Mayor Ellis supports housing minister changing old fairgrounds to residential use

The proposed amendment is considered by Council to be appropriate for the following reasons:

• the development proposal is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, which requires that municipalities plan for and accommodate intensification and redevelopment to create more sustainable communities and to use land and infrastructure more efficiently, in particular in
  Settlement Areas;
• the proposed re-designation to “Residential” land use with allowance for mixed use will accommodate future population growth, which the City’s 2022 Growth Forecast revealed to be greater than previously forecasted and planned for in the As-Adopted OP;
• the proposed re-designation to “Residential” with allowance for mixed use helps address the housing crisis in Ontario by making additional lands available for residential development, and has the potential to create affordable and attainable housing units;
• the proposed “Old Fairgrounds Specific Policy Area” will include policies to address concerns for development phasing, servicing constraints, and site contamination; and,
• the proposed Official Plan Amendment is consistent with the vision and other policies in the As-Adopted OP