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Updated Planning Report September 2008 Proposed Lafarge/Silvercreek Development a) providing for an appropriate mix and range of employment (including industrial, commercial, and institutional uses) to meet long term needs; b) providing opportunities for a diversified economic base, including maintaining a range and choice of suitable sites for employment uses which support a wide range of economic activities and ancillary uses, and take into account the needs of existing and future businesses; c) planning for, protecting and preserving employment areas for current and future uses; and, d) ensuring the necessary infrastructure is provided to support current and projected needs. 1.3.2 Planning authorities may permit conversions of lands within employment areas to non-employment uses through a comprehensive review, only where it has been demonstrated that the land is not required for employment purposes over the long term and that there is a need for the conversion. 1.7.1 Long-term economic prosperity should be supported by: a) optimizing the long-term availability and use of land, resources, infrastructure and public service facilities; b) maintaining, and where possible, enhancing the vitality and viability of downtowns and mainstreets; c) promoting the redevelopment of brownfield sites; The implementation provisions of the PPS (in section 4.0) acknowledge that Official Plans are ”…the most important vehicle for implementation of this Provincial Policy Statement.” As such, Official Plans “…shall identify provincial interests and set out appropriate land use designations and policies…[and]…provide clear, reasonable and attainable policies to protect provincial interests and direct development to suitable areas.” It is noted that the term “Employment Area” is used above in Policy 1.3.2, and is defined by the PPS as follows: “…means those areas designated in an official plan for clusters of business and economic activities including, but not limited to, manufacturing, warehousing, offices and associated retail and ancillary facilities.” (emphasis added.) The applicability of 1.3.2 to major retail proposals on employment lands under the 2005 PPS will be discussed in further detail in Section 6.2.1 of this report. 3.2 Growth Plan for Greater Golden Horseshoe (2006) The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (“Growth Plan”) is a major policy document approved by the Province in June 2006 under the Places to Grow Act. The Growth Plan represents another senior level policy that is of some significance for employment lands, for those development applications which fall under its purview. 8
Updated Planning Report September 2008 Proposed Lafarge/Silvercreek Development However, the Silvercreek application is not subject to the provisions of the Growth Plan, by virtue of the original application date in 2005 which pre-dated the in-force date of the Growth Plan, and the related transitional regulations which clearly indicate that prior applications are exempt from the Growth Plan’s provisions. 3.3 City of Guelph Official Plan This discussion of the City’s Official Plan is based upon the latest consolidation available, dated November 2006, and incorporating the provisions of OPA 29, which reflected the outcome of the City’s Commercial Policy Review. 3.3.1 Land Use Designations At a site-specific level, as shown on the accompanying Figure 3 -- Schedule 1 – Land Use Plan, the Plan’s land use designation on the site is “Industrial” on Schedule 1 – Land Use Plan, and it is superimposed with a “Non-Core Greenlands Overlay”, applicable to Howitt Creek and its related valley/floodplain which bisects the site in a north/south direction. The particulars of these designations are discussed later in this section of the report. 3.3.2 Major Goals From a more general perspective, the Plan’s “Major Goals” are found under “Basis” in Section 2.3, among which the following are seen to be particularly germane in this instance: “2. Promote a compact and staged development pattern to maintain the distinct urban/rural physical separation and to avoid sprawl and premature development.” “4. Direct development to those areas where municipal services and related physical infrastructure are most readily or can be made available, considering existing land uses, natural heritage features, development constraints, development costs and related factors.” “11. Respect and encourage the protection and enhancement of the natural environment, other distinctive features of the landscape and the associated ecological functions to support a healthy and diverse ecosystem both within and beyond City limits.” “14. Develop an appropriate framework to facilitate the full range of commercial uses consistent with the needs of the City’s population and employment base and supportive of the City’s transportation objectives.” “15. Maintain and strengthen the role of the Central Business District (Downtown) as a major focal area for investment, employment and residential uses…” 3.3.3 Community Form, Urban Form and Urban Design Section 3 of the Plan addresses “General Policies”, and in 3.2, includes a discussion of “Community Form”, which includes the following relevant “General Development Objective”: 9
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updated planning report updated planning report - City of Guelph

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