NOTICE OF THE ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT NO. 27 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. 27 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan on the 7th day of July, 2021 through the enactment of By-law 80-21 and in accordance with Sections 17 and 21 of the Planning Act, as amended.

 AND TAKE NOTICE that an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal in respect of this Amendment may be made by filing a written notice of appeal with the City Clerk of The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill, no later than 4:30 p.m. on August 4, 2021. A Notice of Appeal will set out the reasons for the appeal and the specific part of the proposed official plan or plan amendment to which the appeal applies. A Notice of Appeal will be accompanied by a certified cheque or money order in the amount of $1,100.00, payable to the Minister of Finance and be accompanied by the processing fee prescribed under the Tarriff of Fees By-law in the amount of $320.00 payable to the City of Richmond Hill. Certified cheques are not required when the cheque is from a law firm.

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. 27 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan, including all background materials, is available by contacting Doris Cheng, Senior Planner, phone number 905-771-5563 or by e-mail at doris.cheng@richmondhill.ca.

The proposed Official Plan Amendment No. 27 is exempt from approval by The Regional Municipality of York. The decision of the Council of The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill is final if a Notice of Appeal is not received on or before the last day for filing a Notice of Appeal.

Dated at the City of Richmond Hill this 15th day of June, 2021

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

Who Can File an Appeal:       Only individuals, corporations and public bodies may appeal a decision of the municipality to the Ontario Land Tribunal. A notice of appeal may not be filed by an unincorporated association or group.  However, a notice of appeal may be filed in the name of an individual who is a member of the association or the group on its behalf.

No person or public body shall be added as a party to the hearing of the appeal unless, before the plan was passed, the person or public body made oral submissions at a public meeting or written submissions to the council or, in the opinion of the Ontario Land Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.

Part One – The Preamble

1.1        Purpose

The purpose of this Amendment to the Richmond Hill Official Plan is to amend the provisions of the Official Plan of the City of Richmond Hill respecting Chapter 9 – the North Leslie Secondary Plan, to permit a mixed-use development on the east side of Leslie Street, north of McCague Avenue. This amendment will permit the development of 19 live-work rear lane townhouses and 16 back-to-back townhouses on the subject lands.

1.2        Location

The lands affected by this Amendment are located at the north-east corner of Leslie Street and McCague Avenue, legally described as Block 284, Plan 65M4571, municipally known as 0 McCague Avenue (the “subject lands”). The subject lands have a total area of approximately 0.958 hectares (2.37 acres) and are shown on Schedule 1 – Subject Lands attached hereto.

1.3        Basis

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

1. The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS 2020) sets out the overall direction on matters of Provincial interest related to land use planning and development, and includes policies that encourage the efficient use of land, infrastructure and services by directing development in existing urban areas. The PPS also requires the provision of a range and mix of land uses with densities to meet intensification targets and manage growth within existing settlement areas, while providing for complete communities.

 The proposed development is consistent with the PPS with respect to the efficient use of land, infrastructure and services, and provides for a range and mix of housing types and densities. 

1. The Greenbelt Plan was updated in 2017 to provide clarity about urban structure, how future growth should be accommodated and what must be protected for future generations. The Protected Countryside designation is intended to enhance the extent of environmental protected lands while improving linkages between these areas. No new urban development is permitted, with the exception of essential infrastructure.

 The proposed development conforms with the policies of the Greenbelt Plan by maintaining the preservation of the Protected Countryside lands on the subject property. 

1. The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (“Growth Plan”) was consolidated and updated in 2020. The Growth Plan guides decisions on a wide range of matters, including economic development, land use planning, urban form and housing. It also promotes increased intensification of existing built-up areas, with a focus on urban growth centres, corridors and major transit stations, while providing a minimum density target for Greenfield Areas. The Growth Plan also provides for the protection of lands within the Greenbelt Area to provide consistent and long-term protection throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

The Growth Plan establishes a minimum density target of no less than 50 residents and jobs combined per hectare. Developments are to be planned to support the creation of a complete community which consists of a mix of land uses, including residential and employment uses.

The proposed development conforms to the Growth Plan with respect to accommodating urban growth and development by meeting the Province’s minimum density targets by providing a mix of uses in the form of residential and live-work units, and protecting the Greenbelt Area. 

1. The York Region Official Plan (YROP)Map 1 - Regional Structure, designates the subject lands Urban Area and Greenbelt Protected Countryside Area. The new community area of North Leslie has been planned in a comprehensive and coordinated manner consistent with the policies of York Region through the City of Richmond Hill’s Secondary Plan for the area. The Urban Area designation permits a wide range of land uses including residential, commercial, employment and institutional uses. With respect to housing, the established minimum density target is consistent with the Growth Plan (50 residents and jobs per hectare). In regards to the Greenbelt Protected Countryside designation, the policy prohibits development within this area and promotes environmental protection in perpetuity. 

The proposal reinforces and supports the planned urban structure identified in the YROP by providing a medium density, mixed-use development with retail/commercial opportunities in a live-work built form, contributing to the creation of a complete community. The proposal also demonstrates consistency with the environmental objectives of the York Region Official Plan and conforms to the Regional Greenlands policies through the protection of Greenbelt Area and maintaining the specific policies within the North Leslie Secondary Plan and the York Region Official Plan. 

1. The subject lands are located within Chapter 9 - the North Leslie Secondary Plan, of the City of Richmond Hill’s Official Plan. The Secondary Plan promotes the protection of environmental features, surface and groundwater resources, and environmental functions and processes, forming the basis from which all other land use policies are derived. Subject to the environmental protection policy requirements being met, lands within the Secondary Plan Area are intended to provide development opportunities that include residential, employment, office, institutional, open space and other purposes that support the creation of a complete community. 

The proposed development maintains the general intent and purpose of the goals, objectives and policies of the North Leslie Secondary Plan, including preserving the designated Protected Countryside Area, as well as contributing to the projected population and employment growth of the City and York Region. The proposed development will also contribute to the diversified housing stock and provide mixed use commercial and retail opportunities in the form of live-work dwellings that provide employment opportunities to support the local neighborhood.