Background Report - Town of Georgina

TOWN OF GEORGINA, SUTTON SECONDARY PLAN REVIEW STUDY
BACKGROUND REPORT
Section 3.2.5 External Connections provides the following:
The river valleys that run through existing or approved urban areas and connect the Greenbelt to inland
lakes... are a key component of the long-term health of the Natural System. In recognition of the function of
the urban river valleys, municipalities and conservation authorities should:
1. Continue with stewardship, remediation and appropriate park and trail initiatives which maintain and, to the
extent possible, enhance the ecological features and functions found within these valley systems;
2. In considering land conversions or redevelopments in or abutting an urban river valley, strive for planning
approaches that:
a) Establish or increase the extent or width of vegetation protection zones in natural self-sustaining vegetation,
especially in the most ecologically sensitive areas (i.e. near the stream and below the sable top
of bank);
b) Increase or improve fish habitat in streams and in the adjacent riparian lands;
c) Include landscaping and habitat restoration that increase the ability of native plants and animals to use
valley systems as both wildlife habitat and movement corridors; and
d) Seek to avoid, minimize and/or mitigate impacts associated with the quality and quantity of urban runoff
into the valley systems; and
3. Integrate watershed planning and management approaches for lands both within and beyond the Greenbelt.”
Section 3.4.2 also encourages municipalities to support the long-term vitality of Towns and Villages though appropriate
planning and economic development approaches which seek to maintain, intensify and/or revitalize
these communities. This includes modest growth that is compatible with the long-term role of these settlements
as part of the Protected Countryside and the capacity to provide locally based sewage and water services.
Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe - Places to Grow (2006)
The Growth Plan informs decision-making regarding growth management in the Greater Golden Horseshoe
(GGH). It contains policies that are intended to manage population and employment until 2031, by directing a
significant portion of new development to the existing built-up areas, with a focus on urban growth centres, intensification
corridors, major transit station areas and brownfields. Within this timeframe, the GGH is expected
to accommodate approximately 3.7 million additional people and 1.8 million additional jobs. York Region is
forecasted to grow to 1.5 million people and 780,000 jobs in that same 25-year period. Schedule 4 of the Plan
identifies the Sutton Secondary Plan Area as being within the “Greenbelt Area”.
Municipalities are required to bring their Official Plans in conformity with the Growth Plan by June 16, 2009. The
review and update of the Sutton Secondary Plan must conform with the Growth Plan and constitutes the first
step in the Town’s Official Plan conformity exercise. The balance of the Town of Georgina’s conformity exercise
is expected to begin sometime in 2008, after York Region has significantly advanced their own Official Plan
amendments.
Presently, York Region is developing a new “Growth Management Strategy” that will allocate growth projections,
as well as, requirements for greenfield development and intensification targets for each of the constituent area
municipalities. This work is expected to provide overall direction and specific requirements about how future
urban growth is to be accommodated in the Town of Georgina, and subsequently, within the Sutton community.
The Planning Partnership • LGL Limited • Poulos & Chung • SCS Consulting • Cushman & Wakefield LePage | July 2008
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