NOTICE OF THE ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT NO. 18.5 TO THE RICHMOND HILL OFFICIAL PLAN PURSUANT TO THE PLANNING ACT

TAKE NOTICE THAT the Council of The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill adopted Amendment No. 18.5 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan on the 29^th day of November, 2023 through the enactment of By-law 132-23 and in accordance with Sections 17 and 26 of the Planning Act, as amended.

Council in making its decision on these matters took into consideration all written and oral comments received on the applications.

An explanation of the purpose and effect of the Amendment describing the lands to which the Amendment to the Richmond Hill Official Plan applies is attached.  A complete copy of Amendment No. 18.5 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan, including all background materials, is available by contacting Chun Chu, Senior Planner – Policy, Planning and Building Services Department, phone number 905-771-5493 or by e-mail at chun.chu@richmondhill.ca. 

Dated at the City of Richmond Hill this 1^st day of December, 2023

Stephen M.A. Huycke, City Clerk
The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill
225 East Beaver Creek Road
Richmond Hill ON L4B 3P4
Phone: 905-771-8800
Fax: 905-771-2502
E-mail: clerks@richmondhill.ca 

NOTE:    Any person or public body will be entitled to receive the Notice of the Decision from The Regional Municipality of York provided a written request to be notified with respect to Amendment No. 18.5 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan (including the person’s or public body’s address) is made to The Regional Municipality of York, Planning Department, 4th Floor, 17250 Yonge Street, Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 6Z1.

Part One – The Preamble

1.1           Purpose

The purpose of this Amendment to the Richmond Hill Official Plan (OPA) is to provide more detailed planning policy and schedules related to the Yonge Street and Carrville/16th Avenue Key Development Area as part of the City Plan Official Plan Update process. This OPA aims to address matters such as long term planning vision for the area, permitted land use, design elements, public realm, mix of land use, density of development, and adjustments to boundaries in an effort to ensure conformity with the York Region Official Plan, 2022 (ROP). This OPA implements City Plan Key Directions endorsed by Council in February 2022, and supports the City’s Investment Attraction Strategy, Affordable Housing Strategy, Parks Plan, and Transportation Master Plan. The OPA is also intended to support economic development and job creation in the City. Furthermore, the amendment incorporates direction from the ROP regarding protected major transit station areas within and near the area identified in the location section noted below.

1.2           Location

This Amendment applies to lands located generally north of Oak Avenue, south of Baif Boulevard, east of Springhead Gardens, and west of the Canadian National Railroad, as shown below.

1.3           Basis

The proposed modifications to the Official Plan are intended to implement the following Provincial, Regional and City policies and direction:

• Provisions of the Planning Act (1990), which authorize municipalities to identify and delineate the boundary of protected major transit station areas (PMTSAs), and to identify land uses, as well as the minimum and/or maximum density and/or heights of buildings or structures on lands within PMTSAs (s.16(16) and (21));

  • OPA 18.5 identifies the Yonge Street and Carrville/16th Avenue Key Development Area (KDA) as an  intensification area covered by three delineated PMTSAs in the Region of York’s 2022 Official Plan. Accordingly, the proposed amendment includes minimum prescribed densities measured in residents and jobs per hectare, and provides permitted use and built form policies to achieve and exceed those minimums over the long term.

  • Through the implementation of the policies in this amendment, this area could accommodate up to 670 residents and jobs per hectare for the KDA overall. This translates into approximately 24,000 residents and 8,770 jobs, based on assumptions used at the time of preparing this amendment. Through on-going monitoring of the Official Plan this approximation of the ultimate buildout of the Key Development Area may change.

• Policies of the Provincial Policy Statement (2020), which encourage compact, mixed-use development that incorporates compatible employment uses to support livable and resilient communities while considering housing needs (1.3.1(d));

  •  OPA 18.5 permits higher density development in the KDA, through a range of land uses including residential, commercial, community, and office uses. The OPA requires new development to provide non- residential space on the ground floor of buildings, which may be in the form of retail, commercial, office, major office, and community uses. The OPA also sets a long-term target of non-residential space to not fall below 15% of the total new gross floor area for this entire KDA.

• Policies of A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020), which support the achievement of complete communities and prioritize major transit station areas (MTSAs) on priority transit corridors (2.2.1(4)(a) and 2.2.4(1));

  • OPA 18.5 plans for a complete community at the Yonge Street and Carrville/16th Avenue KDA by integrating a mix of uses in a compact form that provide for amenities and services within a 15-minute walk or 5-minute bike ride. The KDA will be the second densest location in the City, following the Richmond Hill Centre, due to its location on a priority transit corridor, and due to potential future transit services by a GO Transit and/or a TTC subway station(s).

• Policies of the York Region Official Plan (2022), which identify the Yonge Street and Carrville/16th Avenue KDA as part of three protected major transit station areas (PMTSAs): #39 16th-Carrville BRT Station, #41 Bantry-Scott BRT Station, and #51 Weldrick BRT Station. The majority of the KDA is within PMTSA #39 and its minimum density target is 300 residents and jobs per hectare. The Regional Official Plan directs that this area support a mix of land uses which shall be identified in the City’s Official Plan. Furthermore, the ROP directs that the Official Plan provide direction regarding built form and scale of development to support and implement the Regional intensification hierarchy.

  The ROP also requires local municipalities to provide affordable housing targets including 35% of new units being affordable within protected major transit station areas, and set residents to jobs ratio targets to ensure live work opportunities and an appropriate balance of jobs to population.

  • The OPA designates PMTSA #39, as a KDA in accordance with both the Regional and City intensification hierarchy. A portion of lands within PMTSA #41 and #51 are within the KDA designation; the balance of those lands continue to be designated a combination of Regional Mixed Use Corridor and Neighbourhood. Additional policy direction regarding areas outside of the Key Development area designation will be provided via a subsequent amendment to this Official Plan through the continuation of the Official Plan Update process.

  • The OPA provides a target ratio of 7 residents to 3 jobs within the KDA area, which is intended to be achieved over the long term through the implementation of policies provided in the Official Plan.

  • Presently, the Official Plan provides a minimum affordable housing target of 35% of new housing in Key Development Areas. Through a subsequent OPA related to the City’s Official Plan Update process, the City will review its affordable housing targets and definitions to further implement the ROP direction for affordable housing as noted above.

  • Conformity with the 2022 York Region Official Plan shall be achieved through a combination of: (1) existing City-wide Official Plan policies; (2) area-specific policies contained in this Official Plan Amendment; and (3) future amendments to the Official Plan to satisfy requirements of the 2022 York Region Official Plan.

• Directions provided in the Council endorsed Key Directions Report related to this area include:

  • Build on the 2018 draft Secondary Plan.

  • Re-delineate the boundary of the Key Development Area (KDA).

  • Connect to the David Dunlap Observatory, the German Mills Creek and the Bridgeview Park.

  • Protect lands that can support future Yonge Subway and/or GO Transit stations.

  • Ensure that the long term build out of this area is not precluded by a potential temporary subway train storage and maintenance facility, should it be necessary to locate one within this area.

• The proposed amendment is also informed by the Planning for Change report - July 2021, which provides guidance on updating the Official Plan in a manner that is responsive to anticipated change in the future and will likely impact city building over the long run.

• The proposed amendment is also informed by consultation the City has undertaken to date in relation to the Official Plan Update process. This consultation is documented in the following “What We Heard” reports:

  • Phase 1: "What We Heard" Phase 1 Summary Report

  •  Phase 2: What We Heard - Business Community Summary Report - July 2021

  •  Phase 2: What We Heard - Centre-Specific Workshops Engagement Summary Report - July 2021

  • Phase 2: What We Heard - Key Directions Engagement Summary Report - November 2021

  • Phase 3, Batch 2: What We Heard - Employment and Intensification Areas Engagement Summary Report – March 2023

• Additionally, the proposed amendment is informed by the City’s Investment Attraction Strategy, Affordable Housing Strategy, 2022 Parks Plan and emerging Transportation Master Plan.