Provincial & County Policy

The Provincial Policy Statement, Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and the County of Simcoe Official Plan Policies provide direction on specific issues. The Township Official Plan policies must conform to the PPS and County Official Plan.

Identification

Identify appropriate locations and promote opportunities for intensification and redevelopment, and where this can be accommodated taking into account existing building stock and the availability of suitable infrastructure and public service facilities.

Intensification

Promote development standards which facilitate intensification, redevelopment and compact form, while avoiding or mitigating risks to public health and safety.

Settlement areas be the focus of growth and development, and their vitality and regeneration promoted.

Land use patterns within settlement areas shall be based on densities and a mix of land uses which: efficiently use land and resources; are appropriate for, and efficiently use, the infrastructure and public service facilities which are planned or available, and avoid the need for their unjustified and/or uneconomical expansion; minimize negative impacts to air quality and climate change, and promote energy efficiency; support active transportation.

New development is to occur adjacent to the existing built-up area and have a compact form, a mix of uses and densities that allow for the efficient use of land, and infrastructure and public service facilities.

Planning policies are to establish and implement specified targets for intensification and redevelopment to achieve an orderly progression of development.

The expansion of a settlement area boundary is allowed only at the time of a comprehensive review that meets provincial requirements.

Existing Policy & Legislation

• Provincial Policy Statement 2014
• Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe
• County of Simcoe Official Plan Policies

Current Township Policies

The province and County have established growth and intensification targets for the municipality. The population projection for the year 2031 is 13,000 and the employment projection is 1,800. New greenfield development in the Township must meet a density of 32 residents and jobs/ha. 20% of new residential growth must occur in existing built-up areas. Current Official Plan policies:

• Identify nine settlement areas and require the preparation of a detailed secondary plan if a settlement area is to be expanded or reaches a population of 300.
• Identify Everett as the settlement area that should receive the majority of growth, with additional growth anticipated in Colgan and Loretto.

In updating the Official Plan, the municipality may enhance growth policies, but must meet the requirements of the Province and County.

Your ideas and vision are important!

What changes would you like to see?

• Do you think the municipality has enough, too little or too much growth?
• Where do you think new growth should be directed?
• Do you agree with the upper tier growth and intensification targets?
• Where and how do you think intensification occur?
• Please provide any other comments you may have for consideration in the development of new policies.