Access Richmond Hill
The Access Richmond Hill Contact Centre provides assistance for general inquiries, responds to questions or concerns regarding programs and services as well as accepts in person payments.
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905-771-8800
225 East Beaver Creek Road, Ground Floor, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P4
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Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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The Yonge/Bernard Key Development Area (Yonge/Bernard KDA) is an intensification area located at the intersection of Yonge Street and Bernard Avenue, which is identified in the Richmond Hill Official Plan as a Key Development Area.
Study Area
Current Status
We are currently revisiting this Secondary Plan, and are looking to make changes to better align the Plan with the vision of stakeholders and the local community, as well as direction from both the Region and the Province regarding intensification within areas such as this one which are identified as "Major Transit Station Areas". Our next public consultation event for the Secondary Plan will take place later this fall. Stay tuned for more details, as well as for other opportunities to provide your comments!
Background
What is a Key Development Area?
A Key Development Area (KDA), as identified in the Official Plan, is an existing major node of retail and/or commercial development with access to rapid transit, where opportunities for redevelopment of large land parcels exist to support new public streets. The policies of the Official Plan require that a Secondary Plan be prepared for areas designated as a Key Development Area.
What is a Major Transit Station Area?
In 2017, the Province updated the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. In this new version, the concept of Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) was introduced. MTSAs are defined as areas that are within 500 to 800 metres of an existing or planned higher order transit station/stop; this represents about a 10 minute walk. The Growth Plan definies higher order transit as transit that operates in partially or completely dedicated rights of way, which allows the transit services to achieve levels of speed and reliability that is greater than in mixed traffic. This includes heavy rail (e.g. subways and inter-city rail), light rail, and buses that operate in dedicated rights-of-ways.
The Growth Plan directs that the Region of York establish boundaries for MTSAs. The Region is presently in the process of undertaking this work. For more information, view the York Region Municipal Comprehensive Review website.
As part of the re-thinking for the Yonge/Bernard KDA Secondary Plan, it is important to be mindful of this and other related new policy directions.
Why is intensification important?
Richmond Hill is a vibrant community and is a desirable place for many people to work, live, and play, with new residents moving into Richmond Hill every day. However, there is limited room to expand the City's boundaries to accommodate future growth due to features such as the Oak Ridges Moraine. While much of the future growth will be directed towards the City's Urban Growth Centre located at the Richmond Hill Centre, other areas of the City will also need to play a part in accommodating new residents and jobs. The Yonge/Bernard KDA is well situated to accommodate new growth, being located on Yonge Street with access to frequent rapid transit, a bus terminal, and existing retail uses.
Project History (November 2016 to Spring 2019)
There were four components to the Yonge/Bernard KDA Secondary Plan project:
- A Planning Study was completed to guide implementation of the vision and planning objectives for the KDA. It provided a framework to prepare the Secondary Plan.
- A Secondary Plan, which provided area-specific policies that reflect the unique context, character, and planned vision for the KDA as set out in the Official Plan, such as character (i.e. mix of uses, distribution of height and density, built form design), parks and urban open space, connectivitiy and mobility, and implementation.
- A new Zoning By-law for the area, which provided the regulatory framework to implement the Secondary Plan and facilitate the redevelopment of this area as set out in the Official Plan and Secondary Plan over time.
- A new Tertiary Plan for the neighbourhood portion of the study area, known as the South Brookside Tertiary Plan.
| Stage 1: Background Research |
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| Stage 2A: Options Development |
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| Stage 2B: Preferred Option and Policy Directions |
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| Stage 2C: Recommendations |
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| Stage 3A: Draft Secondary Plan and Zoning By-law |
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The Draft Secondary Plan and Zoning By-law were presented at the Council Public Meeting on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 for public comment.
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| Stage 3A: Additional Transportation Analysis |
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| Stage 3B: Final Secondary Plan and Zoning By-law |
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The Secondary Plan and Zoning By-law were adopted at the Committee of the Whole Meeting on Monday, November 20, 2017.
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| Stage 4: Appeals Process & Revisit |
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Staff Reports
Questions or Comments?
Please submit written questions or comments to the contact listed below. For more information regarding submissions and the collection of information, please contact the Office of the Clerk at 905-771-8800 or by email at clerks@richmondhill.ca.
Mail: Policy Planner, City of Richmond Hill, 225 East Beaver Creek Road, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P4 Fax: 905-771-2404 Email: bernardkda@richmondhill.ca