HomeMy WebLinkAboutPD-175-91 THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE
DN:OFF-PLAN.GPA
REPORT
Meeting: General Purpose and Administration Committee File #
Date: Monday, July 22 , 1991 Res. #
Report#: PD-175-91 File#: Pln 2 . 1 By-Law#
Subject: OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW
TOWN OF NEWCASTLE OFFICIAL PLAN
Recommendf�OTs respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and
Administration Committee recommend to Council the following:
1. THAT Report PD-175-91 be received for information;
2 . THAT staff be authorized to advertise for a Public Meeting
under Section 26 of the Planning Act with respect to the
review the Town of Newcastle Official Plan.
3 . THAT the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the Commissioner of
Planning for Durham Region and various citizen groups within
the Town be so advised.
1. THE NEED TO REVIEW THE TOWN'S OFFICIAL PLAN
In an earlier presentation to the General Purpose and
Administration Committee, on March 18, 1991, staff advised
Council of the need to initiate an Official Plan Review
process . Four specific reasons were identified which
necessitated such a review:
To bring the Town of Newcastle Official Plan into
conforming with revisions to the Durham Region Official
Plan.
To provide coverage for the rural areas of the
municipality.
To respond to the changing needs and values of society.
REcy
P A WD 1EC-LE
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REPORT NO. : PD-175-91 PAGE 2
To address changes in provincial policy.
These issues are discussed in further detail below.
1. 1 Conformity with Revised Durham Region Official Plan
On June 5, 1991, Regional Council adopted a new Official
Plan. The revisions to the Regional Official Plan were
significant for the Town of Newcastle. Population targets
for urban and rural areas were more than doubled from
approximately 90,000 persons to 200,000 persons . The
Regional Plan added approximately 5400 acres of new lands
for urbanization at increased densities plus another 5000
acres as Special Study Areas .
The new Regional Official Plan has also reduced the level of
detail and provided new policies and requirements for
development. The new policies were formulated to address
four basic issues :
growth and urbanization
degradation of the environment
availability of adequate and affordable housing
job creation
The Town of Newcastle Official Plan must reflect the
revisions to the Durham Region Official Plan. This includes
not only the addition of new urban lands but the revision of
policies to reflect the Regional policy framework.
1.2 Coverage for the Rural Areas of the Town
The 1976 Durham Region Official Plan was prepared with the
view that it could operate as the only Official Plan. Since
many municipalities did not have an official plan, there was
sufficient detail provided in the plan in order that
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REPORT NO. : PD-175-91 PAGE 3
development proposals could be evaluated directly against
the policies and schedules of the Plan. Indeed, it appeared
irrelevant for many municipalities to have official plans
for the rural areas and create possible conflicts in
interpreting the plans . The Town of Newcastle repealed the
policies and designations of the former Township of
Darlington Official Plan and opted for official plan
coverage for only the Urban Areas .
The new 1991 Durham Region Official Plan contains less
detail, providing more of a conceptual framework for the
Regional structure. Among the many other implications, the
Town of Newcastle Official Plan should provide policies and
designation governing the rural portion of the municipality.
1. 3 Respond to Changing Needs and Values of Society
The Town of Newcastle Official Plan is an amalgamation of
documents prepared a decade ago. The Planning Act requires
that Official Plans be reviewed in five year intervals to
ensure that they continue to be valid and reflect the needs
of the community. Over the past decade significant shifts
in societal values and needs have occurred including:
Awareness of Environmental Concerns
Need for Affordable Housing
Global Economic Reform
Shopping and Retail Practices
Commuting and Live/Work Relationships
Increasing Proportion of Double-Income Families
Increasing Proportion of Seniors
Interest in Waterfront Areas
An official plan represents society's collective vision of
the desired future. It needs to be updated to reflect
changing values and changing needs .
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REPORT NO. : PD-175-91 PAGE 4
1.4 Address Changes in Provincial Policy
Since the introduction of the new Planning Act in 1983, the
province has issued policy statements in areas of provincial
interest. Several of these policy statements need to be
incorporated into a new official plan including:
Land Use Planning for Housing
Wetlands
Mineral Aggregate Resources
In addition, provincial policy is currently being reviewed
for the urban structure of the Greater Toronto area, the
Lake Ontario Waterfront, the Oak Ridges Moraine and
Greenlands in the Greater Toronto Area. Over the next few
years, significant changes in provincial policy will become
more apparent. These changes must be addressed within the
local context.
Lastly, major provincial infrastructure improvements are in
the planning stage and will have a major impact on the Town
including: Highway 407, the North-South Freeway Link between
Courtice and Bowmanville and the extension of GO rail
services to Bowmanville.
In light of the magnitude of provincial policy changes and
physical infrastructure improvements, the Town's Official
Plan must address these changes .
2. INITIATING THE REVIEW
Section 26 of the Planning Act requires a municipality to
hold a Public Meeting every five (5) years for the purpose
of determining the necessity to undertake a review of its
Official Plan. Such a meeting must be advertised 30 days in
advance for two consecutive weeks .
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REPORT NO. : PD-175-91 PAGE 5
The purpose of such a Public Meeting is not only to
determine the need for such a review but to ascertain from
members of the public the issues and concerns which should
be addressed in the review process . It is staff's intention
to present a Work Program to be endorsed by Council at such
a meeting.
Council's authorization is sought to convene the appropriate
Public Meeting on September 9, 1991 to initiate the Official
Plan Review process .
Respectfully submitted, Recommended for presentation
to the Committee
l wuf�
Franklin Wu, M.C. I .P. Law ence Kotseff
Director of Planning Chief A n strative
and Development Officer
DC*FW*df
*Attach
11 July 1991