Official Plan Update

The following updates were provided by Summer Valentine, Director, Planning, Building, & Economic Development, during the Development & Operations Services Standing Committee meeting held February 13, 2023:

A few matters have arisen that will impact the timing of the delivery of the next draft of the new Town of Collingwood Official Plan, now targeted for release in March or April of 2023.

First…

We are closing in on nearly 200 comment letters received from the circulation of the first draft released in August of 2022, and they continue to come in. Staff are thrilled with the community interest and engagement in this project. Stakeholder, Indigenous, agency and public input is critical to the land use planning process, and it is imperative each comment is reviewed and responded to accordingly with any necessary policy changes. The comments range from general insights to individual site matters. Addressing this feedback and providing Council with a strong rationale for the anticipated multiple changes to the draft Official Plan is underway but will take time.

While staff are extremely grateful and excited about the interest in the Official Plan Review, we do not have the resources or budget to meet with or respond to each comment individually with a letter or email. However, the next draft of the Official Plan will have a comprehensive feedback-response matrix that covers every submission.

Second…

Bills 109 and 23, passed by the Province to facilitate the construction of 1.5 million homes in the next decade have significant consequences on land use planning policies and processes as well as land economics, which are just starting to be understood. Staff want to ensure that the next draft of the Official Plan appropriately responds to the legislative requirements and limits the risks associated with unintended consequences of the Bills, where possible. This includes reviewing the County of Simcoe Official Plan (which will no longer have any effect under Bill 23) and incorporating any operative policies into the Town Plan.

Further, the Province has been consulting on policy changes as part of their housing plan. If the Provincial Policy Statement and/or Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe change significantly in the near term, as guiding documents for Official Plans in the Province, the amendments will need to be reviewed and translated into local policy.

Third…

The growth management official plan amendment that represents Phase One of the County's Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) was adopted by County Council and is under consideration for approval by the Province. Notwithstanding the lack of clarity on the County's future role in land use planning, any approved MCR updates must be incorporated into the Town's Official Plan. Additionally, the MZO for the Poplar Regional Health and Wellness Village was approved by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The conversion of those lands from traditional employment to mixed use will have significant impacts on residential and non-residential unit supply for the Town and needs to be considered in the next draft of the Official Plan.

Stay tuned for the release of the next draft of the Official Plan and future consultation opportunities at: https://engage.collingwood.ca/official-plan!

Substantial feedback was received through public consultation on Draft 1 of the Official Plan.

The Town is currently reviewing the detailed comments, and legislative changes at the Provincial level in preparation of Official Plan Draft 2.

Please subscribe here to be informed of future consultation opportunities on Draft 2 in early 2023.

Staff Report P2022-23 Official Plan Update - Release of Draft One was approved at a Special Council meeting on July 11, 2022.

Media Release: New Collingwood Official Plan Draft 1 released for public consultation

The Town is now seeking feedback on the draft policies and mapping schedules.

Comments may be sent to officialplanupdate@collingwood.ca and will be accepted until August 17, 2022.

The first draft of the New Official Plan has been completed, and will be presented to Council on July 11, 2022, with a recommendation to begin consultation with the community. Pending Council authorization, please stay tuned for opportunities to provide feedback!

Work has been underway on preparing the first draft of the new Official Plan for the Town of Collingwood. The goal of the project team was to release the draft in March 2022, with public consultation opportunities to follow. However, on Thursday, March 10, 2022, Town Council resolved to temporarily redirect consulting resources to the review of another transformative project for the Town – a Minister’s Zoning Order for the proposed Poplar Regional Health & Wellness Village. The decision has the effect of delaying the release of the draft Official Plan by approximately 3-4 weeks. Please stay tuned!

As a result of landowner requests for re-designation through the Official Plan update process, Planning Services is taking Staff Report #P2021-27 to Development and Operations on Sept 13, 2021, and then to Council on Sept. 27, 2021.

The purpose of the staff report is to provide Council with recommendations and to provide direction to staff. The staff report is located here

https://collingwood.civicweb.net/document/82086/P2021-27%20OP%20Update%20Redesignation%20Requests.pdf?handle=2FE0FDF1FCC64F40BDFE626A25E82B36

Here is a link to The Collingwood Civic Portal. Subscribe to receive email updates directly to your mail box!

Do you still have concerns after reading the report and attending the portal meeting, we look forward to receiving your comments via our specific email address @ officialplanupdate@collingwood.ca

Work is underway on writing the draft New Official Plan. More information coming soon.

Did you know that the Official Plan sets the vision for what your hometown will look like in 20 years? Think about what your home, street, or local park might look like.

We want to hear the ideas of youth and families for the future of your town!

Share your ideas with with us in two virtual workshops on January 27, 2021:

• Families @1:00PM
• Youth @4:00 PM

Register here!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend any or all of the eight virtual public workshops held over two days on November 30th and December 1st.

Approximately 250 people attended the sessions to talk about the topics that the Official Plan Update will cover and the potential directions to address community issues. Planning Services thanks everyone for their input and participation.

If you were unable to attend the workshops, recordings are posted on the right side of this page under "Public Workshop Recordings." The presentation slides from the workshops as well as a summary memo of the comments received are posted on the right side of this page under "Engagement: Presentations & Reports."

Comments can be submitted to officialplanupdate@collingwood.ca

The fourth phase of the Official Plan Update includes the release of the Draft Options and Recommendation Report, which is now posted for review.

The draft report can be found under "Draft Options and Recommendations Report" at the right side of this page. The report is intended to provide high level policy direction for the drafting of the new Official Plan.

Virtual public workshops are being held November 30th and December 1st to hear your thoughts on this report as well as the Discussion Papers, which were released in the summer. Additional workshop information and the registration link can be found in the newsfeed item below. The Discussion Papers are posted at the right side of this page.