NOTICE OF THE ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT NO. 18.2 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. 18.2 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan on the 11th day of November, 2020 through the enactment of By-law 126-20 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. 18.2 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan, including all background materials, is available by contacting Brian DeFreitas, Senior Planner, at (905) 771-5431 or by e-mail at brian.defreitas@richmondhill.ca.

Dated at the City of Richmond Hill this 19th day of November, 2020

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. 18.2 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.

AMENDMENT NO. 18.2 TO THE RICHMOND HILL OFFICIAL PLAN

1.1       Purpose

The purpose of this Amendment to the Richmond Hill Official Plan is to redesignate the lands shown on Schedule 1 attached to Amendment 18.2 to The Richmond Hill Official Plan, from “Employment Area” to “Leslie Street Institutional Area”, and to establish area-specific policies related to permitted uses and design policies related to the development of the lands for a mix of institutional, office, and small-scale retail and commercial uses.       

1.2       Location

The lands affected by this Amendment are located on the east side of Leslie Street, south of Major Mackenzie Drive East, and are described as: Concession 3, PT Lot 19, RP65R4761 Part 1, Concession 3, PT Lot 20, Concession 3 PT Lot 20, RP65R25179 Part 1, Concession 3 PT Lot 20, RP65R7096, PT  Part 1, Concession 3 PT Lot 20, Markham Concession 3, PT Lot 20 RP65R27165 Parts 1 and 3 RP65R33834 Parts 2 and 4, Concession 3 PT Lot 20., municipally known as 9843, 9853, 9861, 9875, 9893, 9901, and 9947 Leslie Street respectively. The parts of the lands subject to this amendment have a total land area of approximately 3.0 hectares (7.41acres) and are shown on Schedule 1 attached hereto.

1.3       Basis

The proposed amendment is considered by Council to be appropriate for the following reasons:

• the amendment is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020), which requires that municipalities plan for and accommodate intensification and redevelopment within existing settlement areas to create more sustainable communities and to use land and infrastructure more efficiently;
• the amendment conforms to A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019), which supports the achievement of complete communities that feature a diverse mix of land uses and convenient access to local stores, services and public service facilities;
• the amendment conforms to the York Region Official Plan (2010), which designates the subject lands “Urban Area” and encourages intensification and redevelopment within the Urban Area boundary. In addition, the lands are proposed to be excluded from being identified as part of the Region’s employment lands through the Region’s municipal comprehensive review process so as to facilitate a conversion of the amendment area from employment to non-employment uses; and,
• the amendment provides direction to intensify the continued use of the area for a mix and range of institutional and business land uses that are not presently permitted, and provide policy direction for compatible land uses to the south and west of the area.