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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPDS-005-23Clarington Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: Special Planning and Development Committee Date of Meeting: January 16, 2023 Report Number: PDS-005-23 Submitted By: Reviewed By: File Number: Report Subject: Carlos Salazar, Director of Planning and Infrastructure Services Mary -Anne Dempster, CAO al ki IPA V, By-law Number: Resolution#: PD-002-23 Envision Durham Update Information Report: Proposed Growth Allocations and Settlement Area Boundary Expansions Recommendation: 1. That Report PDS-005-23, and any related delegations or communication items, be received for information; 2. That Council requests the Region to attend a Clarington Council meeting and host a Public Meeting/Public Information Centre in Clarington on the proposed Growth Allocations and Settlement Area Boundary Expansions, in consultation with Planning and Infrastructure Services staff; 3. That Council requests the Region to provide an extension to the commenting period for the proposed Growth Allocations and Settlement Area Boundary Expansions (SABE), and the Draft Working Copy of the new Regional Official Plan to at least March 31, 2023; 4. That Council requests the Region to reassess the land needs and SABEs required to accommodate the endorsed growth Scenario 2A, to account for the lands in Durham Region that were recently removed from the Greenbelt Plan area for the purpose of urban residential development; 5. That a copy of Report PDS-005-23 and Council's decision be sent to the Region of Durham, and the other Durham Region area municipalities; and 6. That all interested parties listed in Report PDS-005-23 and any delegations be advised of Council's decision. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-005-23 Report Overview Page 2 Envision Durham is Durham Region's Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) of the Regional Official Plan (ROP). The MCR was initiated in 2019 to develop the vision for the Region to 2051. The MCR is now in Phase 3 (Direct), providing direction on various components and providing the public and area municipalities opportunities to provide comments. One such component is the Growth Management and Land Needs Assessment to determine a preferred growth scenario to accommodate the Province's 2051 Growth Plan forecasts. In spring 2022, a series of alternative land needs scenarios were considered, each quantifying the amount of land that would be required to meet the 2051 forecasts, based on different built form compositions. Staff presented Report PDS-021-22 with recommendations on the proposed alternatives in April 2022. On November 10, 2022, the Region released an information report entitled Draft Settlement Area Boundary Expansions and Area Municipal Growth Allocations (Report 2022-INFO-91). On January 4, 2023, Regional staff advised the consultation period for this component would close on January 18, 2023. The purpose of this report is to provide Clarington-focused highlights of the Region's report. 1. Background Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide Clarington-focused highlights of the Region's Growth Allocation and Settlement Area Boundary Expansion Information Report (Report 2022-INFO-91). The Region's report and the supporting technical report, prepared by Watson and Associates, is available on the Envision Durham website. Commenting Period 1.2 On November 10, 2022, the Region released its information report `Draft Settlement Area Boundary Expansions and Area Municipal Growth Allocations' (Report 2022-INFO- 91) identifying the extent and location of proposed SABEs required to accommodate the Region's population and employment growth forecasts to 2051. On January 4, 2023, Regional staff advised the consultation period for this component would close on January 18, 2023. 1.3 On December 23, 2022, the Region released a `Working Copy Draft' of its new Regional Official Plan to the Area Municipal Working Group, Conservation Authorities Working Group, and Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and requested comments by January 20, 2023. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-005-23 Page 3 1.4 A condensed commenting period for area municipalities for policy and mapping changes of this magnitude is challenging and does not provide sufficient time for staff to undertake the necessary review. This is particularly so in the current context of the recent Bill 23 amendments, the implications of which are drastic, and were outlined in Report PDS-054-22. Community Consultation 1.5 Since releasing its Information Report on the area municipal growth allocations and draft SABE mapping on its website in November, the Region has not hosted any community consultation sessions to provide information and answer questions from the public or the landowners affected by the proposed changes. 1.6 Given the extent of the proposed SABEs in Clarington, the Region is requested to attend a Clarington Council meeting and host a Public Meeting/Public Information Centre to provide the opportunity for members of Council and the public to ask questions and make comments. 1.7 As a matter of good practice, Planning and Infrastructure Services staff would not typically provide comments on policy matters as significant as growth allocations and SABEs without hearing from and considering input from Council, Clarington's advisory committees (e.g. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington) and the public. 1.8 It is requested that the Region extend the commenting period on both the Growth Allocations and SABEs and the Working Copy Draft of the new Regional Official Plan to at least March 31, 2023. A deadline in April 2023 may be more appropriate, depending on the timing of the Region's public consultation in Clarington. Region's Report 1.9 The Region's report includes draft mapping showing the extent and location of Settlement Area Boundary Expansions that are required to accommodate the Region's population and employment forecasts to 2051 of 1.3 million people and 460,000 jobs. The Report also includes the draft proposed growth allocations for new residential and jobs, distributed by area municipality. 1.10 On May 25, 2022, Regional Council endorsed Land Use Scenario 2A, which is based on a residential unit mix of 33% low density, 38% medium density, and 29% high density, a minimum intensification target of 50%, and 3,671 hectares (9,071 acres) of additional developable urban area required to accommodate the 2051 growth forecast. It is noted the land needs scenario is Region -wide, and not specific to Clarington. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-005-23 Page 4 1.11 As proposed, the SABEs would consume approximately 60% of the Region's whitebelt, and 41 % of the Clarington's whitebelt lands. Clarington is proposed to accommodate approximately 37% of the total expansion area across the Region. 1.12 The Region's report was completed prior to the Province's release of Bill 23 (More Homes, Built Faster Act, 2022) and does not account for the significant impacts of the changes to the Planning Act brought forward by Bill 23, or the those of the Greenbelt Plan amendments removing lands from the Greenbelt for the purpose of urban housing development. 1.13 The Region states it is intended that the final growth allocations and locations for SABEs will come forward for Regional Council approval in early 2023, as part of the draft new Regional Official Plan. 2. Overview and Discussion The following sections provide the highlights of the Region's report. Growth Management Strategy 2.1 The Region undertook its Growth Management Strategy in two phases. Phase 1 included a Land Needs Assessment to determine how much additional urban land is required to accommodate Durham's forecasted population and employment growth of 1.3 million people and 460,000 jobs by the year 2051. This Phase concluded with Regional Council's endorsement of Community Area Land Scenario 2A and Employment Area Land Need Scenario 2 on May 25, 2022. 2.2 Phase 2 of the Growth Management Strategy addresses overall regional growth, intensification, housing unit mix, and localized density targets allocated across Durham's area municipalities. Area municipal growth allocations have also been developed. The proposed growth allocations for Clarington are included in Table 1, below: Table 1: Proposed Growth Allocations and SABEs for Durham Region and Clarington Growth Allocation Metric Durham Region Clarington Population to 2051 1.3 million people 221,000 Employment (jobs) to 2051 460,000 70,300 Household Unit Mix: Low, Medium, High Density 33% low, 38% medium, 29% high 47% low, 35% medium, 18% high Minimum Intensification Target 50% 40% Total Designated Greenfield Area Density in 2051 53 people and jobs per hectare 48 people and jobs per hectare Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-005-23 Page 5 Growth Allocation Metric Durham Region Clarington Additional Developable Urban 3,671 hectares (9,071 1,373 hectares (3,393 acres) Land Required (SABEs) acres) Proportion of Whitebelt Lands 60% 41 % consumed by Proposed SABEs 2.3 The Region's growth management and land needs assessment work considers area municipal context, including land supply and the ability to accommodate future growth through SABEs. As such, local intensification targets, density, and housing mix are not evenly distributed among the area municipalities. Proposed Settlement Area Boundary Expansions 2.4 Provincial policy provides direction on where and how growth can be accommodated through SABEs. Generally, lands within the Greenbelt and the Oak Ridges Moraine are protected from future urban growth and are not eligible to be considered for settlement area boundary expansions. 2.5 Lands located outside of current urban boundaries that are also outside of the Greenbelt Plan area and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan area are referred to as the `whitebelt'. Provincial policy provides for SABEs into the whitebelt, subject to demonstrating the need for an expansion through a land budgeting exercise as part of an MCR and evaluating the feasibility of the expansion. 2.6 The Region's whitebelt lands are the focus of the proposed SABEs, and consist of approximately 6,426 hectares (15,878 acres) of lands within Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa, and Clarington, when netted for constrained areas (e.g. freeways, rail and utility corridors, cemeteries, and the natural heritage system). Durham's remaining municipalities (Ajax, Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge) do not have any whitebelt lands. 2.7 In accordance with the policies of the Growth Plan and the current ROP, the proposed SABEs were developed with the following feasibility criteria in mind: municipal servicing capacity and feasibility, transportation connectivity, financial viability of providing services, impacts on watershed conditions and the water resource system, agricultural capability of the land, aggregate potential, archaeological and cultural heritage, and compatibility and fit with existing Regional Structure. 2.8 For Clarington specifically, Regional staff identified the following considerations in developing the proposed growth allocation and draft SABE mapping: • The relatively large whitebelt area in Clarington, providing greater flexibility for SABEs; Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-005-23 Page 6 • Maintaining the existing urban separators to the extent possible between Courtice and Bowmanville, and Bowmanville and Newcastle; • Logical distribution of Employment Areas along 400 series highways, including along both sides of Highway 418, east of the existing Courtice urban boundary, and along Highway 401, where it meets highway 35/115 in between existing Bowmanville and Newcastle; • Community Areas are proposed adjacent to the existing Courtice Urban Area that would have the effect of rounding out the planned Courtice Protected Major Transit Station Area (PMTSA) and the Southeast Courtice Secondary Plan Area; • For the Orono urban area, a previously deferred expansion to the Orono Employment Area is included pursuant to a March 16, 2020, decision of the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), which allows employment uses and applies to lands on both sides of Tamblyn Road. The proposed SABE implements the LPAT decision. 2.9 The Region has not accepted Clarington's request for additional Community Lands in Orono, citing the request does not conform to the applicable provincial Greenbelt and Regional policies because of a lack of municipal sanitary services. 2.10 Approximately 37% of the total SABE area lands across the Region are proposed within Clarington, substantially increasing the geographic areas of Bowmanville, Courtice, and Newcastle. The full extent of the proposed SABEs in Clarington is illustrated on Attachment 1 to this Report. Timing of Development of lands within Settlement Area Boundary Expansion Areas 2.11 The Region indicates the proposed SABEs are intended to designate the land base necessary to accommodate the Durham's 2051 population and employment forecasts. The SABE areas are to be planned to be developed over the 30-year planning horizon. 2.12 The Region's Land Needs Assessment used density targets that are close to the Growth Plan's minimum targets in order to achieve the additional land requirements identified in the Regional Council -endorsed scenario. 2.13 Current residential development patterns are more compact and are of higher densities, suggesting the extent to which SABEs are being proposed is not necessary at this time. 2.14 The Region indicates SABE areas are not expected to develop prior to 2031. It is critical that area municipalities have the ability to undertake more detailed secondary planning, including phasing, in order to effectively plan for development within the Built-up Area, Designated Greenfield Area, and SABE area to ensure the logical progression of development patterns and the cost-efficient coordination and extension of services. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-005-23 General Considerations and Comments Page 7 2.15 The Region's proposed growth allocations and SABEs for Clarington would result in a substantial amount of urban land being added to Clarington's Bowmanville, Courtice, and Newcastle communities. 2.16 Staff is currently working with Hemson to update Clarington's population and employment forecast work and land needs analysis based on the area municipal growth allocation information released by the Region in November, including an assessment of the implications of the Bill 23 and Greenbelt Plan changes. 2.17 As noted in the Bill 23 Report presented to Council in December, analysis completed to date suggests Clarington has sufficient planned and approved capacity to accommodate the recently assigned short-term housing target of 13,000 homes by 2031, and our planned population growth to 2051. 2.18 The Region is requested to include a designation/policy framework in the new ROP that provides area municipalities the ability to bring the proposed SABE lands into the urban area for development as needed within the 2051 planning horizon, and as appropriate in the local context. Such a framework for phasing will be necessary given the magnitude of the proposed SABEs to ensure infrastructure planning and budgeting is appropriately focused and effective. This will be particularly important, given the Bill 23 changes reducing development charges and parkland requirements. 2.19 Bill 23 identifies Durham Region as a regional municipality without planning responsibilities, and whose ROP, or components thereof, would be assumed by the area municipalities to the extent that it is relevant. There is much uncertainty around the implications of these Bill 23 changes and how they will be implemented. Additional clarity and insight is requested as to the purpose of expediting the MCR process to approve the ROP without the typical level of consultation with the community or the area municipalities expected to assume the document. 2.20 The Greenbelt Plan amendments have not been addressed in the Region's report. Significant areas of land in Durham Region were removed from the Greenbelt, including lands in Pickering, Ajax, and Clarington. It is requested that the Region reassess the land needs and SABEs required to implement Scenario 2A, accounting for the additional lands available for development across the Region that were formerly part of the Greenbelt. 2.21 The Region is requested to attend a Clarington Council meeting and host a Public Meeting/Public Information Centre to provide opportunity for members of Council and the public to ask questions and make comments on the proposed changes. Municipality of Clarington Page 8 Report PDS-005-23 2.22 An extension to the consultation period is requested to at least March 31, 2023, to provide for appropriate community consultation and to allow staff to complete the necessary analysis and review, including consideration of how the Bill 23 changes and recently identified 2031 housing targets will impact our forecasting and land needs work. Additional time may be required, depending on the timing of the requested public consultation in Clarington. 2.23 Growth Allocations and SABEs mapping is a fundamental component of the MCR that will significantly impact how and where Clarington will grow over the next 30 years. Additional detailed comments will be provided to Regional staff on both the Growth Allocation and SABE component, and the Working Copy Draft of the new ROP once staff has heard from Council, and the public, and upon the completion of our review. 3. Financial Considerations Not Applicable. 4. Concurrence Not Applicable. 5. Conclusion 5.1 The purpose of this report was to provide an overview of the Region's Information Report on Area Municipal Growth Allocations and Draft SABE Mapping. 5.2 The Region is requested to host a public meeting in Clarington and provide additional time for review and comments. Recently, significant staff resources have been directed to the analysis of and comments on Bill 23 and the Greenbelt Plan amendments, further justifying the need for additional time to review. 5.3 Staff is currently working with Hemson to analyze the proposed growth allocations and SABEs and to update Clarington's own growth forecasts and land needs assessment. This work will inform staff's detailed comments on this component of the Region's MCR and will include the implications of the recent Bill 23 and Greenbelt Plan changes. 5.4 It is respectfully recommended that (i) this report be received (ii) the Region host community consultation in Clarington (iii) the consultation period for area municipal comments on the growth allocation and SABE work, and the Draft Working Copy of the new ROP be extended (iv) that the land needs and SABE requirements be reassessed, accounting for the former Greenbelt lands, and (v) this report be circulated to Durham Region and other Durham Region area Municipalities. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-005-23 Page 9 Staff Contact: Sarah Allin, Planner, 905-623-3379 ext. 2419 or sallin(@clarington.net or Lisa Backus, Manager of Community Planning, 905-623-3379 ext. 2413 or Ibackus(@clarington.net. Attachments: Attachment 1 — Proposed Settlement Area Boundary Expansions — Clarington Interested Parties: List of Interested Parties available from Department. I Settlement Area Boundary Expansions - Clarington Proposed Settlement Area Boundary Expansion Areas Regional Centre / Regional Corridor Prime Agricultural Areas 0 1 2 3 4 Employment Areas Kilometres Major Open Space Areas Living Areas / Community Areas Existing ROP Schedule 'A' shown for context and subject to further refinements. Hamlet See Covering Report for more information. Waterfront Areas Oak Ridges Moraine Areas Greenbelt Boundary Q Urban Area Boundary Municipal Boundary Selected Endorsed Employment Conversions (for context) Proposed Major Transit Station Area Extension Sources and Disclaimer mal Official Plan. Schedule *A' composite. 2020 consolidation. This map has been produced from a variety of sources. The Region of Durham does not make any representations concerning the accuracy, results, or reliability of the use of the materials. The Region hereby disclaims all representations and warranties. Digital cartography by The Regional Municipality of Durham. Planning and Economic opment Department, 2022. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without permission.