee chair Moya Johnson told NRU she agrees with staff that there is a need to get more information to ensure council makes the right decisions about the community and what services are needed for the growing population.

“We want to make sure we do this right,” said Johnson. “In looking at how we’ve grown in the past it’s been recognized that maybe it wasn’t as ideal as it could have been in making sure the people that moved into the new areas had amenities early on in their residency.”

She said in some of the newer developments in town, residential development has been finished long before amenities such as shopping, parks and schools were added. By avoiding these problems Johnson said it could reduce the number of car trips people make for shopping or school drop-offs.

Among the additional work being considered is an update of the town’s 2010 Retail Market Demand Study, which was completed by Scott Morgan and Associates. Burke said the consultants have been asked to consider the impacts of online shopping, the Toronto Premium Outlet Mall and major retail closures including Target and Future Shop.

“With all of these emerging trends we thought it was worthwhile to re-evaluate the 2010 study,” said Burke. In recent years Johnson said it has become common for residents to travel to other municipalities, such as Mississauga or Milton, for shopping. In future she said the town will have to decide whether it should just accept that a certain amount of commercial dollars will go out of town or it should determine how much commercial space needs to be added to keep more people shopping in town.

The study team also will consider the road connections in the community including the key intersection locations on the perimeter of the study area and whether to extent Argyll Road through the new community. While staff has identified this as a desired connection, the feasibility has to be considered from an intersection design and environmental standpoint.

There are a few environmental issues that need to be worked out on the site as well. The town is awaiting comments from the conservation authorities and the landowner group on a final draft of the subwatershed study. This includes the proposed natural heritage system. Located in the southwest portion of the study area, the large floodplain also requires additional technical work by the landowners’ engineering firm.

Council considered the revised work plan and additional funding at its meeting last night. The meeting concluded following the publication of NRU.