HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-093Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 i
Table of Contents
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Purpose .................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Study Area ................................................................................................................................ 2
1.3 General Methodology .............................................................................................................. 4
1.4 Report Content ........................................................................................................................ 4
2 Legislative Framework 6
2.1 Municipal Act, 2001 ................................................................................................................. 6
2.2 Planning Act ............................................................................................................................. 7
2.3 Development Charges Act ........................................................................................................ 8
3 Policy Framework 10
3.1 Provincial Policy Statement, 2014 ......................................................................................... 11
3.2 Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe ................................................................... 11
3.3 Durham Regional Official Plan ............................................................................................... 12
3.4 Municipality of Clarington Official Plan ................................................................................. 13
3.5 Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan .................................................................................... 14
3.6 Development Charge By-law .................................................................................................. 15
4 Consultation 18
4.1 Project Steering Committee ................................................................................................... 18
4.2 Public Meeting and Workshop No.1 ...................................................................................... 18
4.3 Council Session ....................................................................................................................... 20
4.4 Public Meeting and Workshop No. 2 ..................................................................................... 20
4.5 Developer Survey ................................................................................................................... 21
4.6 Website .................................................................................................................................. 21
4.7 Summary ................................................................................................................................ 21
5 Community Improvement Needs Analysis 23
5.1 Purpose .................................................................................................................................. 23
5.2 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 23
5.3 Key Community Improvement Needs .................................................................................... 26
6 Community Improvement Project Area 28
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7 Black Creek Trail Implementation Strategy 30
7.1 Introduction and background ................................................................................................ 30
7.2 Policy Background .................................................................................................................. 31
7.3 Implementation Approach ..................................................................................................... 32
8 Incentive Programs 42
8.1 Approach ................................................................................................................................ 42
8.2 Summary of Programs ............................................................................................................ 43
8.3 Regional Funding Participation .............................................................................................. 44
8.4 General Program Requirements ............................................................................................ 44
8.5 Development Charge Grant Program .................................................................................... 46
8.6 Tax Increment Grant (TIG) Program ....................................................................................... 48
9 Monitoring Program 50
9.1 Purpose .................................................................................................................................. 50
9.2 Description ............................................................................................................................. 50
9.3 Program Adjustments ............................................................................................................ 51
10 Marketing Strategy 53
10.1 Key Objectives and Messages ................................................................................................ 53
10.2 Reaching the Target Audience ............................................................................................... 54
10.3 Marketing Tools ..................................................................................................................... 54
11 Conclusion 56
Figures
Figure 1: Study Area .................................................................................................................................. 3
Figure 2: Policy framework ...................................................................................................................... 10
Figure 3: Courtice Revitalization Area ..................................................................................................... 17
Figure 4: Display panels at public meeting and workshop, April 28, 2016 ............................................. 18
Figure 5: Attendees at public meeting and workshop, April 28, 2016 .................................................... 19
Figure 6: Presentation at public meeting and workshop, April 28, 2016 ................................................ 20
Figure 7: Example of residential development along Highway 2 ............................................................ 23
Figure 8: Undeveloped land at southeast corner of Highway 2 and Trulls Road .................................... 24
Figure 9: Example of typical retail uses at Highway 2 and Townline Road S .......................................... 25
Figure 10: Example of existing parkette at Highway 2 and Trulls Road .................................................. 25
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Figure 11: Recommended Community Improvement Project Area ........................................................ 29
Figure 12: Implementation Process Diagram .......................................................................................... 32
Figure 13: Tooley's Mill Park.................................................................................................................... 33
Figure 14: Farewell Creek ........................................................................................................................ 34
Figure 15: Proposed and Existing Trails in Study Area ............................................................................ 35
Figure 16: Low Impact Multi-Use Trail (granular surface) ....................................................................... 36
Figure 17: Land Ownership and Proposed Trail Alignment ..................................................................... 38
Tables
Table 1: Summary of Incentive Programs ............................................................................................... 44
Table 2: Monitoring Variables ................................................................................................................. 51
Appendices
A Summary of Policy Framework
B Municipality of Clarington Official Plan: Community Improvement Policies
C Public Meeting and Workshop 1 Consultation Summary
D Public Meeting and Workshop 2 Consultation Summary
E Minimum Intensification Targets for Program Eligibility
F Project Performance Evaluation Framework
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 1
1 Introduction
1.1 Purpose
The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
(CIP) stated the purpose of the CIP as threefold:
1)To build upon the clear direction set out in the land use policies and urban design
guidelines of the Official Plan for mixed-use urbanization of the regional corridor;
2)To enable the Municipality to respond to increased development interest and
community growth in Courtice by establishing a framework of financial incentives to
promote property consolidations, redevelopment and intensification along the Highway
2 corridor; and,
3)To develop an implementation strategy for the Black Creek Trail.
The RFP notes that sustainability (physical and financial) will be an important component in the
preparation of the CIP. The overall goal of the CIP process is to create an incentives package
that will advance the development of a complete and healthy community which respects the
environment, is sustainable, is buildable, provides a high quality of life and a unique sense of
place for residents, and improves community image and identity. Consequently, it is imperative
that there be a strong and direct connection between the land use vision articulated in the
Secondary Plan and Urban Design Guidelines and the strategic actions in the CIP designed to
ensure an ongoing and successful implementation of the vision. Therefore, the CIP is a key
implementation tool for the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan.
The Municipality of Clarington retained Dillon Consulting Limited and RCI Consulting to prepare
a CIP for the Courtice Main Street Area. This CIP builds on the vision in the Secondary Plan and
the primary role of this CIP is to help achieve the vision in the Secondary Plan which sees
Courtice Main Street as a dense, mixed use, transit supportive and pedestrian friendly
environment that preserves valuable natural heritage, built form and community character.
In addition to the CIP purpose described above, the purpose of this CIP is to:
a)Outline the legislative, policy and planning framework that supports the CIP;
b)Identify the key community improvement needs in Courtice Main Street;
c)Recommend a Community Improvement Project Area (Project Area) for the CIP;
d) Outline a Trail Strategy for implementing the Black Creek Trail adjacent to Courtice Main
Street;
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e)Develop a toolbox of incentive programs that can be offered by the Municipality to
directly stimulate private sector investment in the Project Area; and
f)Outline a Monitoring Program and Marketing Strategy that will help the Municipality
market the incentive programs contained within the CIP, monitor the results of these
programs, and adjust them as required.
1.2 Study Area
The RFP for the CIP specified that the Study Area will be the Courtice Main Street Secondary
Plan Area identified in the current Clarington Official Plan and generally described as located
along Highway 2 from Townline Road to Courtice Road. This Study Area is the same as the
Secondary Plan boundary (see Figure 1).
The Courtice Main Street Study Area currently consists primarily of low density, mainly single
family residential homes on large lots and commercial development (both small independent
and strip mall type commercial and larger format mall type commercial). The eastern part of
the Courtice Main Street Study Area has infrastructure constraints, i.e., sanitary services, and
any intensification within this area must have regard for required infrastructure upgrades and
improvements.
As further described in Section 5, the Study Area and properties adjacent to the Study Area
were assessed to determine lands most in need of community improvement using a number of
criteria such as current Official Plan designation, zoning, land use, building conditions, and
future potential for development. This assessment was used to determine suitability of lands in
and near the Study Area for inclusion in the “recommended community improvement project
area” for this CIP as shown in Section 6 of this report.
FirwoodParkette
NASH RD
TRULLS RDREGIONAL HIGHWAY 2VARCOE RDAVONDALE DRCENTERFIELD DRSANDRINGHAM DRPRESTONVALE RDCOURTICE RDTOOLEY RDTOWNLINE RD SSTRATHALLAN DR
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CLARET RDHALSTEAD RDGLENABSHORT CRESBEECHNUT CRESHILLHURST CRESCHERRY BLOSSOM CRESBARRON CRT
DALE PARK DR
DECOE CRTSANDRINGHAM DR
Courtice Community Centre
Stuart Park
Avondale Park
Courtice West Park
Whitecliffe Parkette
Foxhunt Parkette
Rick Gay Memorial Park
Tooley's Mill Parkette
Trulls Parkette
Rob Piontek Skateboard Park
WoodlotsStudy Area
Provincially Significant Wetland
Unevaluated Wetland
Local Road
Highway
Streams
Parks
Parcels
0 150 30075 m SCALE 1:7200
MAP DRAWING INFORMATION:DATA PROVIDED BY MNR
MAP CREATED BY: SFGMAP CHECKED BY: MSMAP PROJECTION: NAD 1983 UTM Zone 17N
FILE LOCATION: I:\GIS\163243\Mapping\Study Area.mxd
PROJECT: 163243 STATUS: DRAFT DATE: 9/26/2016
Study AreaFIGURE #1
MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTONCourtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
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1.3 General Methodology
A number of tasks were completed in order to provide a comprehensive foundation for the
preparation of the CIP. This included:
a)A review of relevant legislation, and provincial, regional and municipal planning and
policy documents;
b)A review of best practices utilized by other Ontario municipalities trying to promote
sustainable intensification and mixed use development on underutilized and vacant
lands in mixed use corridors/nodes, commercial areas and downtowns, i.e., similar
community improvement needs as Courtice Main Street;
c)A community improvement needs analysis including an assessment of the physical and
economic characteristics in the Study Area based on walking tours of the area
conducted by consulting team members;
d)Input received from the staff project steering committee (PSC) at several meetings with
this group during the process of plan preparation;
e)Input received from key stakeholders and the public at two public meeting/workshop
sessions held on April 28, 2016 and June 22, 2016;
f)Input received from Municipal Council at a Planning and Development Committee
Meeting held on June 6, 2016;
g)Using the vision in the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan and Tasks a) to f) above to
prepare and refine the Incentive Programs and Black Creek Trail Implementation
Strategy contained in this CIP; and,
h) Preparation of this final plan.
Additional details regarding the important stakeholder consultation process undertaken during
preparation of this plan can be found in Section 4.
1.4 Report Content
This CIP is divided into the following sections:
•Section 2 provides a review of the legislative framework for the CIP;
•Section 3 provides a brief overview of the planning, policy, and other background
documents that are applicable to the CIP;
•Section 4 contains a summary of the consultation taken with various stakeholders
during preparation of the plan;
•Section 5 contains the community improvement needs analysis including the key
community improvement needs in the Courtice Main Street area;
•Section 6 shows the recommended Community Improvement Project Area for the CIP.
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•Section 7 contains the Black Creek Trail Implementation Strategy;
•Section 8 contains the municipal incentive programs specifically designed to help
promote the types of sustainable intensification and development of the Project Area
needed to help achieve the Secondary Plan vision for Courtice Main Street;
•Section 9 contains a monitoring program designed to assist the Municipality in
monitoring progress on implementation of the CIP and the economic and other impacts
of the programs contained in the CIP;
•Section 10 contains a basic marketing strategy for the CIP; and,
•Section 11 provides a brief conclusion to the CIP.
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2 Legislative Framework
2.1 Municipal Act, 2001
Section 106 (1) and (2) of the Municipal Act, 2001 prohibits municipalities from directly or
indirectly assisting any manufacturing business or other industrial or commercial enterprise
through the granting of bonuses. Prohibited actions include giving or lending any property of
the municipality, including money; guaranteeing borrowing; leasing or selling any municipal
property at below fair market value; and giving a total or partial exemption from any levy,
charge or fee.
This prohibition is generally known as the “bonusing rule”. Section 106 (3) of the Municipal Act,
2001 provides an exception to this bonusing rule for municipalities exercising powers under
Subsection 28 (6), (7) or (7.2) of the Planning Act or under Section 365.1 of the Municipal Act,
2001. It is this exception under Section 28 of the Planning Act that allows municipalities with
enabling provisions in their official plans to prepare and adopt Community Improvement Plans
(CIPs). CIPs provide municipalities with a comprehensive framework for the planning and
provision of economic development incentives in areas requiring community improvement.
Section 365.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001 operates within the framework of Section 28 of the
Planning Act. A municipality with an approved CIP in place that contains provisions specifying
tax assistance for environmental remediation costs will be permitted to provide said tax
assistance for municipal property taxes. Municipalities may also apply to the Province to
provide matching education property tax assistance through the Province’s Brownfields
Financial Tax Incentive Program (BFTIP).
Section 107 of the Municipal Act, 2001 describes the powers of a municipality to make a grant,
including the power to make a grant by way of a loan or guaranteeing a loan, subject to Section
106 of the Municipal Act, 2001. In addition to the power to make a grant or loan, these powers
also include the power to sell or lease land for nominal consideration or to make a grant of
land; provide for the use by any person of land owned or occupied by the municipality upon
such terms as may be fixed by Council; sell, lease or otherwise dispose of at a nominal price, or
make a grant of any personal property of the municipality or to provide for the use of the
personal property on such terms as may be fixed by Council.
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2.2 Planning Act
Section 28 of the Planning Act allows municipalities with provisions in their official plans
relating to community improvement to designate by by-law a “community improvement
project area” and prepare and adopt a community improvement plan for the community
improvement project area. Once the community improvement plan has been adopted by the
municipality and comes into effect, the municipality may exercise authority under Section
28(6), (7) or (7.2) of the Planning Act or Section 365.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001 in order that
the exception provided for in Section 106 (3) of the Municipal Act, 2001 will apply.
According to Section 28 (1) of the Planning Act, a “community improvement project area” is
defined as “a municipality or an area within a municipality, the community improvement of
which in the opinion of the council is desirable because of age, dilapidation, overcrowding,
faulty arrangement, unsuitability of buildings or for any other environmental, social or
community economic development reason”. It is important to note that there are a variety of
reasons that an area can be designated as an area in need of community improvement.
Section 28 (1) of the Planning Act defines “community improvement” as “the planning or
replanning, design or redesign, resubdivision, clearance, development or redevelopment,
construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation, improvement of energy efficiency, or any of
them, of a community improvement project area, and the provision of such residential,
commercial, industrial, public, recreational, institutional, religious, charitable, or other uses,
buildings, structures, works, improvements or facilities, or spaces therefore, as may be
appropriate or necessary”. This represents a wide range of possible municipal actions.
Once a CIP has come into effect, the municipality may:
i)Acquire, hold, clear, grade or otherwise prepare land for community improvement
(Section 28 (3) of the Planning Act);
ii)Construct, repair, rehabilitate or improve buildings on land acquired or held by it in
conformity with the community improvement plan (Section 28 (6));
iii)Sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of any land and buildings acquired or held by it in
conformity with the community improvement plan (Section 28 (6)); and
iv)Make grants or loans, in conformity with the community improvement plan, to
registered owners, assessed owners and tenants of land and buildings within the
community improvement project area, and to any person to whom such an owner or
tenant has assigned the right to receive a grant or loan, to pay for the whole or any part
of the eligible costs of the community improvement plan (Section 28 (7)).
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Section 28 (7.1) of the Planning Act specifies that the eligible costs of a community
improvement plan for the purposes of Subsection 28 (7) may include costs related to
environmental site assessment, environmental remediation, development, redevelopment,
construction and reconstruction of lands and buildings for rehabilitation purposes or for the
provision of energy efficient uses, buildings, structures, works, improvements or facilities.
Section 28 (7.3) of the Planning Act specifies that the total of all grants and loans made in
respect of particular lands and buildings under Section 28 (7) and (7.2) of the Planning Act and
tax assistance provided under Section 365.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001 in respect of the land
and buildings shall not exceed the eligible cost of the community improvement plan with
respect to those lands and buildings.
Section 28(11) of the Planning Act allows a municipality to register an agreement concerning a
grant or loan made under subsection 28(7) or an agreement entered into under subsection
28(10) against the land to which it applies and the municipality shall be entitled to enforce the
provisions thereof against any party to the agreement and, subject to the provisions of the
Registry Act and the Land Titles Act, against any and all subsequent owners or tenants of the
land.
Section 69 of the Planning Act allows municipalities to reduce or waive the amount of a fee in
respect of a planning application where it feels payment is unreasonable. Municipalities can use
this tool to waive all matter of planning application fees to promote community improvement
without inclusion in a CIP. Alternatively, a municipality can collect fees and then provide a
partial or total rebate of fees in the form of a grant, but this must be done within a CIP.
2.3 Development Charges Act
Section 5 of the Development Charges Act allows a municipality to exempt a type(s) of
development from a development charge, but any resulting shortfall cannot be made up
through higher development charges for other types of development. This allows upper and
lower tier municipalities to offer partial or total exemption from municipal development
charges via their Development Charge (DC) by-laws in order to promote community
improvement such as redevelopment in particular areas such as a downtown or commercial
node, or even brownfield redevelopment across a larger area such as an entire municipality.
Because this financial incentive is normally offered before construction, i.e., at the time of
building permit issuance, it is a very powerful community improvement tool.
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Municipalities can also use a CIP (Section 28 of the Planning Act) to offer a reduction in
development charges in the form of a grant equivalent to part or all of the DC normally payable.
It is much easier for a municipality to offer a reduction of development charges for certain
types of development such as residential intensification and/or projects that achieve
sustainability performance criteria within a CIP than within a DC by-law. This is because the CIP
is inherently more flexible and can provide grants based on meeting intensification targets
and/or project performance criteria, while DC reductions within a DC by-law are typically based
on location of the development within a specific geographic area, e.g., downtown, or a specific
type of site, e.g., a brownfield site.
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3 Policy Framework
This section of the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) contains a summary overview of the
provincial, regional and municipal policy framework relevant to the CIP. The relationship
between the CIP and other key municipal, regional and provincial policies is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Policy framework
A full review of the policy frameworks and mapping relevant to this CIP is contained in
Appendix A.
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3.1 Provincial Policy Statement, 2014
The Provincial Policy Statement (the “PPS”) is issued under Section 3 of the Planning Act and
provides direction on matters of provincial significance related to land use planning and
development. Section 3 of the Planning Act requires that, “decisions affecting planning matters
shall be consistent with policy statements issued under the Act”.
The Province of Ontario released the latest version of the PPS on February 24, 2014 and the
policies took effect on April 30, 2014. The vision for land use planning in Ontario in the PPS
states that “the long-term prosperity and social well-being of Ontarians depends on planning
for strong sustainable communities for people of all ages, a clean and healthy environment, and
a strong competitive economy”. To this end, the PPS promotes:
•Efficient development and land use patterns (Section 1.1.1 a);
•An appropriate range and mix of residential, employment, institutional, recreation, park
and open space, and other uses (Section 1.1.1 b); and
•Cost-effective development patterns and standards to minimize land consumption and
servicing costs (Section 1.1.1 e).
The PPS also notes that Planning authorities shall:
•Identify appropriate locations and promote opportunities for intensification and
redevelopment (Section 1.1.3.3);
•Promote economic development and competitiveness by encouraging compact, mixed-
use development that incorporates compatible employment uses to support liveable
and resilient communities (Section 1.3.1 c);
•Provide for an appropriate range and mix of housing types and densities to meet
projected requirements of current and future users residents of the regional market
area (Section 1.4.3); and,
•Promote densities for new housing which efficiently use land, resources, infrastructure
and public service facilities, and support the use of active transportation and transit in
areas where it exists or is to be developed (Section 1.4.3 d).
3.2 Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe
The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (“Growth Plan”), released in 2006, is the
Province of Ontario’s growth strategy for the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, which was
completed under the “Places to Grow” initiative, including the Places to Grow Act, 2005. The
Growth Plan is identified as “a framework for implementing the Government of Ontario’s vision
for building stronger, more prosperous communities by managing growth in the region to
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2041”. The Municipality of Clarington and the Regional Municipality of Durham are included in
the Greater Golden Horseshoe Plan Area.
The Growth Plan provides an overall growth strategy for the Golden Horseshoe that
complements the PPS and is implemented primarily by municipal planning documents and
other municipal tools. The Growth Plan seeks to build vibrant and compact communities that
protect and enhance natural resources, support a strong and competitive economy, and
optimize the use of new and existing infrastructure.
The Courtice Main Street Study Area is within the delineated “Built-up Area” in the Growth Plan
which permits urban development. A number of the policies in the Growth Plan are relevant to
the Courtice Main Street area, including policies that promote:
•Building compact, vibrant and complete communities and optimizing the use of existing
and new infrastructure (Section 1.2.2);
•Reducing dependence on the automobile through the development of mixed use, transit
supportive, pedestrian friendly urban environments (Section 2.2.2.1 d);
•Building complete communities with a diverse mix of land uses, a range and mix of
employment and housing types, high quality public open spaces and easy access to local
stores and services (Section 2.2.2.1 h);
•All intensification areas being planned and designed to generally achieve higher
densities than the surrounding areas (Section 2.2.3.7 e);
•Major transit station areas and intensification corridors being planned to achieve
increased residential and employment densities (Section 2.2.5.1 a);
•Expanding transit service to areas that have achieved, or will be planned so as to
achieve, transit-supportive residential and employment densities (Section 3.2.3.2 c);
•The planning of high density residential and employment uses to support public transit
planning (Section 3.2.3a);
•Development of a system of publicly accessible parkland, open space and trails (Section
4.2.1.4); and,
•Land use patterns and urban design standards that facilitate water conservation, energy
conservation, air quality protection and integrated waste management (Sections 4.2.4.1
a-d).
3.3 Durham Regional Official Plan
Under the Regional Official Plan (ROP), the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) Study Area
falls under the Urban System land use policy structure. The Study Area is within the Regional
Urban Area Boundary
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and Built Boundary areas, meaning development may proceed on the basis of full municipal
servicing.
Much of the Study Area is designated as Living Areas in the ROP and Highway 2 is designated as
a Regional Corridor. General policies in this designation support compact development by way
of higher densities and intensification and redevelopment of existing areas, particularly along
arterial roads.
The Courtice Main Street (Highway 2) is designated as a Regional Corridor in the ROP. The
general intent for Corridors calls for such areas to be developed in such a way as to: promote
public transit ridership through a mix of uses at higher densities, employing sensitive urban
design that orients development to the corridor; maintain and enhance the historical main
street by integrating new forms of development with existing development; and preserve and
enhance cultural heritage resources. More specifically, Regional Corridors are to be planned
and developed with higher density mixed uses, supporting higher order transit services and
pedestrian oriented development.
A portion of the Study Area (located approximately at Highway 2 and Trulls Rd) is designated in
the ROP as a Regional Centre. The general intent of this designation encourages the
development of a concentration of commercial, residential, cultural and government functions
in a well-designed and intensive land use form.
3.3.1 Community Improvement Plans
Section 14.4 of the ROP contains policies on CIPs. In addition to the ability for the Region to
prepare and adopt Regional CIPs, Section 14.4 of the ROP also specifies that the Region may
assist in the implementation of area municipal CIPs by adopting a Regional Revitalization
Program that will guide how the Region may participate financially, or otherwise, in area
municipal CIPs. Section 14.4 of the ROP also notes that the Region’s participation in the
implementation of an area municipal CIP is intended for projects that contribute to achieving
the goals of the ROP for the development of urban areas.
3.4 Municipality of Clarington Official Plan
The Municipality is currently finalizing the Official Plan (OP) Review process to provide direction
for growth and development to the year 2031. As part of the OP Review, two major
amendments (OPA 77 and 89) have already been adopted and are in force. These amendments
are the urban design policies and Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan, respectively. The
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financial incentives contemplated as part of the CIP support the intent of the Official Plan and
Secondary Plan.
Much of the area along Highway 2 within the Study Area is designated as a Corridor in the OP.
Such lands are intended to form the main linkages between residential centres and fulfill the
Municipality’s objectives for intensification, mixed-use development and pedestrian/transit-
supportive development. The areas alongside Farewell Creek and the Black Creek are
designated Environmental Protection Areas in the OP. The area around the intersection of
Highway 2 and Trulls Road is designated as a Town Centre in the OP. These areas are intended
to function as focal points for culture, art, entertainment and civic gathering, as well as places
of symbolic and physical interest for residents, fostering a sense of local identity.
3.4.1 Community Improvement Plans
Section 22 of the OP contains the Municipality’s Community Improvement policies (see
Appendix B). The goal of community improvement in Clarington is to provide for and encourage
public and private sector activities for the purpose of the maintenance, rehabilitation and
redevelopment of the existing built environment of the Municipality.
Map I of the OP shows community improvement project areas where it is the intent of the
Municipality to prepare CIPs. CIPs have been completed for Bowmanville, Newcastle and
Orono and the Study Area in Courtice is listed as first priority for the preparation of a CIP.
Section 22.3.4 notes that CIPs will be implemented by means of powers conferred upon Council
under the Planning Act, the Municipal Act, and other applicable legislation. This includes but is
not limited to the acquisition, improvement and disposal of land and buildings, and the
encouragement of infilling, redevelopment and other land use intensification.
Section 22.3.5 of the OP also notes that the Municipality will consult with the Region of Durham
when preparing CIPs to ensure coordination of improvements to sewer, water and other
Regional services with municipal improvements and the Municipality will consult with the
Region prior to the approval of any community improvement plan.
3.5 Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan
Approved in November 2014, the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan provides policy guidance
to allow for gradual change in the form of a long-term land use and design vision for the
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Courtice Main Street area. The boundary of the Secondary Plan is consistent with the boundary
of the Study Area.
The Secondary Plan is intended to help realize the Municipality’s vision for the Courtice Main
Street area as a dense, mixed use, transit-supportive and pedestrian-friendly environment
while preserving valuable natural heritage features, built form and community character. The
Plan includes a series of ambitious objectives, including:
•To achieve an increase in overall long-term residential density in keeping with Regional
intensification targets, including the provision of approximately 2,000 residential units;
•To provide for the development of a bus rapid transit system along Highway 2 and
facilitate its redevelopment into a compact mixed use area over a 20 year period;
•To encourage sustainable practices in development and redevelopment, such as
encouraging new buildings to be LEED certified (or equivalent) so as to demonstrate
excellence in environmental and energy conservation measures from preconstruction to
operation; and,
•To protect significant natural heritage and hydrologic features and strengthen their
function and interrelationship through conservation and environmental stewardship.
The Secondary Plan reflects the intent and direction of the higher-order policies shown in
Figure 2 (page 10). The CIP has been prepared to help achieve and implement the vision, policy
goals and objectives in the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan.
3.6 Development Charge By-law
The Municipality’s Development Charge By-law No. 2015-035 provides a development charge
incentive to promote small business expansion, mixed use and mid-rise residential
development in specific areas within Newcastle Village, Orono, Bowmanville and Courtice,
known as “Revitalization Areas”. The Revitalization Area in Courtice is shown below in Figure 3.
The Revitalization Area in Courtice covers approximately half of the Study Area, running from
Courtice Road in the east to a point just west of Prestonvale Road, but excluding the Town
Centre.
Within the Revitalization Areas, the Development Charge By-law provides for the following
development charge incentives:
i)For expansion of an existing commercial building of less than 250 square metres, no
development charge when the expansion is 50% or less of the gross floor area, and a
reduced development charge when the expansion is greater than 50% of the gross floor
area;
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 16
ii)For a masonry-clad multi-storey mixed use building of 2 or more stories or a masonry-
clad apartment building or a masonry-clad retirement residence of 4 stories or more,
the development charge payable is 50% of the development charge normally payable.1
In order to avoid confusion or double dipping between the Courtice Revitalization Area
Development Charge incentive and the incentives contained in this CIP, Section 8 specifies that
development projects taking advantage of the Courtice Revitalization Area Development
Charge incentive cannot apply for any of the incentive programs contained within this CIP.
1 For more information on the Development Charge By-law 2015-035 please see:
http://www.clarington.net/en/do-business/development-charges.asp
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November 2016 – 16-3243 18
4 Consultation
Preparation of this Community Improvement Plan (CIP) was guided by and benefitted greatly
from the stakeholder and public consultation process conducted for the Courtice Main Street
Secondary plan and Master Development Plan. In addition, preparation of the CIP included
consultation with the Project Steering Committee, senior Municipal staff, Council, key
stakeholders including property owners in the Study Area and developers active in Clarington,
and members of the public. The consultation process is summarized below.
4.1 Project Steering Committee
A Project Steering Committee (PSC) was formed to help guide preparation of the CIP. The PSC is
comprised of senior Municipality of Clarington staff from Planning Services, Finance and
Engineering Services and a Regional Municipality of Durham Planning staff representative.
Several in person and conference call meetings of the PSC were held throughout preparation of
the CIP. The purpose of these meetings was to:
•Provide the PSC with progress updates;
•Discuss and obtain input on the most significant community improvement needs;
•Discuss and obtain input on the proposed financial incentive programs; and,
•Coordinate public meetings and other steps
required to complete the CIP.
4.2 Public Meeting and
Workshop No.1
The first Public Information Meeting and Workshop
was held on April 28, 2016. The purpose of this session
was to:
a)Provide the community with an introduction
and overview of the process of preparing a CIP,
the benefits of CIPs, and relevant best practices
in other municipalities;
b)Present the background and rationale for the
CIP, including the intensification, mixed use,
design and sustainability goals and objectives in
the Official Plan and the Courtice Main Street
Secondary Plan;
Figure 4: Display panels at public meeting and workshop, April 28, 2016
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 19
c)Present and receive input on the critical community improvement needs in the Study
Area; and,
d)Explore ideas to promote community improvement in the Study Area, including
preliminary incentive program strategies.
Approximately 55 people attended the first Public Meeting. Attendees included business and
property owners, residents, members of Council and other interested parties. Approximately 22
attendees stayed for the Workshop session where the attendees were divided into three (3)
working groups and asked to discuss and answer the following questions:
1)What are the three (3) most important community improvement needs in the Courtice
Main Street area?
2)What types of financial incentive strategies do you think would work best and be most
utilized?
3)What key performance criteria should the incentive programs include?
4)Do you have any other key ideas or suggestions for community improvement in the
Courtice Main Street Area?
Figure 5: Attendees at public meeting and workshop, April 28, 2016
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 20
Attendees were also invited to provide written comments, but none were received. A summary
of the responses from the working groups to the above-noted questions is provided in
Appendix C.
Figure 6: Presentation at public meeting and workshop, April 28, 2016
4.3 Council Session
On June 6, 2016, prior to the second Public Meeting Workshop, a session was held with the
Planning and Development Committee of Municipal Council to provide them with an update on
the project, and to describe the key community improvement needs, preliminary draft incentive
programs, and preliminary Black Creek Trail implementation strategy. Council indicated general
support for the approach being taken. Council requested that Municipal staff work with the
Region on the servicing issue and requested that the Region consider greater involvement in
community improvement plans.
4.4 Public Meeting and Workshop No. 2
The second Public Information Meeting and Workshop was held on June 22, 2016. The purpose
of this session was to:
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November 2016 – 16-3243 21
a)Provide a summary of the input received at the first consultation session and the Council
session;
b)Provide an update on servicing matters and the Black Creek Trail;
c)Present the recommended Community Improvement Project Area;
d)Present and receive input on the Draft Incentive Programs being considered for
inclusion in the CIP; and,
e)Present the next steps in preparation of the CIP.
Approximately 16 people attended the second Public Meeting and virtually all of the attendees
stayed for the Workshop session. Attendees included business and property owners, residents,
members of Council and other interested parties. The workshop group was asked to discuss the
draft incentive programs, including minimum intensification targets and application evaluation
framework. A summary of the workshop discussion is provided in Appendix D.
Attendees were invited to provide written comments and one detailed letter was received from
the representative of a property owner in the Study Area.
4.5 Developer Survey
At the June 22, 2016 Public Meeting Workshop, it was suggested that the developers at the
meeting could provide more detailed comments on the performance based evaluation
framework being proposed for the draft incentive programs via a survey. A survey was
developed and sent to the three developers who indicated interest in responding to the survey.
All three developers responded to the survey and their responses were utilized to fine tune the
performance based evaluation framework for the draft incentive programs.
4.6 Website
The Municipality of Clarington also established a Courtice Main Street CIP project web page to
provide updates on the progress of the CIP (see: https://www.clarington.net/en/live-
here/Courtice-Main-Street-Community-Improvement-Plan.asp). This web page includes
information on the CIP process, public notices, and presentations from the public meetings and
Planning and Development Committee.
4.7 Summary
In summary, the consultation conducted during preparation of this CIP was broad-based. The
comments and input obtained from all of the various sources of stakeholder and public
consultation described above were reviewed and used to guide the preparation of this CIP,
Municipality of Clarington
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November 2016 – 16-3243 22
including the community improvement needs analysis, the draft and final Incentive Programs,
and the Black Creek Trail Implementation Strategy.
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November 2016 – 16-3243 23
5 Community Improvement Needs
Analysis
5.1 Purpose
The analysis of community improvement needs is an important part of the Community
Improvement Plan (CIP). The incentive programs and other strategies recommended in this CIP
have been designed specifically to address the key community improvement needs identified in
the Courtice Main Street Area. Ultimately, these key community improvement needs provide
the foundation for the CIP. The methodology used to identify the key community improvement
needs is described below.
5.2 Methodology
The Courtice Main Street Area is quite different than the other community improvement
project areas in Clarington for which CIPs have been prepared, i.e., Bowmanville, Newcastle and
Orono. These areas are more traditional historic downtown commercial main streets which
have developed over time and are for the most part built-up with existing commercial and
mixed use buildings. Therefore, opportunities for infill and intensification on vacant sites and
redevelopment of underutilized sites in these areas are to a large extent limited by the existing
built urban fabric.
Figure 7: Example of residential development along Highway 2
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 24
Courtice Main Street consists primarily of low density residential and commercial development.
There are substantial amounts of vacant and underutilized lands in the Courtice Main Street
Study Area which provide opportunities for significantly increased residential, commercial and
mixed use densities over those that currently exist in the area now. Furthermore, as noted in
the Secondary Plan, the vision for this area is for a sustainably developed higher density, mixed
use area that is well designed, supports transit, cycling and walking, and provides connections
to high quality public spaces and an integrated trail network.
Figure 8: Undeveloped land at southeast corner of Highway 2 and Trulls Road
Because the Courtice Main Street Area is different from the other main street commercial areas
in Clarington, a different methodological approach was taken to prepare the CIP. As described
below, the usual methodology of touring the Study Area, reviewing servicing infrastructure and
relevant documents, obtaining stakeholder and public input on key community improvement
needs, and developing incentive programs and other strategies to address these needs was
followed. However, because Courtice Main Street is largely underdeveloped, more emphasis
was placed on the vision, goals, objectives and key directions in planning and policy documents,
with particular emphasis on the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan.
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 25
Figure 9: Example of typical retail uses at Highway 2 and Townline Rd S
Aerial photographs of the Study Area were examined and the consulting team along with
Municipal staff conducted a walking tour of the Study Area in February of 2016. During this
walking tour, over 100 photographs were taken across the Study Area. A “community
improvement lens” was applied to the area with consulting team members making
observations and notes with respect to the key aspects of land use (including density and mix of
land uses and the location; size and configuration of vacant and underutilized lands; existing
building and property conditions; and, design elements and business activity). A background
review of servicing status, existing trails and natural features was also undertaken.
Figure 10: Example of existing parkette at Highway 2 and Trulls Road
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 26
In consultation with the Project Steering Committee (PSC), the above-noted information was
then used to identify the key challenges and preliminary community improvement needs for
Courtice Main Street. As noted in Section 4, these key community improvement needs were
presented at the first Public Meeting and Workshop, then refined and finalized based on input
from that consultation session and the session with the Planning and Development Committee
of Municipal Council. The key community improvement needs are described below.
5.3 Key Community Improvement Needs
Based on the above described methodology, the following are the key community
improvement needs in the Courtice Main Street Area:
1)High quality architecture, urban design, building materials and construction;
2)A pedestrian friendly environment and development that supports transit, active
transportation, and accessibility;
3)Access to the Black Creek trail system and enhanced green/open spaces, paths and
trails;
4)Housing choice, accessibility and affordability;
5)Development that is sustainable, i.e., development that reduces waste, energy
consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and water consumption.
It is important to note that the analysis and discussion of community improvement needs took
place within the context of achieving the Secondary Plan vision of intensification within the
Courtice Main Street Area. Therefore, the primary goal of this CIP is to generate higher density
residential, and mixed use development, including office and retail uses, within the Courtice
Main Street area.
While some individuals at the public meeting workshops stressed certain community
improvement needs over others, based on the overall public comments, the above-noted key
community improvement needs have relatively the same importance in the Courtice Main
Street area. The one community improvement need that seemed to receive the most mention
is #1 above, i.e., high quality urban design, architecture and buildings.
While the need for sanitary sewer servicing was most often cited by participants at the public
meeting as the number one need for community improvement in the Courtice Main Street
Area, it is actually a “pre-condition” or “pre-cursor” to community improvement in the Courtice
Main Street Area rather than a community improvement need. While a proposed development
/ redevelopment project in the area can be evaluated to determine the extent to which that
project addresses the above-noted key community improvement needs, i.e., performance with
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 27
respect to the key community improvement needs, the project is either serviced or not
serviced. Therefore, while the Courtice Main Street area certainly requires appropriate
municipal servicing in order to achieve full build out, servicing is not a community improvement
need that can be translated into a performance measure, as can the other community
improvement needs.
Rather, the provision of sanitary service to the property line will result in different servicing
costs to developments in different parts of the Community Improvement Project Area. Projects
in the part of the Community Improvement Project Area that are already fully serviced will
simply pay Municipal and Regional development charges. Projects in the part of the Community
Improvement Project Area that are not fully serviced will pay Municipal and Regional
development charges, as well as paying their cost share to the Region for the provision of full
municipal services to this part of the Community Improvement Project Area.
Municipality of Clarington
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November 2016 – 16-3243 28
6 Community Improvement Project Area
In order to delineate a recommended Community Improvement Project Area for this
Community Improvement Plan (CIP), the Study Area shown in Figure 1 (on page 3) and
properties adjacent to the Study Area were examined and reviewed for current land uses,
official plan designation, and zoning. This was augmented by the community improvement
needs analysis that reviewed vacant and underutilized properties, building conditions, servicing
and an analysis of the potential for future residential intensification and commercial
development in the Study Area. Based on this examination and analysis, the Courtice Main
Street Study Area was found to accurately encompass the properties most in need of
community improvement and lands that have the greatest potential for higher density
residential, and mixed use development. Therefore, it was determined that the boundaries of
the Community Improvement Project Area for this CIP would be the same as the Study Area.
The Community Improvement Project Area is the area where financial incentive programs will
be offered. The Recommended Community Improvement Project Area (Project Area) for the
Courtice Main Street CIP is shown in Figure 11. This Project Area is designated by a by-law
passed by Council and the CIP will apply to the designated Community Improvement Project
Area.
NASH RD
TRULLS RDREGIONAL HIGHWAY 2VARCOE RDAVONDALE DRCENTERFIELD DRSANDRINGHAM DRPRESTONVALE RDCOURTICE RDTOOLEY RDTOWNLINE RD SSTRATHALLAN DR
STUART RDDARLINGTON BLVDROBERT ADAMS DRFOXHUNT TRAILRENWICK RDFIELDCREST AVEWEAVER STBUSHFORD STPARKLAWN DR
CALECHE AVE
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MCLELLAN DR
BRIDLE CRTTOWNLINE RD NVALLEYCREST DR
LYNDALE CRESSTIRLING AVE
OLD KINGST
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GEORGE REYNOLDS DRALDERBROOK DR
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IKENNEDY DRPOOLTON CRESGOLDPINE AVESTEPHEN AVE
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CLOVERFIELD ST
CLARET RDHALSTEAD RDGLENSHORT CRESBEECHNUT CRHILLHURST CRESCHERRY BLOSSOM CRESQBARRON CRT
DALE PARK DR
DECOE CRTAVE
SANDRINGHAM DR
Community Improvement Project Area
Local Road
Highway
Parcels
0 150 30075 m SCALE 1:7200
MAP DRAWING INFORMATION:DATA PROVIDED BY MNR
MAP CREATED BY: SFGMAP CHECKED BY: MSMAP PROJECTION: NAD 1983 UTM Zone 17N
FILE LOCATION: I:\GIS\163243\Mapping\Recommended Commnity Improvement Area.mxd
PROJECT: 163243 STATUS: DRAFT DATE: 9/26/2016
Recommended CommunityImprovement Project AreaFIGURE #11
MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTONCourtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 30
7 Black Creek Trail Implementation
Strategy
The purpose of the Black Creek Implementation Strategy is to help encourage the development
of an integrated Black Creek Trail within the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) Study area. In
addition, this section outlines the background and an approach to encourage the development
of a safe and well-managed trail that introduces the public to the area’s natural features, and
exhibits environmentally responsible use.
7.1 Introduction and background
Courtice’s most visible and valued open space features are the valley lands of Farewell Creek
and Black Creek, both of which have frontage along Durham Highway 2. Future development
along the north side of Durham Highway 2 will be constrained by the proximity of the valley
slope edges and drainage issues; however, the views of the valley edges and the sloping
topography create excellent opportunities for special streetscaping and developing a theme of
“green links” and trails. There are numerous parks near the Study Area, which could be better
connected to the valley lands through more formal trails and recreational signage.
Both the Black and Farewell Creek Valleys are prominent and valued environmental features
and open space assets within the CIP project area. Farewell Creek crosses Highway 2 between
Darlington Boulevard and Prestonvale Road and Black Creek runs parallel along the north side
of Highway 2, from Prestonvale Road to Hancock Road. The lands within the Creek Valleys are
designated Flood Plain and Environment Protection Areas in the Clarington Official Plan.
The Creek Valleys’ configuration and location present opportunities to create an integrated trail
network that provides connectivity with the existing Millennium Trail south to the Farewell
Creek.
7.1.1 Community Improvement Objectives
One of the key community improvement needs in the Courtice Main Street Area includes
encouraging access to the Black Creek trail through enhanced green/open spaces, paths and
trails, including:
•To prepare a trail implementation strategy for linking the Black Creek Trail with Courtice
Main Street and expansion of the Millennium Trail;
Municipality of Clarington
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November 2016 – 16-3243 31
•Incorporating the recommendations of the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan, which
identifies conceptual locations for connectivity;
•Recommending mechanisms that can be used to secure trail linkages;
•Providing an approach that considers a range of tools – both public and private
approaches - such as land assembly triggers, private land owner dedications and
possible incentives (such as Section 28 community benefits); and
•How the trail could be designed and planned in the future.
7.2 Policy Background
Conceptual design and policy context for the trail system through the Courtice Main Street area
is outlined in:
•The Courtice Main Street Master Development Plan Report (2010);
•The Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan and Urban Design Guidelines (2014);
•The Draft Clarington Official Plan and Map K Trails (2016); and
•The Clarington Transportation Master Plan and Local Active Transportation Map (under
development).
As part of the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan and Urban Design Guidelines and also the
Active Transportation Plan there is a framework for both pedestrian and cycling transportation
to be developed within the Courtice Main Street Area. This Black Creek Trail Implementation
Strategy is part of that implementation.
Within the CIP project area, the Black Creek and Farewell Creek valley lands are designated
Environmental Protection Area in the Clarington Official Plan. A large portion of these lands are
owned by the Municipality of Clarington as well as a number of private land owners. This
ownership pattern provides challenges in creating a publicly accessible and connected trail
network. One of the key objectives of this CIP is to promote the creation of a connected Black
Creek Trail, from the existing Millennium Trail south to the Farewell Creek valley.
The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) undertakes a range of programs
aimed at improving land and water conservation within its watershed. Any development within
their regulated area requires their approval, the valleylands and floodplain are within their
regulated area. The working relationship between the Municipality and CLOCA has been that
the urban valleylands are typically owned and maintained by the Municipality; however the
Municipality works closely with the Conservation Authority staff to ensure that the goals of
both agencies are met. The Conservation Authority has larger tracts of land in the rural area
and provincially significant coastal wetlands that they own and maintain.
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 32
The following implementation approach provides recommendations to help promote the
development and expansion of the Black Creek Trail as proposed in the Courtice Main Street
Secondary Plan.
7.3 Implementation Approach
The Black Creek Trail Implementation Strategy is an evolving plan. The timing and details,
particularly finalizing the routes and trail surfacing will evolve through detailed technical
review. Previous planning efforts have established the overall direction for the proposed trail
network. Existing trails will be considered when finalizing trail designs and routing. The
following provides a recommended approach to help facilitate implementing the Black Creek
Trail within the CIP project area.
7.3.1 Trail Vision
Given the public-private land ownership situation of the Black Creek Trail lands, a suitable
working relationship with the stakeholders could assist with spearheading the implementation
of the trail. There are options, but in most cases there are “friends of” organizations for both
the trails and environmental lands they occupy; managing and coordinating the efforts to align
the goals of these groups is necessary. The Municipality will continue to work with the groups
who participated in the CIP meetings.
7.3.2 Routing and Trail Design
Routing trails through natural areas, such as the Black Creek and Farewell Creek valley lands, is
a critical component to the trail network and provides users the opportunity to get close to
nature, explore the outdoors, environmental education, and find relief from the busy urban
environment of everyday life. Implementing a trail needs to balance public access with the
protection of the natural environment and sensitive ecological features.
The future trail network will be sited and designed appropriately and monitored for effects of
inappropriate use and/or overuse. Planning, design and construction of trails, coupled with
public consultation and education will help to achieve a balance between use and
Monitoring,
Maintenance
&
Management
Trail
Vision
Finalize
Routing & Trail
Design
Acquisition &
Trail Access
Trail
Development
Figure 12: Implementation Process Diagram
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 33
protection. As part of the trail routing and design process the Municipality will consult with
CLOCA and the public to ensure interested stakeholders are involved in the routing and
development of the trail. It may also be beneficial to hold one-on-one meetings with
landowners to provide an opportunity to discuss particular opportunities and benefits which
may be more specific to their property.
Trail Design 7.3.2.1
The existing Millennium Trail provides a base for expanding the Black Creek Trail west through
the CIP project area and east to Hancock Road. The Millennium Trail is a 1.5 km multi-use,
granular surface trail that runs east of Trulls Road, with access points at Nash Road, along
Durham Highway 2, as well as at the Courtice Recreation Complex. The proposed trail would
extend approximately 2 km west through the Black Creek valley lands north of Highway 2, then
follow south of Highway 2 through the Farewell Creek valley lands as identified on Figure 15.
Figure 13: Tooley's Mill Park
Intent 7.3.2.2
Provide a continuous multi-use pathway for bicycles and pedestrians including:
•Small scale open spaces links to the local street system and serve as trailheads;
•Entry designs and trailheads;
•Signage and wayfinding;
•Furnishing and comfort elements (seating areas, waste receptacles, lighting);
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 34
•Surfacing;
•Stormwater drainage plans;
•Provide entrances/identity features to the community;
•Provide bicycle securing facilities, landscaping, wayfinding signage, seating/rest area
amenities; and
•2 to 2.7 m wide multi-use granular surface trail as an extension of the Courtice
Millennium Trail.
Figure 14: Farewell Creek
FirwoodParkette
NASH RD
TRULLS RDREGIONAL HIGHWAY 2VARCOE RDAVONDALE DRCENTERFIELD DRSANDRINGHAM DRPRESTONVALE RDCOURTICE RDTOOLEY RDTOWNLINE RD SSTRATHALLAN DR
STUART RDDARLINGTON BLVDROBERT ADAMS DRFOXHUNT TRAILRENWICK RDFIELDCREST AVEWEAVER STBUSHFORD STPARKLAWN DR
CALECHE AVE
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BRIDLE CRTTOWNLINE RD NVALLEYCREST DR
LYNDALE CRESSTIRLING AVE
OLD KINGST
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GEORGE REYNOLDS DRALDERBROOK DR
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CLOVERFIELD ST
CLARET RDHALSTEAD RDGLENABSHORT CRESBEECHNUT CRESHILLHURST CRESCHERRY BLOSSOM CRESBARRON CRT
DALE PARK DR
DECOE CRTSANDRINGHAM DR
Community Improvement Project Area
Environmental Protection Area
ParcelsLocal Road
Highway
Existing Trail
Proposed Trail Expansion
Proposed Multi-Use Path
Proposed Trail Head Locations
0 150 30075 m SCALE 1:7200
MAP DRAWING INFORMATION:DATA PROVIDED BY MNR
MAP CREATED BY: SFGMAP CHECKED BY: MSMAP PROJECTION: NAD 1983 UTM Zone 17N
FILE LOCATION: I:\GIS\163243\Mapping\Proposed and Existing Trails in Study Area.mxd
PROJECT: 163243 STATUS: DRAFT DATE: 9/30/2016
Proposed and Existing Trails and Study AreaFIGURE #15
MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTONCourtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
Existing Trail Head
To be extended toward Hancock Road
Municipality of Clarington
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November 2016 – 16-3243 36
Potential Trail Cross-section 7.3.2.3
Figure 16 represents a demonstration of the potential trail design.
Figure 16: Low Impact Multi-Use Trail (granular surface)
•Clearing width: 3.0 – 5.0 m;
•Tread width: 2.0 – 2.7 m. Wider minimum tread width in areas where cycling is
anticipated, or where trail may eventually be paved;
•Clearing height: 3.0 m;
•Surface: Compacted limestone fines. Can be upgraded to asphalt should use increase or
cycling and accessibility be a consideration; and
•Grades: 0-5% with maximum sustained grades not exceeding 10%.
7.3.3 Acquisition and Access
Securing access to privately owned open space and green areas provides challenges to
implementing a publicly accessible trail. However, there are a number of mechanisms and
processes the Municipality has used to secure public access, including but not limited to:
•Stewardship, including voluntary action, that can be encouraged by incentives and
education; and
•Acquisition of full or partial interest, by means such as fee simple, covenant, easement,
lease or license agreement.
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan - DRAFT
November 2016 – 16-3243 37
Private land stewardship is important, but offers no certainty it will be continued by future
owners. As indicated previously, the Municipality owns a large portion of the environmental
protection areas in the CIP area, as identified on Figure 17. However, a significant portion of
lands are privately owned, which limits the potential in creating a publicly accessible trail
network immediately. As the properties along the corridor redevelop, dedication of the
floodplain and valleylands will be a condition of redevelopment. Current property owners could
assist with the trail development in advance of the redevelopment of their property as it will
increase the desirability of the area for future residents. Studies have shown that properties in
proximity to trails garner higher sales values and are more desirable.
In advance of dedication there are mechanisms for the current property owners to benefit from
trail development by entering into agreements with the Municipality as outlined below.
Licencing
In general, licence agreements negotiated with landowners would require the Municipality to
assume the risk for public access to the trail and provide maintenance. Public access deters
unwanted behaviours and provides for additional eyes in areas where there otherwise can be
undesirable behaviours.
In 2015, the Municipality secured a licence agreement at the former Bowmanville Boys Training
School/Camp 30 to provide approximately 1.2 kilometres of publicly accessible trail (750 m was
constructed by private companies as a donation). This approach provides a key reference for
Black Creek Trail implementation within the CIP project area.
Public easement
Private land owner would grant, dedicate, or lease a portion of their lands for public use.
Conservation easements are specific or limited rights of use granted by an owner. Such rights
are registered on title and are binding on future owners. Easements can provide for the
protection of a resource, trail construction and public access, or construction and maintenance
of regeneration works. An easement becomes legal when it is registered on the title to the
property at the land registry office. The Municipality has an easement agreement with
Contitech (formerly Goodyear) for trails and the fish ladder on Bowmanville Creek.
FirwoodParkette
NASH RD
TRULLS RDREGIONAL HIGHWAY 2VARCOE RDAVONDALE DRCENTERFIELD DRSANDRINGHAM DRPRESTONVALE RDCOURTICE RDTOOLEY RDTOWNLINE RD SSTRATHALLAN DR
STUART RDDARLINGTON BLVDROBERT ADAMS DRFOXHUNT TRAILRENWICK RDFIELDCREST AVEWEAVER STBUSHFORD STPARKLAWN DR
CALECHE AVE
PHAIR AVE
MCLELLAN DR
BRIDLE CRTTOWNLINE RD NVALLEYCREST DR
LYNDALE CRESSTIRLING AVE
OLD KINGST
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D
WHITE CLIFFE DRMCMANN CRESOBAN CRTDEVONDALE ST
GEORGE REYNOLDS DRALDERBROOK DR
EMPIRE CRESBROWNSTONE CRES
INGKENNEDY DRPOOLTON CRESGOLDPINE AVESTEPHEN AVE
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KINGSWAY GATE
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T WINDSOR VALLEY PLBLACKCREEK TRAIL
CLOVERFIELD ST
CLARET RDHALSTEAD RDGLENABSHORT CRESBEECHNUT CRESHILLHURST CRESCHERRY BLOSSOM CRESBARRON CRT
DALE PARK DR
DECOE CRTSANDRINGHAM DR
Municipally Owned Land
Community Improvement Project Area
Environmental Protection Area
Parcels
Local Road
Highway
Existing Trail
Proposed Trail Expansion
Proposed Multi-Use Path
Proposed Trail Head Locations
0 150 30075 m SCALE 1:7200
MAP DRAWING INFORMATION:DATA PROVIDED BY MNR
MAP CREATED BY: SFGMAP CHECKED BY: MSMAP PROJECTION: NAD 1983 UTM Zone 17N
FILE LOCATION: I:\GIS\163243\Mapping\Land Ownership and Proposed Trail Alignment.mxd
PROJECT: 163243 STATUS: DRAFT DATE: 9/30/2016
Land Ownership and ProposedTrail AlignmentFIGURE #17
MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTONCourtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
Existing Trail Head
Building Footprint
To be extended toward Hancock Road
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November 2016 – 16-3243 39
Dedication
In reviewing proposed plans for development (e.g., plans of subdivision, rezoning applications,
official plan amendments and severances), Environmental Protection Areas are conveyed to the
Municipality. Some developers have pre-dedicated environmental protection lands to take
advantage of not having to maintain them and also allowing for the trail development to
proceed in advance. This is seen as an advantage at a later date when marketing the adjacent
development with fully functioning lifestyle amenities. The Port of Newcastle trail development
along Graham Creek is an example.
Donation
Under the federal Ecological Gifts Program, owners of land which is certified by the Minister of
the Environment as important to the preservation of Canada's environmental heritage may
receive a favourable federal income tax credit for the full value of the land, easement or
covenant they donate to the Municipality, Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority or other
organization designated by the Minister. The Municipality has been the beneficiary of an
ecological gift under this program for lands south of the Tooley Mills parkette adjacent to
Townline Road. The Municipality is familiar with the requirements to receive such a gift. On a
cautionary note, unless the property is ecologically significant and of a sufficient size, the
process to obtain the income tax credit can be more onerous than other donation options.
The Municipality can provide tax receipts for donations of land which donors can then apply to
their income tax. This process has been used in a number of instances by the Municipality for
environmental protection lands.
Acquisition
This includes the purchase of the total interest in a property. Acquisition is often the most
costly approach to securing lands, and can be used where the public interest cannot be
achieved effectively through planning, regulation or voluntary measures such as stewardship,
dedication, or licencing. However, full ownership is the most effective way to protect
greenspace because the owner has full property rights on the lands.
Benefits and Risk Management 7.3.3.1
General public benefits, such as tourism, health, economic, are increasingly recognized. For
landowners granting public access there is concern that may arise from trespassing, injury and
potential lawsuits. Unfortunately, the perception of risk undermines recreation and planning
strategies. There are many ways to manage risk and the Municipality has resource materials
that will assist owners in understanding their limited liability.
Municipality of Clarington
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November 2016 – 16-3243 40
Recently, Bill 100 received royal assent and adds clarity to the Occupiers’ Liability Act and
reduces the legal ambiguity around what standard of care is owed to users of trails by land
owners. Bill 100 clarifies the standard of care required by not-for-profits and public owners and
managers of trails. Trail organizations and managers must still seek out permission from the
landowners (“the occupier”), but the new amendments to the Occupiers’ Liability Act may help
make owners more comfortable with giving such permission by clarifying that the users of the
free marked recreational trails use them at their own discretion and their own risk, even if the
owner or occupier of the trail receives money from the government for other reasons, such as
levies or charging parking fees.
The Benefits of a Connected Trail Network 7.3.3.2
Regardless of the management approach, proper planning, care and management of the
environmental protection area within the CIP project area supports the vision and objectives of
the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan. Providing a publically accessible open space and a
connected trail network will provide new opportunities for recreation, which in turn provides
multiple benefits for the community and land owners (listed below). Providing safe recreational
opportunities within these lands must be managed to reduce potentials risks from hazards,
deter encroachment from neighbours by erecting fencing, and discourage vandalism, dumping
or trespassing.
Maintaining properties through a formalized process such as those described above can provide
a safe environment for the public and enhance lands and improve the visitor experience and
long-term sustainability and maintenance.
Some of the landowner benefits to building safe, publically access trails include:
•Enhanced maintenance and maintenance standards (i.e., best management practices);
•Potential property value increases due to proximity to new open space and recreation
infrastructure;
•Increase enforcement and security for environmental protection areas under Municipal
management;
•Reduced maintenance and land management costs;
•Reduce potential liability risks for property owners;
•Improve overall condition of lands;
•Provide safe and secure lands by fencing boundaries, removing hazards, eliminating and
addressing illegal garbage dumping and unauthorized motorized use;
•Improve the integration between the maintenance and regeneration projects performed
on a property; and
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November 2016 – 16-3243 41
•Potential tax benefits or future development incentives.
7.3.4 Public Outreach and Trail Promotion
Promoting the Black Creek Trail network is encouraged. The following section outlines some
considerations to help promote the creation of a connected Black Creek Trail, including:
•Organizing one-on-one meetings with landowners to talk about the trail strategy;
•Using the Municipal and Regional trail mapping and social media feeds to provide
updates on trail implementation and to launch public information campaigns on
education and stewardship (e.g. share the trail, keep dogs on leashes, trail etiquette,
etc.;
•Creating trail-specific information brochure(s) for the Millennium and Black Creek Trail
to market the overall trail strategy and the various approved locations and benefits; and
•Developing partnerships with business, local developers, and other agencies.
Municipality of Clarington
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8 Incentive Programs
8.1 Approach
In order to help generate higher density residential and mixed use development and achieve
the vision for the Courtice Main Street area, the incentive programs contained in this
Community Improvement Plan (CIP) were specifically developed and customized to address the
key community improvement needs described in Section 5 of this report. Best practices were
utilized to develop draft incentive programs based on stakeholder input regarding the types of
incentive programs that would be most applicable and effective to address the key community
improvement needs and help achieve the vision for the Project Area. These draft financial
incentive programs were then finalized based on comments from the Project Steering
Committee (PSC), Council, and comments received during and after the second public meeting.
The incentive programs contained in the CIP can be activated by Council, one or more at a time,
based on Council approval of the implementation of each program, subject to the availability of
funding. This CIP is an enabling document, however, Council is under no obligation to activate
and implement any of the incentive programs contained in this CIP. Once activated, the
programs in this CIP can be used individually or together by an applicant. The Municipality may
accept applications all year round.
This CIP contains two incentive programs, i.e., a Development Charge (DC) Grant Program and a
Tax Increment Grant (TIG) Program. In order to avoid any confusion or double dipping between
the DC Grant Program contained in this CIP and the Development Charge reduction available in
the Courtice Revitalization Area as per Development Charge By-law No. 2015-035, projects
taking advantage of the Courtice Revitalization Area Development Charge incentive cannot
apply for any of the incentive programs contained within this CIP.
Based on best practices in other municipalities and the intensification goal and key community
improvement needs in the Courtice Main Street Project Area, a two-step approach was adopted
for the incentive programs in this CIP. In the first step, to ensure that all projects taking
advantage of the incentive programs in this CIP accomplish the desired intensification of the
Courtice Main Street Project Area, proposed projects must meet mandatory minimum
Municipality of Clarington
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November 2016 – 16-3243 43
intensification targets (height, density and FSI)2 in order to be eligible to apply for the incentive
programs contained in this CIP.
Once the proposed project has been deemed eligible to apply for the incentive programs, in the
second step the proposed project is evaluated against a project performance evaluation
framework3 to determine how well the project addresses the key community improvement
needs, and therefore, the value (percentage) of the DC Grant and/or TIG. The actual value
(percentage) of the DC Grant and/or TIG is determined by Municipal staff based on the as-built
project.
8.2 Summary of Programs
General requirements that apply to the programs contained in this CIP and program specific
requirements have been included in this CIP to help ensure that the vision for the Project Area
will be achieved while protecting the financial interests of the Municipality.
Table 1 below summarizes basic program details for each of the incentive programs. The
balance of this section provides the general program requirements, and basic details for each
incentive program including the program purpose, description, and requirements.
The percentage of the DC Grant and TIG specified in Table 1 and the number of years that the
annual TIG will be paid after project completion specified in Table 1 are maximums that can be
offered by the Municipality. When Council implements these programs after the CIP is adopted
and approved, Council can set these maximums at or below the maximums specified in Table 1,
depending on budget considerations at the time. It is recommended that the program duration
for both of the incentive programs contained in this CIP be at least 10 years 4.
2 See Appendix E for minimum intensification targets. Appendix E does not form part of the CIP, and
therefore may be changed from time to time as required without amendment to this Plan.
3 See Appendix F for the project performance evaluation framework. Appendix F does not form part of
the CIP, and therefore may be changed from time to time as required without amendment to this Plan.
4 Council may reduce or extend the program duration of any or all of the incentive programs without
amendment to this Plan.
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Table 1: Summary of Incentive Programs
Project
Performance3 Program Description4
If as-built project
achieves:
DC Grant (as a % of DC normally payable)
for projects that:
TIG (up to 10 year annual
grant) as a % of the
Municipal property tax
increment (TI)
Do not have to pay
cost share to the
Region for full
municipal services
Have to pay cost
share to the Region
for full municipal
services
3 of 5 performance
criteria 25% 50% 50% of TI
4 of 5 performance
criteria 30% 60% 60% of TI
5 of 5 performance
criteria 37.5% 75% 75% of TI
8.3 Regional Funding Participation
The Region of Durham has adopted a Regional Revitalization Program that guides how the
Region may participate financially, or otherwise, in area municipal CIPs. In order to avoid an
amendment to this CIP should the Region decide in the future to participate in the TIG Program
contained in this CIP, the TIG Program is shown as applying to the “municipal property tax
increment” (i.e., it could include both the Municipality of Clarington and Region of Durham
portion of the property tax increment). However, any future Regional participation in the TIG
Program is entirely subject to approval by Regional Council. Should the Region elect not to
participate in the TIG Program, then the property tax increment based grant available under
this program will apply only to the Municipality of Clarington property tax increment.
8.4 General Program Requirements
All of the financial incentive programs contained in this CIP are subject to the following general
requirements as well as the individual requirements specified under each program. The general
and program specific requirements contained in this CIP are not necessarily exhaustive. The
Municipality will determine administrative procedures to enact the program requirements.
a)Application for the incentive programs contained in this Plan can be made only for
properties within the Community Improvement Project Area;
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b)Application for the incentive programs can be made only for proposed development
projects that meet the applicable minimum intensification targets specified in Appendix
E;
c)An application for any financial incentive program must be submitted to the
Municipality prior to the commencement of any works to which the financial incentive
program will apply and prior to application for building permit;
d)The applicant must be the owner of the property;
e)An individual, corporation or other party who has litigation pending against the
Municipality is not eligible to apply for any of the incentive programs;
f)An application for any financial incentive program must include plans, estimates,
contracts, reports, rental rates, sale prices, and other details as required by the
Municipality with respect to costs of the project and conformity of the project with the
CIP incentive programs;
g)The Municipality may require that an applicant submit professional urban design studies
and/or professional architectural/ design drawings that are in conformity with the
Secondary Plan and any Urban Design Guidelines;
h)Review and evaluation of an application and supporting materials will be done by
Municipal staff, who will then make a recommendation to the Director of Planning
Services;
i)Each program will be considered active if Council has approved implementation of the
program, and Council has approved a budget allocation for the program (as applicable);
j)As a condition of application approval, the applicant will be required to enter into a
grant agreement with the Municipality. This Agreement will specify the terms, duration
and default provisions of the incentive;
k)Where other sources of government and/or non-profit organization funding (Federal,
Provincial, Municipal, CMHC, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, etc.) that can be
applied against the eligible costs are anticipated or have been secured, these must be
declared as part of the application. Accordingly, the grant may be reduced;
l)The Municipality reserves the right to audit the cost of any and all works that have been
approved under any of the financial incentive programs;
m)The Municipality is not responsible for any costs incurred by an applicant in relation to
any of the programs, including without limitation, costs incurred in anticipation of a
grant;
n)If the applicant is in default of any of the general or program specific requirements, or
any other requirements of the Municipality, the Municipality may delay, reduce or
cancel the approved grant, and require repayment of the approved grant;
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o)The Municipality may discontinue any of the programs contained in this CIP at any time,
but applicants with approved grants will continue to receive their grant, subject to
meeting the general and program specific requirements;
p)All proposed works approved under the financial incentive programs and associated
improvements to buildings and/or land must conform to all Municipal guidelines, by-
laws, policies, procedures, and standards;
q)All works completed must comply with the description of the works as provided in the
application form and contained in the grant agreement, with any amendments
approved by the Municipality;
r)Outstanding work orders, and/or orders or requests to comply, and/or other charges
from the Municipality must be satisfactorily addressed prior to grant
approval/payment;
s)Property taxes must be in good standing at the time of program application and
throughout the entire length of the grant commitment;
t)Municipality staff, officials, and/or agents of the Municipality may inspect any property
that is the subject of an application for any of the financial incentive programs offered
by the Municipality;
u)Applicants approved for the incentive programs will be required to complete the eligible
works within specified timeframes; and,
v)The total of all grants and tax assistance provided in respect of the particular property
for which an applicant is making application under the programs contained in this CIP
and any other applicable CIPs shall not exceed the eligible cost of the improvements to
that particular property under all applicable CIPs.
8.5 Development Charge Grant Program
8.5.1 Purpose
The purpose of this program is to encourage intensification in the form of higher density
residential, commercial and mixed use development in the Project Area. The DC Grant Program
is also designed to encourage development that is high quality in terms of design and
construction; pedestrian friendly and transit supportive; sustainable; offers a range of housing
types that are accessible and affordable; and, provides access to the Black Creek trail system
and enhanced open spaces, paths and trails. The DC Grant Program also provides an additional
incentive for eligible projects in the Project Area that have to pay their cost share to the Region
of the provision of full municipal services.
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8.5.2 Description
As shown in Table 1 (on page 44), the DC Grant Program will provide a grant equal to a portion
of the Municipality’s Development Charges normally payable for an as-built
development/redevelopment project in the Project Area that meets the minimum
intensification targets (see Appendix E for the minimum intensification targets). As shown in
Table 1, for a project that does not have to pay cost share for full municipal service, the DC
Grant can vary between 25% and 37.5% of the Municipality’s Development Charge normally
payable depending on the number of performance criteria achieved by the as-built project (See
Appendix F for the project performance evaluation framework). In the case of a project that
does have to pay cost share to the Region for full municipal services, the DC Grant can vary
between 50% and 75% of the Municipality’s Development Charge normally payable depending
on the number of performance criteria achieved by the as-built project. The Municipality may
elect to establish a maximum total grant that can be paid under this program per
application/property/project/budget year.
Development charges would be paid in full by an applicant for this program at the time
development charges are normally paid, e.g., building permit issuance. The grant will then be
paid only once when:
a)The eligible project is complete;
b)Final building inspections have taken place;
c)An occupancy permit has been issued (as applicable);
d)All deficiencies have been addressed;
e)All program and grant agreement requirements have been met to the Municipality’s
satisfaction; and,
f)The as-built project performance of the eligible project has been determined by the
Municipality.
8.5.3 Program Requirements
Applicants are eligible to apply for funding under this program subject to meeting the general
program requirements, the following program requirements, and subject to the availability of
funding as approved by Council:
a)The following types of projects are considered eligible for the program:
i) All residential, commercial, mixed use and other types of
development/redevelopment projects that that are not exempt from payment
of development charges and meet the minimum intensification targets;
b)The Municipality may require the applicant to submit a Business Plan, with said plan to
be sufficiently comprehensive to the satisfaction of the Municipality; and,
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c)The Municipality will require the development application to follow the requirements of
the Municipal Site Plan Control process.
8.6 Tax Increment Grant (TIG) Program
8.6.1 Purpose
The purpose of this program is to encourage intensification in the form of higher density
residential, commercial and mixed use development in the Project Area. The TIG Grant
Program is also designed to encourage development that is high quality in terms of design and
construction; pedestrian friendly and transit supportive; sustainable; offers a range of housing
types that are accessible and affordable; and, provides access to the Black Creek trail system
and enhanced open spaces, paths and trails. This program helps to effectively phase-in the
property tax impact that typically results from large scale development / redevelopment
projects and can be used to help secure project financing.
8.6.2 Description
As shown in Table 1 (on page 44), the TIG Program will provide a tax increment based grant
equal to between 50% and 75% of the municipal property tax increase 5 for up to 10 years
following completion of an as-built development/redevelopment project in the Project Area
that meets the minimum intensification targets (see Appendix E for the minimum
intensification targets). As shown in Table 1, the annual TIG can vary between 50% and 75% of
the municipal tax increment depending on the number of performance criteria achieved by the
as-built project (See Appendix F for the project performance evaluation framework). The
Municipality may elect to establish a maximum total grant that can be paid under this program
per application/property/project/budget year.
The TIG would be offered by the Municipality on a “pay-as-you-go” basis. The approved
applicant would first construct and complete the approved project. This program will then
provide an annual grant for up to 10 years following completion of an eligible project where
that project creates an increase in assessment, and therefore an impact on property taxes.
Pre-project Municipal taxes will be determined by Municipal staff before commencement of the
project at the time the application is approved. For purposes of the grant calculation, the
5 This program does not include the Education and Region portion of the property tax increase.
Municipality of Clarington
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increase in municipal taxes (tax increment) will be calculated as the difference between pre-
project municipal taxes and post-project municipal taxes that are levied as a result of re-
valuation of the property by the MPAC following project completion.
The grant will be paid annually once:
a)The eligible project is complete;
b) Final building inspections have taken place;
c)An occupancy permit has been issued (as applicable);
d) All deficiencies have been addressed;
e)All program and grant agreement requirements have been met to the Municipality’s
satisfaction;
f) The property has been reassessed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation
(MPAC);
g)The new property taxes have been paid in full for the year; and,
h)The as-built project performance of the eligible project has been determined by the
Municipality.
8.6.3 Program Requirements
Applicants are eligible to apply for funding under this program, subject to meeting the general
program requirements and the following program requirements:
a)The following types of projects are considered eligible for this program:
i) All residential, commercial, mixed use and other types of
development/redevelopment projects that result in an impact on the
assessment value and municipal property taxes on the property where the
project has taken place;
b)The Municipality may require the applicant to submit a Business Plan, with said plan to
be sufficiently comprehensive to the satisfaction of the Municipality;
c)The Municipality may require the development application to follow the requirements
of the municipal Site Plan Control process;
d)While the Municipality may allow an Applicant with an approved Tax Increment Grant to
assign the Grant to an assignee as the result of the sale or other transfer of the
property, the approved Tax Increment Grant will cease upon any subsequent sale or
other transfer of the property.
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9 Monitoring Program
9.1 Purpose
The Monitoring Program set out in this section has several purposes. It is designed to monitor:
a)Funds dispersed through the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) incentive programs so
as to determine which programs are being most utilized, and use this information to
adjust the programs, as required;
b)Feedback from applicants to the incentive programs so that adjustments can be made to
the incentive programs, as required; and,
c)The economic, social and other impacts associated with projects taking advantage of the
CIP incentive programs.
This CIP is not intended to be a static document. It is intended to be a plan that supports the
long-term transformation of the Project Area into the vision contained in the Secondary Plan.
Therefore, information obtained through the Monitoring Program should be used by the
Municipality to periodically adjust the incentive programs to make them even more relevant
and user friendly. Information collected through the Monitoring Program will assist with
providing annual reports to Council on the amount of private sector investment being
leveraged by the municipal incentive programs and the economic, social and other benefits
associated with these private sector projects.
9.2 Description
Monitoring of the uptake and performance of the incentive programs will be reported to
Council annually. As well, feedback from users of the incentive programs will be considered and
utilized to adjust the incentive programs in order to improve their effectiveness and ensure that
the incentive programs are effective for a range of project types and sizes in the Project Area.
Table 2 presents a list of the variables that may be monitored on an individual project and
aggregate basis for the incentive programs contained in this CIP. In addition to these
quantitative economic measures, the Municipality will also attempt to monitor the qualitative
results of the CIP in terms of its social and community benefits. This may include the impact of
intensification projects on existing businesses and properties in the Project Area.
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Table 2: Monitoring Variables
Program Suggested Monitoring Variables
1.
Development
Charge Grant
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Number of applications by type (residential, commercial, mixed, infill,
redevelopment, expansion, conversion, etc.);
Level of project performance, i.e., number of project performance
criteria achieved;
Grant as a % of DC normally payable;
$ amount of grant by project;
Total $ value of construction;
Number of residential units by type and square footage constructed;
Square footage of commercial space rehabilitated or constructed;
Square footage of institutional and other types of space constructed;
Number of new businesses successfully occupying space (1 year post
completion);
Increase in assessed value of participating property;
Increase in municipal (Clarington and Region) and education property
taxes of participating property;
Number and $ amount of program defaults.
2.
Tax
Increment
Grant
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Number of applications by type (residential, commercial, mixed, infill,
redevelopment, expansion, conversion, etc.);
Level of project performance, i.e., number of project performance
criteria achieved;
Grant as a % of the municipal tax increment;
$ amount of grant by project;
Total $ value of construction;
Number of residential units by type and square footage of residential
space converted, rehabilitated or constructed;
Square footage of commercial and institutional space rehabilitated or
constructed;
Number of new businesses successfully occupying space (1 year post
completion);
Increase in assessed value of participating property;
Increase in municipal (Clarington and Region) and education property
taxes of participating property;
Number and $ amount of program defaults.
9.3 Program Adjustments
The individual incentive programs contained in this CIP can be activated, deactivated or
discontinued by Council without amendment to this Plan. Increases in funding provided by the
financial incentives contained in this CIP via an increase in the DC percentage and/or TIG
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percentage and/or increase in the number of years the TIG would be paid out, the addition of
any new incentive programs to this CIP, or an expansion of the Community Improvement
Project Area will require a formal amendment to this Plan. The Municipality may periodically
review and adjust the terms and requirements of any of the programs contained in this Plan,
without amendment to the Plan. Such minor changes or discontinuation of programs will be
provided to the Region of Durham and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for
information purposes only.
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10 Marketing Strategy
10.1 Key Objectives and Messages
It is important to the successful implementation of this Community Improvement Plan (CIP)
that information on the Municipality’s incentive programs be clearly and effectively
communicated and marketed to private sector parties considering development in the Project
Area. Implementation of the Black Creek Trail and other public realm improvements that have
already taken place in the Project Area must also be effectively communicated to property
owners, business owners, developers, potential end users, and residents within the Project
Area, within the rest of the Municipality, within the Region of Durham, and beyond.
The purpose of this Marketing Strategy is to lay out a general framework that the Municipality
can use to proactively and regularly educate, advertise and market the significant initiatives
being undertaken by the Municipality to actively support intensification and achievement of the
key community improvement objectives within the Community Improvement Project Area. This
includes communicating the primary Secondary Plan goal of the CIP which is to generate higher
density residential, and mixed use development within the Courtice Main Street area, and the
key community improvement objectives, which include:
•An increase in overall long-term residential density, including the provision of
approximately 2,000 residential units;
•High quality architecture, urban design, building materials and construction;
•Housing choice, accessibility and affordability;
•Pedestrian-friendly development that supports transit, active transportation, and
accessibility;
•Access to the Black Creek trail system and enhanced green/open spaces, paths and
trails;
•Development that is sustainable, i.e. development that reduces waste, energy
consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and water consumption from
preconstruction to operation; and,
•The protection of significant natural heritage and hydrologic features and strengthening
of their functioning and interrelationship through conservation and environmental
stewardship.
It is important that the incentive programs and other municipally-led initiatives in the Project
Area be consistently reinforced and placed in context via communication of the above-noted
messages.
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It is recommended that the Municipality work with the Clarington Board of Trade and Office of
Economic Development to implement a Marketing Strategy that:
a)Provides direction on how to obtain information on available incentive programs,
including program guides and application forms, as well as assistance and advice from
Municipal staff on making application for the incentive programs;
b) Informs property and business owners, resident and developers with regard to actions
planned by the Municipality, Region and Province to extend infrastructure servicing,
transit and other transportation improvements, and other improvements to the public
realm both within and connecting to the Project Area; and,
c)Publicizes planned, under construction and completed intensification and mixed use
project success stories within the Project Area.
10.2 Reaching the Target Audience
The long-term success of the CIP will depend on investment from within and outside the Project
Area. Therefore, it will be very important to regularly reach out to various business and
developer groups using marketing tools and inform them about available incentive programs,
and any planned public realm improvements and intensification projects.
The Marketing Strategy should be targeted to:
a)Existing property owners and business owners both within and outside the Project Area;
b)Developers active in the Clarington, Durham, and GTA markets, and beyond, including
developer networks such as the Durham Region Home Builders Association (DRHBA),
Durham Construction Association, Building Industry and Land Development Association
(BILD), the Toronto Construction Association, and Building Owners and Managers
Association (BOMA) Toronto;
c)Support professionals, including real estate professionals, lending institutions such as
banks and trust companies, planning consultants, architects, and others; and,
d)Residents within and outside the Project Area, as well as the general public.
10.3 Marketing Tools
The marketing of the CIP incentive programs should be a comprehensive multi-media campaign
containing information, education and advertising components. The following key tools are
recommended to implement the Marketing Strategy:
a)An online and hardcopy brochure outlining the CIP initiative and financial incentive
programs available from the Municipality and the Clarington Board of Trade and Office
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of Economic Development, including information on incentive amounts, program
requirements and how to apply. This brochure should contain enough information to
pique the interest of any property owner or developer considering development in the
Project Area and encourage such individuals to contact the Municipality for additional
information on the incentive programs. The brochure should be easy to read, clear, and
include contact information at the Municipality;
b)Provision of this brochure to all business and property owners within the Project Area;
c)Articles in business, planning and engineering publications such as the Clarington Board
of Trade Reflect on Business, the Clarington Planning eUpdate, and the Clarington
Engineering Services newsletter. These articles should contain a description of the
incentive programs available from the Municipality, and highlights of planned
transportation, infrastructure and public realm improvements in the Project Area. As
time goes on, these publications can profile intensification projects that have taken
advantage of the CIP incentive programs;
d)Profiling of the CIP, incentive programs and intensification success stories in planning
and economic development publications, newsletters and other publications published
by the Clarington Board of Trade, the Region and external sources;
e)Stories in local media (newspaper, radio, web) on the CIP and planned improvements to
and within the Project Area;
f)Addition to the Municipality’s web page of information on the available incentive
programs, and the aforementioned brochure and articles;
g)Periodic presentations to the target audience (see Section 10.2 above), especially
developer and professional support networks, on available incentives programs,
planned improvements, and project success stories in the Project Area. This should
include presentations organized by the Clarington Board of Trade for its members.
These presentations should focus on how to apply for the incentive programs, how
applications are processed and approved, how long the application process takes, and
resources available to assist with information and advice;
h)Media Releases and profiles of successful projects and initiatives should be sent to local
and outside media; and,
i)Requiring recipients of CIP incentive programs to post a sign (supplied by the
Municipality) that indicates that the project is taking advantage of the Municipality’s CIP
incentive programs.
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11 Conclusion
This Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is largely based on the vision and objectives contained
in the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan and the Municipality’s Official Plan. The primary
goal of this CIP is to generate higher density residential, commercial and mixed use
development in the Courtice Main Street Project Area. The preparation of this CIP has
benefitted greatly from a comprehensive program of stakeholder and community consultation,
as well as the guidance provided by Regional and Municipal staff and Council.
The incentive programs and other actions contained in this CIP have been specifically
developed to address the key community improvement needs in the Project Area. For example,
by employing minimum intensification targets, the incentive programs contained in this CIP are
designed to help promote higher density development and ensure that the Municipality’s
intensification objectives for the Project Area will be achieved. Furthermore, the utilization of a
project performance evaluation framework for the incentive programs and the articulation of a
Black Creek Trail Implementation Strategy will help to ensure that all the key community
improvement objectives for the Project Area are achieved.
The adoption and approval of this CIP will provide the legislative basis and comprehensive
policy framework for the incentive programs and other actions needed to achieve the
Municipality’s vision for Courtice Main Street. Successful implementation of this CIP will require
a long-term commitment by Council to fund, implement, administer, market and monitor the
incentive programs. Of course, the implementation of this CIP will have to be coordinated with
planned infrastructure and transportation improvements in the Project Area.
Experience in other municipalities has shown that early and effective implementation of the
Marketing Strategy will help to make developers, property and business owners aware of the
available incentive program opportunities. This will result in a more successful CIP. Ongoing
monitoring of the performance of the incentive programs and adjustment of the programs as
required will help to ensure the effectiveness of this CIP.
Appendix A
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A Summary of Policy Framework
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1 Policy Framework
1.1 Provincial Policy Statement, 2014
The Provincial Policy Statement (the “PPS”) is issued under Section 3 of the Planning Act and
provides direction on matters of provincial significance related to land use planning and
development. Section 3 of the Planning Act requires that, “decisions affecting planning matters
shall be consistent with policy statements issued under the Act ”.
The Province of Ontario released the latest version of the PPS on February 24, 2014 and the
policies took effect on April 30, 2014. The vision for land use planning in Ontario in the PPS
states that “the long-term prosperity and social well-being of Ontarians depends on planning
for strong sustainable communities for people of all ages, a clean and healthy environment, and
a strong competitive economy”. To this end, the PPS promotes:
•Efficient development and land use patterns (Section 1.1.1 a);
•An appropriate range and mix of residential, employment, institutional, recreation,
park and open space, and other uses (Section 1.1.1 b)
•Cost-effective development patterns and standards to minimize land consumption
and servicing costs (Section 1.1.1 e);
The PPS also notes that Planning authorities shall:
•Identify appropriate locations and promote opportunities for intensification and
redevelopment (Section 1.1.3.3);
•Promote economic development and competitiveness by encouraging compact,
mixed-use development that incorporates compatible employment uses to support
liveable and resilient communities (Section 1.3.1 c);
•Provide for an appropriate range and mix of housing types and densities to meet
projected requirements of current and future users and residents of the regional
market area (Section 1.4.3); and,
•Promote densities for new housing which efficiently use land, resources,
infrastructure and public service facilities, and support the use of active
transportation and transit in areas where it exists or is to be developed (Section 1.4.3
d).
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1.2 Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe
The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (“Growth Plan”), released in 2006, is the
Province of Ontario’s growth strategy for the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, which wa s
completed under the “Places to Grow” initiative, including the Places to Grow Act, 2005. The
Growth Plan is identified as “a framework for implementing the Government of Ontario’s vision
for building stronger, more prosperous communities by managing growth in the region to
2041”. The Municipality of Clarington and the Regional Municipality of Durham are included in
the Greater Golden Horseshoe Plan Area.
The Growth Plan provides an overall growth strategy for the Golden Horseshoe that
complements the PPS and is implemented primarily by municipal planning documents and
other municipal tools. The Growth Plan seeks to build vibrant and compact communities that
protect and enhance natural resources, support a strong and competitive economy, and
optimize the use of new and existing infrastructure.
The Courtice Main Street Study Area is within the delineated “Built-up Area” in the Growth Plan
which permits urban development. A number of the policies in the Growth Plan are relevant to
the Courtice Main Street area, including policies that promote:
•Building compact, vibrant and complete communities and optimizing the use of
existing and new infrastructure (Section 1.2.2);
•Reducing dependence on the automobile through the development of mixed use,
transit supportive, pedestrian friendly urban environments (Section 2.2.2.1 d);
•Building complete communities with a diverse mix of land uses, a range and mix of
employment and housing types, high quality public open spaces and easy access to
local stores and services (Section 2.2.2.1 h);
•All intensification areas being planned and designed to generally achieve higher
densities than the surrounding areas (Section 2.2.3.7 e);
•Major transit station areas and intensification corridors being planned to achieve
increased residential and employment densities (Section 2.2.5.1 a);
•Expanding transit service to areas that have achieved, or will be planned so as to
achieve, transit-supportive residential and employment densities (Section 3.2.3.2 c);
•The planning of high density residential and employment uses to support public
transit planning (Section 3.2.3a);
•Development of a system of publicly accessible parkland, open space and trails
(Section 4.2.1.4); and,
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•Land use patterns and urban design standards that facilitate water conservation,
energy conservation, air quality protection and integrated waste management
(Sections 4.2.4.1 a-d).
1.3 Durham Regional Official Plan
Approved in 1993 and last consolidated in June 2015, the Durham Regional Official Plan (ROP)
incorporates several land use policy provisions which apply directly to the Courtice Main Street
area.
1.3.1 Regional Structure and Land Use Policy
Under the ROP, the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) Study Area falls under the Urban
System land use policy structure. The Study Area is within the Regional Urban Area Boundary
and Built Boundary areas, meaning development may proceed on the basis of full municipal
servicing. In the most general terms, Regional policy for Urban Areas directs that such areas
“shall be developed with regard for the principles of adaptability over time, sustainable
development, harmony with nature and diversity and integration of structures and functions.”
The Region has directed that planning and development of these areas be based on the
following principles:
•Compact, transit-supportive urban form for increased usage;
•Mix of uses;
•Intensification;
•Good urban design;
•Internal and external linkages for pedestrians and cyclists within and between
communities, and to the public transit system;
•A transit-supportive road pattern based on a grid system of arterial roads, recognizing
environmental constraints; and
•A Greenlands System that complements and enhances the Urban System.
Several general land use policies which apply to these Urban Areas are directly relevant t o the
CIP, including the following provisions:
•Regional Council shall initiate a streetscape improvement program along Regional
roads (e.g. Highway 2);
•Commercial uses are directed to concentrate in locations supportive of the function
of Regional Centres (one of which is designated within the Study Area) and Regional
Corridors (e.g. Highway 2); and,
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•Existing shopping centres are encouraged to redevelop with a full array of compatible
uses, particularly residential uses.
1.3.2 Land Use Designations
Regional land use designations applicable to the Courtice Main Street area are shown in Figure
1.
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MAP ADAPTED FROM SCHEDULE A, MAP A5 OF DURHAM REGIONAL OFFICIAL PLAN AND MAP A2 OF MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON OFFICIAL PLAN
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PROJECT: 163243 STATUS: DRAFT DATE: 11/4/2016
Study Area
Local Road
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Major Open Space
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Durham Regional Official Plan Regional StructureFIGURE #1
MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTONCourtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan Regional Corridor
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Much of the Study Area is designated as Living Areas in the ROP and Highway 2 is designated as
a Regional Corridor. General policies in this designation support compact development by way
of higher densities and intensification and redevelopment of existing areas, particularly along
arterial roads.
Regional policy also directs that such areas shall be developed with particular consideration for
supporting and providing access to public transit. While housing is intended to be the
predominant land use, other uses including home occupations, certain public and recreati onal
uses, limited office development, convenience commercial, limited retail commercial, and some
employment uses are also permitted.
The Courtice Main Street (Highway 2) is designated as a Regional Corridor in the ROP. The
general intent for Corridors calls for such areas to be developed in such a way as to: promote
public transit ridership through a mix of uses at higher densities, employing sensitive urban
design that orients development to the corridor; maintain and enhance the historical main
street by integrating new forms of development with existing development; and preserve and
enhance cultural heritage resources. More specifically, Regional Corridors are to be planned
and developed with higher density mixed uses, supporting higher order transit s ervices and
pedestrian oriented development.
Built form is directed to include a wide variety of building forms, generally mid -rise in height,
with some higher buildings. Regional policy for development within the Study Area supports an
overall, long-term density target of at least 60 residential units per gross hectare and a floor
space index of 2.5.
A portion of the Study Area (located approximately at Highway 2 and Trulls Rd) is designated in
the ROP as a Regional Centre. The general intent of this de signation encourages the
development of a concentration of commercial, residential, cultural and government functions
in a well-designed and intensive land use form. The ROP directs that Regional Centres be
planned and developed to:
•Provide a fully integrated array of institutional, commercial, major retail, residential,
recreational, cultural, entertainment and major office uses;
•Function as places of symbolic and physical interest for residents;
•Provide identity to the local area municipality;
•Support an overall, long-term density target of at least 75 residential units per gross
hectare and a floor space index of 2.5; and
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•Adopt a built form that includes an appropriate mix of high-rise and mid-rise
development.
A sizeable portion of the Study Area is bisected by both the Farewell Creek north-south and the
Black Creek east-west. These natural features are designated Major Open Space Areas in the
ROP. Although Regional policy directs that conservation be the predominant use in these areas,
a full range of agricultural, agricultural-related and secondary uses are permitted. The ROP also
allows the lower-tier Official Plan to designate permitted non-agricultural uses which are
compatible with the character of the area. Proposals for development of non -agricultural uses
must satisfy a series of conditions pertaining to land use compatibility (e.g. potential for
negative effects on key natural heritage or hydrologic features, degree of site disturbance and
area of impervious surface, among others).
1.3.3 Community Improvement Plans
Section 14.4 of the ROP contains policies on CIPs. In addition to the ability for the Region to
prepare and adopt Regional CIPs, Section 14.4 of the ROP also specifies that the Region may
assist in the implementation of area municipal CIPs by adopting a Regional Revitalization
Program that will guide how the Region may participate financially, or otherwise, in area
municipal CIPs. Section 14.4 of the ROP also notes that the Region’s participation in the
implementation of an area municipal CIP is intended for projects that contribute to achieving
the goals of the ROP for the development of urban areas.
1.4 Municipality of Clarington Official Plan
The Municipality’s Official Plan (OP) was approved in 1996 and last consolidated in February
2014. As the primary policy document at the lower tier level, the OP guides land use in Courtice
and Clarington as a whole. It addresses land use policy as well as community improvement
planning.
The Municipality is currently undertaking an OP review process to p rovide direction for growth
and development to the year 2031 and beyond. As part of the OP review, two major
amendments (OPA 77 and 89) have already been adopted and are in force. These amendments
are the urban design policies and Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan, respectively. The
financial incentives contemplated as part of the CIP support the intent of the OP and Secondary
Plan.
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A draft version of the revised OP was released for public comment in May 2016.1 While changes
have been proposed in the draft OP, the following sections refer to the council-approved OP
currently in force at the time of writing this document. The Courtice Main Street Secondary
Plan was written with these anticipated changes in mind (see Section 1.5).
1.4.1 Land Use Designations
The Municipality’s urban structure and land use designations applicable to the Courtice Main
Street area are shown in Figure 2.
1 See: http://www.claringtonopreview.ca/information/draft-OP.php
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Figure 2 - Land Use in Courtice Urban Area
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Much of the area along Highway 2 within the Study Area is designated as a Corridor in the OP.
Such lands are intended to form the main linkages between residential centres and fulfill the
Municipality’s objectives for intensification, mixed-use development and pedestrian/transit-
supportive development. In general, Corridors are intended to accommodate a range of higher
density residential uses complemented by compatible retail, service and institutional uses.
These areas are to be designed to accommodate public transit and a range of alternative
transportation modes, with the pedestrian as the first priority.
The areas alongside Farewell Creek and the Black Creek are designated Environmental
Protection Areas in the OP. Lands within this designation are recognized to be the most
significant components of the Municipality's natural environment, to be preserved and
protected from the effects of human activity. Development on such lands is limited to low
intensity recreation uses and uses related to forest, fish and wildlife management or erosion
control and stormwater management.
Consistent with the provisions set out in the ROP, the area around the intersection of Highway
2 and Trulls Rd is designated as a Town Centre in the OP. These areas are intended to function
as focal points for culture, art, entertainment and civic gathering, as well as places of sy mbolic
and physical interest for residents, fostering a sense of local identity. Town Centres are
intended to be developed as the main concentrations of urban activity, providing a fully
integrated array of retail and personal service, office, residential, cultural, community,
recreational and institutional uses. Residential uses are encouraged in order to achieve higher
densities and reinforce the objective of achieving a diverse mix of land uses. The Municipality
has directed its policy towards achieving a target of 30,000 sq.m. of gross leasable floor area for
retail and service uses and a maximum floor space index of 1.5 in the Courtice Town Centre.
Detailed land use policies for the Courtice Town Centre are provided for in the Courtice Main
Street Secondary Plan and respective Zoning By-law.
Detailed land use policies within the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan are further described
in Section 1.5 of this appendix.
1.4.2 Community Improvement Plans
Section 22 of the OP contains the Municipality’s Community Improvement policies (see
Appendix B of the main report). The goal of community improvement in Clarington is to
provide for and encourage public and private sector activities for the purpose of the
maintenance, rehabilitation and redevelopment of the existing built environment of the
Municipality.
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Map I of the OP shows community improvement project areas where it is the intent of the
Municipality to prepare CIPs. CIPs have been completed for Bowmanville, Newcastle and
Orono and the Study Area in Courtice is listed as first priority for the preparation of a CIP.
Section 22.3.4 notes that CIPs will be implemented by means of powers conferred upon Council
under the Planning Act, the Municipal Act, and other applicable legislation. This includes but is
not limited to the acquisition, improvement and disposal of land and buildings, and the
encouragement of infilling, redevelopment and other land use intensification.
Section 22.3.5 of the OP also notes that the Municipality will consult with the Region of Durham
when preparing CIPs to ensure coordination of improvements to sewer, water and other
Regional services with municipal improvements and the Municipality will consult with the
Region prior to the approval of any community improvement plan.
1.5 Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan
Approved in November 2014, the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan provides policy guidance
to allow for gradual change in the form of a long-term land use and design vision for the
Courtice Main Street area. The boundary of the Secondary Plan is shown in Figure 3 and is
consistent with the boundary of the Study Area.
The Secondary Plan is intended to help realize the Municipality’s vision for the Courtice Main
Street area as a dense, mixed use, transit-supportive and pedestrian-friendly environment
while preserving valuable natural heritage features, built form and community character. The
Plan includes a series of ambitious objectives, including:
•To achieve an increase in overall long-term residential density in keeping with
Regional intensification targets, including the provision of approximately 2,000
residential units;
•To provide for the development of a bus rapid transit system along Highway 2 and
facilitate its redevelopment into a compact mixed use area over a 20 year period;
•To encourage sustainable practices in development and redevelopment, such as
encouraging new buildings to be LEED certified (or equivalent) so as to demonstrate
excellence in environmental and energy con servation measures from preconstruction
to operation; and,
•To protect significant natural heritage and hydrologic features and strengthen their
function and interrelationship through conservation and environmental stewardship.
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As previously noted, the CIP has been prepared to help achieve and implement the vision,
policy goals and objectives in the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan.
14
1.5.1 Land Use Designations
The Secondary Plan land use designations are shown in Figure 3.
The Municipality has set a general target of a minimum of 60 residential units per gross hectare
throughout the Secondary Plan area; within the Town Centre overlay, the intensification target
increases to 75 residential units per gross hectare. Recognizing that substantial redevelopment
will have to occur in order to meet these targets, the Secondary Plan assumes long-term
redevelopment over time. All new development must have a minimum height of 2 storeys,
regardless of the use.
Lands designated Environmental Protection Area account for the largest proportion of the
Study Area (18.4 ha, generally including the Black Creek and Farewell Creek valley lands).
Development of these lands is restricted under the provisions of the same OP designation.
1.5.1.1 Commercial Uses
The Commercial designation applies to approximately 14.5 ha of land within the Study Area.
These lands constitute the western gateway into Courtice and are intended to redevelop into a
more compact built form by incorporating office uses and/or high density residential uses over
the long term. All new developments are limited to a maximum height of 8 storeys.
The Commercial Mixed-Use designation applies to approximately 2.4 ha of land within the
Study Area. Existing small-scale commercial plazas on these lands are intended to redevelop
over time through the introduction of more intensive retail and/or service uses at grade, with
residential uses on upper floors. All new developments are permitted to a maximum of 4
storeys in height.
1.5.1.2 Residential Uses
Lands designated for residential uses not subject to the Town Centre overlay account for
approximately 16.2 ha of land within the Study Area. A range of housing types, tenure and sizes
are encouraged within three designations, including: Medium Density, Low-Rise High Density
and Mid-Rise High Density.
Medium Density Residential lands account for approximately 5.1 ha of land, with new
developments limited to a maximum height of 4 storeys and no more than 20% GFA accounted
for by non-residential uses. Low-Rise High Density lands account for approximately 7.6 ha of the
Study Area and new developments must have a minimum height of 3 storeys up to a maximum
of 6 storeys, with no more than 20% GFA accounted for by non-residential uses. Permitted
typologies within the Medium Density and Low-Rise High Density designations include
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townhouses, stacked townhouses, low rise apartment buildings and dwelling units as part of a
mixed-use building.
Mid-Rise High Density lands account for approximately 3.6 ha of the Study Area and represent
the highest density use permitted within the Secondary Plan. Within this designation, new
developments must have a minimum height of 6 storeys up to a maximum of 10 storeys. Any
residential built form which conforms to the height requirements is permitted. Retail, service
and office uses are permitted on the ground floor of mixed use buildings under all of the above
residential designations.
Much of the existing housing in the Study Area is made up of single-detached dwellings on large
lots. These existing dwellings are viewed as an opportunity for land assembly to enable the
development of higher density residential uses alongside complimentary service/retail uses.
1.5.1.3 Town Centre Designation
The Town Centre overlay allows for a mix of residential, commercial and institutional uses. It is
intended to allow for the development of public facilities such as a central square and/or public
library. In keeping with the Regional policy directive for the development of a Regional Centre,
the central square is intended to act as a focal point for community events, passive recreation,
social gatherings, and public art installations/exhibitions. These uses are envisioned on the
small portion of land designated Community Facility (approximately 0.6 ha).
Lands under the Town Centre overlay amount to approximately 16.7 ha of the Study Area. The
majority of land area is accounted for by lands designated Town Centre Commercial
(approximately 12.1 ha), which permits retail, service and office uses, community facilities, and
residential uses. New developments are permitted up to 6 storeys in height.
The Town Centre overlay includes two residential areas, including Medium Density
(approximately 2.9 ha) and Low-Rise High Density (approximately 1.1 ha).
1.5.2 Urban Design Guidelines
The Secondary Plan seeks to achieve the following key urban design objectives:
•Mixed-use land use structure that supports higher densities;
•Provision of new public spaces and public realm enhancements;
•Support transit, cycling and walking along Courtice Main Street through streetscape
enhancements and a new street cross-section; and
16
•Development of an integrated trail network connecting the Black Creek and Farewell
Creek lands.
1.5.2.1 Urban Design Precincts
To achieve these objectives, the Secondary Plan area is split into four distinct precincts, each
with its own specific urban design policies. The boundary of each precinct is shown in Figure 4.
The West Gateway Precinct functions as the western entrance to the Courtice Main Street area.
In this precinct, the greatest intensity of development is intended to be found along Highway 2
to support transit oriented development. Buildings at the intersection of Highway 2 and
Townline Rd will be subject to massing, height and architectural guidelines intended to
accentuate the gateway/entrance function. Surface parking is to be replaced by underground
and structured parking.
Located in the centre of the Secondary Plan area, the Black Creek Precinct serves to encourage
redevelopment of existing single storey retail and service use buildings into multi-storey mixed-
use developments. Buildings along Highway 2 are intended to reflect the greatest levels of
density, height and massing, and will be encouraged to locate as close to the street edge as
possible to support public transit and pedestrian activities. New developments adjacent to the
Black Creek valley will be required to dedicate land for environmental protection purposes and
provision of a recreational trail, encouraging views of the Black Creek incorporated into site and
building design.
The Town Centre Precinct shares the same boundary as the Town Centre land use designation.
It is intended to provide for a central square to serve as a focal area and place for community
gatherings and events. Buildings along Highway 2 are intended to reflect the greatest levels of
density, height and massing, while those located at the corner of Highway 2 and Trulls Rd will
be subject to design guidelines intended to accentuate the gateway function. An
interconnected street pattern and walkable blocks will serve to maintain visual connectivity to
the natural heritage features nearby and pedestrian views of the square. A prominent
landscaped pedestrian walkway is planned to connect the residential and commercial areas of
the precinct.
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan – Draft
November 2016 – 16-3243
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan – Draft
November 2016 – 16-3243
18
The East Gateway Precinct functions as the eastern entrance to the Courtice Main Street area.
While it is currently anchored by an auto-sales use and single detached dwellings, it is intended
to be redeveloped over time into a mixed-use precinct with high and medium density
residential uses alongside limited service, retail and community uses at grade. New
development along Highway 2 will be subject to design guidelines intended to accentuate the
gateway function and buildings will be encouraged to locate a s close as possible to the street
edge so as to support public transit and pedestrian activities.
1.5.2.2 Proposed Public Realm Improvements
Detailed urban design guidelines are conveyed through a supplementary appendix to the
Secondary Plan. These guidelines offer specific details on three categories of development: site
planning and built form; open space, natural heritage and trails; and streetscaping and
gateways. A number of public realm improvements are described within the guidelines,
including:
•Gateway features;
•Enhanced landscaping and pedestrian facilities;
•Consolidated site access and screening of servicing areas;
•A 3m-wide multi-use path along the north side of Highway 2; and
•A 36m street cross-section and related streetscaping.
The CIP will be used as a tool to implement these improvements and incentivize development
consistent with the urban design guidelines.
1.6 Development Charge By-law
The Municipality’s Development Charge By-law No. 2015-035 provides a development charge
incentive to promote small business expansion, mixed use and mid-rise residential
development in specific areas within Newcastle Village, Orono, Bowmanville and Courtice,
known as “Revitalization Areas”. The Revitalization Area in Courtice is shown below in Figure 5.
The Revitalization Area in Courtice covers approximately half of the Study Area, running from
Courtice Road in the east to a point just west of Prestonvale Road, but excluding the Town
Centre.
Development Charges By-law No. 2015-035 Page 125
Schedule "40" to Development Charges By-law 2015-_
2 For more information on the Development Charge By-law 2015-035, please see:
http://www.clarington.net/en/do-business/development -charges.asp
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan – Draft
November 2016 – 16-3243
20
Within the Revitalization Areas, the Development Charge By-law provides for the following
development charge incentives:
i)For expansion of an existing commercial building of less than 250 square metres, no
development charge when the expansion is 50% or less of the gross floor area, and a
reduced development charge when the expansion is greater than 50% of the gross
floor area; and,
ii)For a masonry-clad multi-storey mixed use building of 2 or more stories or a masonry-
clad apartment building or a masonry-clad retirement residence of 4 stories or more,
the development charge payable is 50% of the development charge normally
payable.2
In order to avoid confusion or double dipping between the Courtice Revitalization Area
Development Charge incentive and the incentives contained in this CIP, Section 8.1 of the main
report specifies that development projects taking advantage of the Courtice Revitalization Area
Development Charge incentive cannot apply for any of the incentive programs contained within
this CIP.
Appendix B
Municipality of Clarington
November 2016 – 16-3243
B Municipality of Clarington Official Plan: Community Improvement Policies
Municipality of Clarington Official Plan
Chapter 22 – Page 1
22.Community Improvement
22.1 Goal
22.1.1 To provide for and encourage public and private sector activities for
the purpose of the maintenance, rehabilitation and redevelopment of
the existing built environment of the Municipality.
22.2 Objectives
22.2.1 To maximize the efficient use of existing public services and facilities.
22.2.2 To improve the public infrastructure where deficiencies or
deteriorating conditions exist.
22.2.3 To provide guidance to Council in setting priorities for municipal
spending with respect to community improvement projects.
22.3 Policies
22.3.1 Community Improvement Project Areas and Subareas are shown on
Map I of this Plan. It is the intent of the Municipality to prepare
community improvement plans for each of the Community
Improvement Project Areas, or parts thereof. These project plans
shall serve as the basis for community improvement works.
22.3.2 The Community Improvement Project Areas and Subareas are
prioritized as follows:
Table 22-1 Community Improvement Areas
Completed
Bowmanville B2
Newcastle N1
Orono
Second Priority
Bowmanville B3
Bowmanville B4
Bowmanville B5
First Priority
Bowmanville B6
Bowmanville B7
Courtice C1
Courtice C2
Third Priority
Bowmanville B1
Newcastle N2
Hampton
Mitchell Corner’s
Newtonville
Community Improvement
Municipality of Clarington Official Plan
Chapter 22 – Page 2
22.3.3 Section 22.3.2 is to be used only as a guide in the preparation of
community improvement plans. Program choices, financial
constraints, on-site project necessities, and funding criteria may
change the priorities. The Municipality may revise its priorities
without the necessity of an amendment to this Plan.
22.3.4 The community improvement plans will be implemented by means of
powers conferred upon Council under the Planning Act, the Municipal
Act, and other applicable statutes including:
a)Municipal and private sector participation in available Federal,
Provincial and Regional programs;
b)The acquisition, improvement and disposal of land and
buildings;
c) Agreements with any government authority or agency for the
preparation of studies, plans and programs;
d)The integration of community improvement projects with the
ongoing maintenance and improvements of municipal
infrastructure and programs;
e)Encouraging public participation in the preparation of
community improvement project plans;
f)Encouraging infilling, redevelopment and other land use
intensification activities;
g)Supporting the preservation of buildings with cultural heritage
value or interest and the use of funding programs under the
Ontario Heritage Act; and
h)Supporting local service clubs and other organizations in the
development of recreational and other facilities and services.
22.3.5 The Municipality will consult with the Region of Durham when
community improvement plans are being prepared to ensure the co-
ordination of improvements to sewer, water and other Regional
services with municipal improvements. The Municipality will consult
with the Region prior to the approval of any community improvement
plan.
Appendix C
Municipality of Clarington
November 2016 – 16-3243
C Public Meeting and Workshop 1 Consultation Summary
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
Dillon Consulting Limited Page 1 of 4
Meeting Minutes
Subject: Courtice Main Street CIP – PIC #1 Workshop Notes
Date and Time: April 28, 2016 6:30 – 9:30pm
Location: Faith United Church, Courtice ON
Our File: 16-3243
Facilitators
•Paul Mulé, Dillon Consulting Limited
•Michael Seasons, Dillon Consulting Limited
•Brandon Weiler, Municipality of Clarington
Table 1 Workshop Notes
1.1.1 What are the three most important community improvement
needs in the Courtice Main Street area?
•Need : Making efficient use of infrastructure
•Need: Affordable housing and accessible housing options
•Need: Bicycle paths and racks for mobility and social interaction
•Need: Consideration of environment; prioritize green gathering spaces; preserve green
space and clean streets
•Need: Sense of community; give people a reason to be in the area
•Need: Streets activated at all hours; pedestrian scale
•Need: Public and private investments working together as part of an integrated plan;
financial contributions from private owners
1.1.2 What types of financial incentives do you think would work best
and be most utilized?
No response
1.1.3 What key performance criteria should the incentive programs
include?
•Prioritize preservation of green space and clean streets
•Proposals must make sense financially, especially with regard to consideration of
lifecycle impacts
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
Dillon Consulting Limited Page 2 of 4
1.1.4 Other key ideas/suggestions for community improvement in the
Courtice Main Street area?
•Suggestion: Explanation of how this works on a project-by-project basis – recognizing
that this can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach, and that customizations will be needed
•Suggestion: Coordinate plans with the Region and with Metrolinx re: GO transportation
planning, and integrate with cycling transportation plans
•Suggestion: Make a business case for the whole thing
•Suggestion: Get the project moving!
•Suggestion: Prioritize transparency, simplicity; avoid red tape and bureaucracy; maintain
clear communication of details and benefits to all stakeholders
Table 2 Workshop Notes
1.1.5 What are the three most important community improvement
needs in the Courtice Main Street area?
•Need: Sewers! Infrastructure is needed along Highway 2 in order to make anything else
happen
–It was noted that this is a recurring theme that has been a fixture of previous planning
efforts for the area going back several decades
•Need: Need for a proper town centre or node, somewhere to go to buy things without
having to hop in a car to go to a Smart Centre (e.g.)
–The Main Street area was described as not being anything one would want or need to
stop at and walk around in
•Need: Strengthening of the existing environmental features (e.g. Black Creek) should be
prioritized ahead of developing those features as recreational features (e.g. trails)
–It was noted that such efforts (e.g. tree planting, environmental management) will
cost money; does the Province contribute to things like this?
–The Region may have a programme that could apply to this (“5 Million Trees”)
•Need: Rapid/quality public transit infrastructure along Highway 2
•Need: Choice/range of housing options
–Table recognized that the area will intensify in terms of development, but made the
point that not all people want to live in an apartment, nor do all people want to live in
a detached single family home
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
Dillon Consulting Limited Page 3 of 4
1.1.6 What types of financial incentives do you think would work best
and be most utilized?
•Tax incentives and breaks on DCs are seen as the best options for incentivizing
developers to take the financial leap of faith on a given project
1.1.7 What key performance criteria should the incentive programs
include?
•Question: How will the CIP ensure that development takes the form that is incentivized?
How can we avoid ending up with projects that get approved but fail to deliver the
promised (and incentivized) features?
•Question: Are there comparable municipalities that have used CIPs successfully? If so,
what have the actual results on the ground been? This can’t be just another plan to sit
on a shelf – it has to be based on a realistic, proven approach
1.1.8 Other key ideas/suggestions for community improvement in the
Courtice Main Street area?
•Suggestion: Courtice is undergoing demographic change (e.g. becoming more diverse
ethnically), so the CIP should recognize that the needs and wants of the people who live
in Courtice today may not accurately reflect the needs and wants of people who will be
moving into the area over the next several decades
•Suggestion: In order to be effective, the CIP must be on the same page as, or at least
designed as an integrated component alongside, the Municipality’s Economic
Development strategy
Table 3 Workshop Notes
1.1.9 What are the three most important community improvement
needs in the Courtice Main Street area?
•Need: Active transportation measures
–Pedestrian safety/cycling safety
–Increase in sidewalks/safety gateways
–Walkway along Highway 2 – Old Kingston Road – the brickway is a concern
•Need: Trails and general green space/parkland improvements
–Access to trails
•Need: Promote staying in Courtice
–Mix of commercial uses
–Consistent and high quality design; make it welcoming along Highway 2
Municipality of Clarington
Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan
Dillon Consulting Limited Page 4 of 4
–Street edge
•Need: Mix of housing types/tenures (e.g. seniors/low-income)
–Affordable housing
1.1.10 What types of financial incentives do you think would work best
and be most utilized?
•Financial incentives for trails – maybe to pay for liability insurance
•Water/sewer incentive
•DC grants
•Property tax reduction to pay for trail fencing
•Need a reason as a homeowner to allow trails on my land
1.1.11 What key performance criteria should the incentive programs
include?
•Ensure sustainable buildings (e.g. green roofs)
•Visual appearance and landscaping
•Accessibility
1.1.12 Other key ideas/suggestions for community improvement in the
Courtice Main Street area?
•Question: Will we be reducing speed limit to 50km/h along Highway 2 in support of
active transportation?
Errors and Omissions
These minutes were prepared by Michael Seasons of Dillon Consulting Limited who should be
notified of any errors and/or omissions.
Appendix D
Municipality of Clarington
November 2016 – 16-3243
D Public Meeting and Workshop 2 Consultation Summary
Courtice CIP - PIC #2 – Workshop Session Notes
Date and Time: June 22, 2016 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Faith United Church, Courtice ON
Facilitator: Luciano Piccioni, RCI Consulting
Comments from stakeholders:
General approach of having an incentive based program can make sense and be beneficial to
both developers and Municipality.
While an incentive based approach can work the requirements/criteria need to be able to be
met for it to work for both sides. The current minimum requirements, specifically FSI minimums
need to be reviewed. There are few if any municipalities and projects meeting their minimum
FSI requirements currently and that can be very challenging to make a project viable or not.
This is Clarington and there is a maximum per square foot price that developers can charge for
residential or commercial. Need to consider building cost impacts of minimum storeys and/or
criteria. Minimum storeys can require underground parking and other infrastructure that can
affect project viability and some criteria may not be attainable due to cost.
o Developers at the table asked to send in comments with alternative criteria. Also, some
general numbers for projects that might be in this area to Luc so he can better
understand local pro forma indicators.
o Municipality to send out a survey to developers present to ask for the cost associated
with the proposed draft criteria and the costs of implementing each.
Some discussion on if 6 storey frame buildings have reduced costs. General consensus was
there is not enough research on that yet. Due to sound proofing requirements, and elevator
shaft requirements along with other issues there is a general feeling it has not had a major
impact.
Question: Can TIG’s negatively affect applications for permission for rental increases.
o Answer: No as the agreements are development only and do not form the operating
costs of the building. Agreements are not registered on title either.
Question: How can a TIG effect the developer marketing condos or during the sales of condos
regarding requests for breaks on costs due to these financial incentives.
o Answer: Agreements aren’t registered on title so won’t be discovered by lawyers upon
review.
o Answer: Some agreements can allow for the assignment from one owner to the next.
Generally there is a maximum number of assignments indicated (example, one) or else
the administration can become too much on the municipality.
Appendix E
Municipality of Clarington
November 2016 – 16-3243
E Minimum Intensification Targets for Program Eligibility
Minimum Intensification Targets (Density, Floor Space Index (FSI) and Height) for Incentive Program Eligibility
Land Use as per Secondary Plan (See
Map A in Courtice Main Street
Secondary Plan)
Within Town Centre1 Outside Town Centre1
Minimum
residential units
per gross ha.
Minimum
FSI
Minimum
Height
(storeys)
Minimum
residential units
per gross ha.
Minimum
FSI
Minimum
Height
(storeys)
Commercial na 1.8 5 na 1.2 6
Commercial Mixed Use 952 1.8 3 752 1.2 3
Medium Density Residential3 95 1.8 3 75 1.2 3
Low-Rise High Density Residential 95 1.8 5 75 1.2 5
Mid-Rise High Density Residential 95 1.8 5 75 1.2 8
1 If at least 50% of residential units in the development project are 2/3 bedroom, the project is not required to achieve the minimum residential units per gross
ha., but the project is still required to achieve the minimum FSI and minimum height requiremen t.
2 Applies to residential component of Commercial Mixed Use only.
3 Standard townhouses and row townhouses less than three (3) storeys are not eligible for incentive programs. Stacked townhouses less than three (3) storeys
that meet all other applicable minimum incentive program requirements may be considered eligible by the Municipality on a case-by-case basis.
Appendix F
Municipality of Clarington
November 2016 – 16-3243
F Project Performance Evaluation Framework
Project Performance Evaluation
Framework
While informed by best practices in other municipalities, this performance evaluation
framework was custom designed to reflect and measure performance with respect to the key
community improvement needs in the Courtice Main Street CIP. Also, where applicable and
appropriate, the performance evaluation framework draws on the green development criteria
in the Green Development Framework endorsed by Council in December of 2015.
In order for a project to “conform” with a criteria in the performance evaluation framework,
that project must include at least half (50%) of the project components listed under that
particular criteria. Where a project component includes a “bonus” option and that bonus option
is achieved, that project component will score two points rather than just one point for that
project component.
Performance Criteria 1: Building Design and Construction
For this criterion, the project is reviewed for the following project components:
1. Entrances and windows break up façade space, especially at the street level with a
minimum 60% of ground floor building façade that abuts a street or other public realm
space being windows and doors.
2. At least 50% of total parking is underground or structured.
3. The building setback is the minimum distance set out in Zoning By-law unless the
building must be set back further due to technical reasons.
4. The use of high quality, durable construction materials that exceed building code
minimum standards and are intended to last more than 50 years.
5. An area in each building has been designated for the collection of recyclable materials,
compostable organic materials, household hazardous waste and general waste.
6. A Green Roofing system to reduce the amount of roof runoff by absorbing rainwater
and reducing both the rate and quantity of its discharge.
Performance Criteria 2: Pedestrian Environment and Active
Transportation
For this criterion, the project is reviewed for the following project components:
1. The building is well connected to sidewalks, parking areas (car and bike), paths, and
transit stops.
2. Use of upgraded paving materials that promote full accessibility.
3. Sufficient pedestrian amenities provided on site, e.g. benches, waste receptacles, paths.
4. Provision of secure and easily accessible indoor and outdoor (covered) bicycle
parking/storage areas with provision of 25% more bicycle parking spots per dwelling
unit than the minimum requirement specified in the Zoning By-law.
Bonus = 50% more bicycle parking spots per dwelling unit than the minimum requirement
specified in the Zoning By-law.
Performance Criteria 3: Green/Open Spaces and Trail Access
For this criterion, the project is reviewed for the following project components:
1. The amount of landscaped open space on-site exceeds the minimum requirement in the
Zoning By-law by at least 50%.
2. Retention of mature trees on site wherever possible and the provision of shade within
10 years for at least 50% of site walkways/ sidewalk lengths/ amenity areas (not
including street trees). Bonus = 75% shade within 10 years.
3. At least 50% of planting is native, drought and/or salt tolerant species with a mix of
these species to minimize the need for irrigation, reduce disease and promote plant
diversity.
4. Direct connection to the trail network. Bonus = Trail construction.
5. One or more public art installations equal to 1% of the value of the project.
6. Creation of a rain, ecological or community garden area with a minimum of 50 square
feet of garden space per dwelling unit.
7. Methods and technologies that provide appropriate soil volumes and an enhanced soil
environment across the site to promote plant health.
8. Boulevard planting enhancements including tree pit areas and underground watering
(rootwatering) infrastructure for street trees.
Performance Criteria 4: Housing Choice, Accessibility and
Affordability
For this criterion, the project is reviewed for the following project components:
1. Minimum of three (3) different types of dwelling unit types (bachelor, one, two, 3
bedrooms).
2. Minimum of 10% of dwelling units and a minimum of 5 units are affordable housing.
Bonus = minimum 25% of dwelling units and a minimum of 10 units are affordable
housing.
3. A minimum 20% of dwelling units are accessible units.
Performance Criteria 5: Sustainable Development
For this criterion, if the building is LEED certified, the criterion is met. If not, review the
following project components:
1. Energy Efficiency: Implementation of building practices, equipment and technologies
that exceed the energy efficiency requirements in the Ontario Building Code. Designed
to achieve at least 13% energy efficiency improvement over OBC.
2. Renewable Energy: Integrated design and installation of on-site renewable energy
infrastructure to serve the entire project.
3. Indoor Water Efficiency: Implementation of fixtures, faucets and other technologies
such as graywater harvesting and reuse that exceed the water efficiency requirements
in the Ontario Building Code. Designed to achieve at least a 10% water efficiency
improvement over OBC.
4. Hybrid / Electric Vehicles: Provision of charging infrastructure. 3% of the site parking
stalls (minimum of four stalls) to be dedicated to hybrid/electric vehicles, including
charging infrastructure.
5. Green Infrastructure: Integration of practices that contribute to repairing the urban
water cycle and climate change resiliency, such as rain gardens, permeable pavement,
green roofs, rainwater harvesting and reuse, and urban trees.