Town of Richmond Hill Draft New Official Plan - Chapter 4

LAND USE POLICIES
4.7.2 DESIGN
It is the policy of Council that:
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Building a Strong, Vibrant Identity and Character
1. Applications for development may be required to submit a concept plan,
in accordance with Section 5.2 of this Plan, which demonstrates how the
proposed development meets the land use and design policies of this Plan
and how it fits with the existing context of the site and surrounding area.
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Walkable Streets and People Places
2. Where possible, built form may be designed to create breaks in the
streetwall along the Local Mixed-Use Corridor designation to provide
pedestrian-oriented parks and urban open spaces or other appropriate
pedestrian amenities to the satisfaction of the Town. Access routes may
also be permitted to create breaks in the streetwall along the Local Mixed-
Use Corridor designation in accordance with policy 3.4.1.31 of this Plan.
4.8 EMPLOYMENT LANDS
Employment lands are integral to the Town’s long-term employment growth
providing a balanced mix of business activities that include a range of high
performance industrial activity and office uses. The Town’s urban structure
includes two employment land designations: Employment Areas and Employment
Corridors. The primary purpose of these designations is to maximize economic
potential by ensuring a long-term, stable supply of employment land in strategic
locations of the Town. These designations provide a place in the Town for current
and future business and industrial operations, not able to locate elsewhere in the
Town. Given the limited availability of land to expand Richmond Hill’s employment
lands, this Plan recognizes the need to protect designated employment lands from
conversion to non-employment uses. In an effort to maximize the economic-based
land uses in the Employment Area and Employment Corridor and to create a more
sustainable place-based business environment, these designations encourage
intensification of employment uses, where feasible, and innovative approaches to
enhancing the design of streetscapes, lots and buildings.
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4.8.1 EMPLOYMENT AREA
The Town’s designated Employment Area lands are located adjacent to
Highway 404 (also known as the Beaver Creek, Headford, and Barker Business
Parks) and within the Newkirk Business Park shown on Figure 3 in Section
3.3.1 of this Plan. The purpose of the Employment Area designation is to
provide a range of high performance industrial and office uses that may not
be accommodated elsewhere in the Town, such as high-tech industries and
knowledge-based businesses in the form of advanced manufacturing plants,
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DRAFT MAY 6, 2010
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RICHMOND HILL OFFICIAL PLAN