Notice of Adoption - OPA 18.3

NOTICE OF THE ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT NO. 18.3 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. 18.3 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan on the 27th day of June 2022 through the enactment of By-law 81-22 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. 18.3 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan, including all background materials, is available by contacting Andrew Crawford, Planner I, phone number 905-771-5528 or by e-mail at andrew.crawford@richmondhill.ca.

Dated at the City of Richmond Hill this 5^th day of July, 2022

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. 18.3 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 is to address and implement several key directions from the Key Directions Report. It is intended to form a portion of the City’s Official Plan Update and municipal comprehensive review, when combined with forthcoming amendments.

This Amendment will update the Vision of the Official Plan. It updates the city structure, clarifies the elements of the intensification hierarchy, and adds a new mobility hierarchy. New targets related to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and tree canopy and woodland cover are also being added through this amendment. It also includes elements related to the subjects of affordable housing, climate change, sustainable development, infrastructure alignment, parks hierarchy, and urban design.

Location

This Amendment applies to all lands within the City of Richmond Hill.

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) and addresses the following policies:
  • Promote land use patterns within settlement areas to support active transportation and are transit-supportive (1.1.3.2)
  • Provide for an appropriate mix and range of employment, institutional and broader mixed of uses (1.3.1(a))
  • Encourage a sense of place by promoting well-designed built form and cultural planning (1.7.1(e))
  • Identify areas where growth or development will be directed, including the identification of nodes and corridors (1.2.4(b))
  • Manage and promote growth and development that is integrated with infrastructure planning (1.2.1(a))
  • Establish and implement phasing to ensure orderly progression of development within designated growth areas and timely provision of infrastructure (1.1.3.7(b))
  • Provide for an appropriate range and mix of housing options, including affordable housing (1.4.3)
  • Support rural and agricultural areas (1.1.4.1 and 2.3.1)
  • Recognize provincial parks, conservation reserves, and other protected areas (1.5.1(d))
  • Promote water conservation and water use efficiently (1.6.6.1(c))
  • Prepare for the impacts of climate change through stormwater management, including the use of green infrastructure (1.6.6.7(c))
  • Promote design and orientation which maximizes energy efficient and conservation, and considers the mitigation effects of vegetation and green infrastructure (1.8.1(f))
  • Maximize vegetation within settlement areas, where feasible (1.8.1(g))
  • Provide transportation systems that are safe, energy efficient, and that facilitates the movement of people and goods (1.6.7.1)
  • Plan for public streets, spaces and facilities to be safe, to foster social interaction and facilitate active transportation and community connectivity (1.5.1(a))
  • Provide opportunities for the development of energy supply, including district energy and renewable energy systems as well as alternative energy systems (1.6.11.1)
• the amendment conforms to A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020), and addresses the following policies:
  • Changes proposed to the Vision directly support the creation of complete communities (2.2.1 (4)).
  • The proposed City Structure directs growth to the existing settlement areas, without adding new settlement areas. Within the settlement area, it further directs growth to areas with existing or proposed higher order transit stations and along priority transit corridors (2.2.1 (2), 2.2.4 (1)).
    The proposed City Structure maintains Richmond Hill Centre as an urban growth centre, intending it to be a vibrant urban mixed-use centre, a place for major office growth, and focused around a major new inter-modal transit hub (2.2.3, 2.2.5(2)).
  • Proposed changes to housing policies in sections 3.1.5 and 3.1.7 promote a range and mix of housing options, including strengthening the protection of rental housing, ensuring the construction of 3-bedroom units in high-rise development, and ensuring excess public lands can be used to create affordable housing (2.2.1 (4)(c), 2.2.6 (1), (3)).
  • New section 3.1.9.1 proposes to align development approvals with infrastructure capital plans and investment, to ensure sufficient capacity for new development (3.2.1 (1), (3)).
  • Urban agriculture is promoted through the proposed changes to policy 3.2.3 (9) (2.2.2 (4)(d)(iv)).
  • The proposed changes in section 3.2.3 help the OP promote green infrastructure, low-impact development, mitigate and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate, improve resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (2.2.1 (4)(f)(g), 4.2.9, 4.2.10).
  • Improvements to the Urban Design policies in section 3.4.1 will help ensure that development contributes to the creation of a vibrant public realm (2.2.1 (4)(e)).
  • The Mobility Hierarchy proposed in section 3.5.1 (2) prioritizes active transportation, transit, and goods movement over single-occupant automobiles (3.2.2 (2)(b)(c)(d), (4)(c)).
  • Introduction of greenhouse gas emissions targets in policies 3.1.1 (2) and 5.2.2 (3)(g) from the CEEP (4.2.10 (2)(c)).
• the amendment conforms to the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (2017), as the proposed City Structure maintains the existing land use designations within the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Area, and does not propose to expand the settlement area into any protected areas; and
• the amendment conforms to the York Region Official Plan (2010), and addresses the following policies:
  • The proposed City Structure corresponds with the Regional Structure as depicted on Map 1 and in Chapter 5 of the ROP.
    The City Structure directs growth to the Urban Area, and intensification specifically to the Centres and Corridors along Yonge Street and Highway 7.
    It also reflects the Rural and Agricultural Areas, the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Regional Greenlands System in the City’s Greenway System.
  • The proposed City Structure continues to designate Richmond Hill Centre as a Regional Centre with the highest densities and greatest mix of uses. It also continues to depict Key Development Areas (KDAs), Regional Corridors, and Local Centres and Corridors in areas near existing or planned rapid transit stations as areas for intensification and a mix of uses.
  • Changes proposed to policies in section 3.1.9 support the use of Master Plans, and especially the policies in Chapter 7 of the ROP dealing with water and wastewater servicing, and the coordination of land use approvals with the provision of infrastructure.
  • The policy changes proposed in 3.1.9.6 implement ROP policies contained in Chapters 5.2 and 7.5 surrounding sustainable buildings and energy.
  • The existing policies in section 3.2.3 implement Regional policies and direction in Chapters 5.2 and 7.5; the amendments are intended to be improvements based on 12 years of experience in implementing the policies.
  • The proposed Mobility Hierarchy in policy 3.5.5 (2) implements Regional direction in Chapters 5.2 and 7.2 towards prioritizing the use of active transportation and transit over other modes of transport.
• Note that subsequent amendments to the Richmond Hill Official Plan will address policies which have yet to be updated, which will further ensure consistent policy direction with the above documents.