NOTICE OF THE ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT NO. 58 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. 58 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan on the 11th day of December, 2024 through the enactment of By-law 145-24 and in accordance with Sections 16 and 17 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 January 13, 2025. 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 Tariff of Fees By-law in the amount of $351.00 payable to the City of Richmond Hill.

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. 58 to the Richmond Hill Official Plan, including all background materials, is available by contacting Salvatore Aiello, Manager – Development Zoning, at (905) 771-5440 or by e-mail at salvatore.aiello@richmondhill.ca. 

The proposed Official Plan Amendment No. 58 is exempt from approval by The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 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 24^th day of December, 2024

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: Specified person, public body or registered owner may appeal a decision of the municipality to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

No specified person, public body or registered owner shall be added as a party to the hearing of the appeal unless, before the plan was passed, the specified person, public body or registered owner 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 specified person, public body or registered owner as a party.

Part One – The Preamble

1.1    Purpose

            The purpose of this Amendment to the Richmond Hill Official Plan is to allow for up to four (4) self-contained residential dwelling units on properties zoned for detached houses, semi-detached houses or rowhouse (including street townhouses and back-to-back townhouses, but not stacked townhouses), where currently only three (3) residential dwelling units are permitted. This amendment will permit additional residential units to be constructed to meet housing demand in Richmond Hill. It will increase housing choice and diversity, as well as facilitate aging-in-place. This change will use existing municipal infrastructure more efficiently.

1.2    Location

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

1.3       Basis

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

• Policies of the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (PPS), which encourage the efficient use of land, resources and infrastructure.

• OPA 58 updates key terms and policies with the goal of facilitating modest increases in densities in low-rise residential neighbourhoods. This gentle intensification is informed by PPS objectives to encourage the permitting and facilitation of all types of residential intensification in order to meet the housing needs of current and future residents (2.2). The permissions granted by OPA 58 give property owners more flexibility to create housing that suits their needs, meeting the PPS objective to address the full range of housing options.
  
  

• Policies of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, 2017 (ORMCP), which encourage the containment of urban growth within designated Settlement Areas in order to minimize impacts to ecological functions and hydrological features of the area;

• OPA 58 minimizes the encroachment of development towards environmentally-sensitive lands by updating definitions to encourage gentle intensification within areas designated as Settlement Areas. OPA 58 does not affect Official Plan policy 3.1.5(b) which prohibits ARUs in areas designated by the ORMCP as a Natural Core Area or Natural Linkage Area, nor does it increase the number of ARUs allowed in lands designated by the ORMCP as a Countryside Area (Official Plan policy 3.1.5(c)). Leaving these policies intact ensures that the objectives of the ORMCP are met and Richmond Hill’s natural heritage remains protected.