MILTON INTENSIFICATION AND INFILL STUDY - Town of Milton

MILTON
INTENSIFICATION
AND INFILL STUDY
What is Intensification?
The Provincial Policy Statement (2005) defines “intensification” as:
“the development of a property, site or area at a higher density than currently exists
through:
a) redevelopment, including the reuse of brownfield sites;
b) the development of vacant and/or underutilized lots within previously
developed areas;
c) infill development; and,
d) the expansion or conversion of existing buildings.”
Both the Province and the Region of Halton require Milton to accommodate a significant
portion of future growth through intensification inside its existing built-up area,
rather than on greenfields at the edge of the urban area.
The province has delineated a “built boundary” for Milton, shown in Figure 1. The
built boundary defines Milton’s existing built-up area.
Between 2016 and 2031, Milton is required by the Region of Halton to accommodate
at least 5,300 new residential units inside its existing built-up area (i.e. inside
the built boundary line shown in Figure 1). In total, the Region of Halton is planning
to accommodate 32,200 units through intensification between 2016 and 2031 to
meet the new provincial requirements.
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FIGURE 1 : MILTON’S EXISTING BUILT-UP AREA
Provincially-defined built boundary that delineates Milton’s existing built-up area
Open Space / Greenbelt
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What is the Milton Intensification and Infill Study?
Milton's Intensification and Infill Study is intended to implement Section 2.3.2.6 of
the Province’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which states:
"All municipalities will develop and implement through their Official Plans and other
supporting documents, a strategy and policies to phase in and achieve intensification
and the intensification target.”
Milton’s Intensification and Infill Study will answer the following questions:
1. Which areas in Milton are appropriate for intensification?
2. Which areas are not appropriate for intensification?
3. What form should intensification take in Milton?
The results of the Intensification and Infill Study will be a major input to the review
and update of Milton’s Official Plan which began in 2006 and will be re-initiated in
late 2009 / early 2010.
Intensification can come in a wide range
of forms. It includes all forms of development
inside the existing built-up area,
from new high-rise towers to a basement
apartment in an existing house.
Tall High-Rise (Burlington)
Mid High-Rise (Aurora)
Medium Rise (Oakville)
Ground-Related (Oakville)
PANEL 1
Basement Apartments (Burlington)
Re-use of Existing Buildings (Guelph)
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Figure 2: Urban Growth Centres in the Greater Golden Horseshoe
(Source: Places to Grow Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Ministry
of Energy and Infrastructure, 2006)
Figure 3: Approximate Size and Scale of the Downtown Milton Urban Growth
Centre as Defined by the Province
(Source: Size and Location of Urban Growth Centres in the Greater Golden
Horseshoe, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, 2008)
DOWNTOWN MILTON
URBAN GROWTH
CENTRE
What is an Urban Growth Centre?
Martin St
Fulton St
Oak Street
Ontario Street
Main Street
Figure 4: Downtown Milton Urban Growth Centre
Nipissing Road
Thompson Road
PANEL 2
Ontario’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe identifies 25 locations across the
region as Urban Growth Centres (UGCs) (see Figure 2). Downtown Milton is identified as
one of these UGCs.
UGCs are defined in the Growth Plan as areas that will be planned:
a) as focal areas for investment in institutional and region-wide public services, as well
as commercial, recreational, cultural and entertainment uses;
b) to accommodate and support major transit infrastructure;
c) to serve as high density major employment centres that will attract provincially,
nationally or internationally significant employment uses; and
d) to accommodate a significant share of population and employment growth.
The Growth Plan also establishes minimum density requirements for each UGC. The Province
requires the Downtown Milton UGC to be planned to achieve a minimum density of
200 people and jobs combined per hectare by 2031. This translates into a total of
27,360 people and jobs combined in the UGC by 2031.
Where is Milton’s Urban Growth Centre?
The Province has provided an approximate size and scale for the Downtown Milton UGC,
shown in Figure 3.
The Town of Milton has identified more detailed boundaries for its UGC, shown in Figure 4.
The UGC covers 136.8 hectares, stretching approximately from Martin Street in the west
to Thompson Road in the east, and from just north of Main Street in the north, to Nipissing
Road in the south. This is the area to which the Province’s minimum density target of 200
people and jobs combined per hectare applies.
Given the minimum density requirements of the Province’s
Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the Town of
Milton must plan to accommodate at least 27,360 people
and jobs combined inside its Urban Growth Centre by
2031. Currently, the UGC has approximately 7,300 people
and jobs.
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PUBLIC WORKSHOP #1
Background
On June 24, 2009 the Town hosted a public workshop to seek input on the development
of the Intensification and Infill Study.
Participants were asked to respond to the following questions:
1) What benefits do you think or hope intensification will bring to Milton? What is it about
intensification that most concerns you?
2) What do you see as the factors or characteristics that make an area appropriate or
inappropriate for intensification?
3) What locations in Milton would be appropriate for ground-related, medium-rise, mid
high-rise and tall high-rise forms of intensification?
The following provides a summary of the main themes that were expressed at the workshop.
It is important to note that this summary is not intended to represent a consensus
view, nor is it intended to capture every individual comment. Its intent is to indicate the
broad themes that emerged from the workshop.
Potential Benefits of Intensification:
• bring positive economic growth and increase the Town’s tax base
• provide a larger customer base for local businesses
• improve areas of Milton that are currently underused or in need of revitalization,
such as brownfields
• create a livelier downtown with more cultural amenities and more people on the street
• improve local transportation infrastructure, particularly transit
• slow urban sprawl onto green spaces and farmlands
• bring new businesses and people into the Town and increase diversity
Concerns About Intensification:
PANEL 3
• pressure on existing infrastructure and servicing, particularly roads
• ability of the current water system in Old Milton to handle new growth
• negative impacts on Milton’s heritage, distinct identity and small town feel
• loss of green space
• impacts on views of the escarpment
• impacts from tall buildings on low-density housing, such as loss of privacy
and shadowing
• potential for increases in criminal activity
• potential impacts on property values
Appropriate Areas for Intensification:
• areas where there is the potential to revitalize underused lands (e.g. vacant lots
and brownfields)
• areas that have existing access to transit service, particularly GO transit
• areas near existing amenities such as schools, shopping sites, parks and hospitals
• areas that need more commercial space
Inappropriate Areas for Intensification
• areas near existing low-density housing
• areas that have high heritage value
• green spaces such as the fairgrounds
• areas that currently have insufficient servicing, particularly traffic problems
• floodplains
Appropriate Forms of Intensification
For the final workshop exercise, participants were asked to indicate on a map of the
Town’s existing built-up area the locations that may be appropriate for the following
forms of intensification:
• tall high-rise (predominantly 12 or more storeys in height)
• mid high-rise (predominantly 5-11 storeys in height)
• medium rise (predominantly 3-4 storeys in height)
• ground-related forms of intensification (predominantly 1-2 storeys in height)
A conceptual illustration of the combined feedback of the groups is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5 : Consolidated Comments on Potential Intensification Areas from Public Workshop #1, June 24, 2009
(Note: This map is an overlay of comments received at the workshop. It is not intended to illustrate a consensus or majority view).
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INTENSIFICATION IN MILTON’S
URBAN GROWTH CENTRE
Existing Conditions
Current Land Use and Development Pattern
The dominant land use in the Downtown Milton Urban Growth Centre is single-storey commercial
uses. The Milton Mall is the largest retail area, but major retail uses also exist
next to the GO station. The dominant use in the central part of the UGC is the Milton GO
station and its associated parking lot. North of the GO station are a series of industrial
condominiums housing a number of service commercial uses and auto-related uses. A
mix of office and service commercial uses also exist along Nipissing Road south of the
GO station.
At the south end of the UGC boundary, south of the mall site, lies the Region of Halton’s
Allendale property that includes a senior’s residence and various regional services.
Residential uses are limited in the UGC, and consist primarily of low density housing
southwest and northwest of Ontario and Main Streets.
Park space is completely absent from the UGC, although recreational uses and the proposed
arts and entertainment complex lie at the eastern boundary along Thompson
Road.
Current Policy Permissions
The current Milton Official Plan (OP) was adopted in 1997. This pre-dates the province’s
2006 Growth Plan that identifies the Downtown Milton Urban Growth Centre, so the OP
does not specifically identify the Urban Growth Centre as an intensification area, or establish
any density requirements for it. However the area that is now identified as the Urban
Growth Centre lies mostly within the current OPs Central Business District Secondary
Plan Area. This area currently permits building heights ranging from 4 to 7 storeys and
allows for a variety of land uses including residential, commercial and mixed use.
Figure 6 shows the current OP’s height limits. These maximum heights would provide for
development that would accommodate approximately 170 people and jobs combined per
hectare, less than the 200 people and jobs combined per hectare now required by the
province’s Growth Plan. In addition, the current land use permissions of the OP, which include
large areas for commercial development, would fail to yield the 5,300 residential intensification
units required by the Region of Halton. As a result, if the current OP is unchanged,
additional intensification would have to be distributed elsewhere in the Town.
Figure 6: Current Milton Official Plan Central Business District Secondary Plan Height Limits
PANEL 4
Factors to Consider in Developing an Intensification Vision for the Urban
Growth Centre
Legislative Requirements:
• Province’s minimum density requirement of 200 people and jobs per hectare.
• Accommodating a significant portion of the 5,300 intensification units required by
Halton Region in order to reduce intensification pressures elsewhere in the Town.
Physical Attributes:
• Destiny Milton 2 seeks to make the CBD the main focal point – administrative,
cultural, entertainment, commercial, social and historic – of the community.
• Several large parcels that provide significant opportunities for future redevelopment.
• The GO station is a major trip generator and presents an opportunity to shift a
significant proportion of trips from private automobiles to public transit.
• The low density and car-dependent nature of existing commercial development and
amount of land devoted to surface parking.
• Destiny Milton 2 directs higher density development to arterial roads and transit
corridors; Main Street, Ontario Street and Thompson Road bisect the UGC.
• The function of Main Street as the main east - west arterial road leading to a
significant new business park now being planned to the east of James Snow Parkway.
• Recent age of many of the commercial uses at the southwest corner of Main and
Thompson, and resulting reduced likelihood of redevelopment in the near term.
Alternatively, the age of the Milton Mall means that redevelopment potential is
greater in the short term.
• Need for new residential development to support local stores and businesses.
• Preservation of views of the Niagara Escarpment
Physical Constraints:
• Proximity to low-density residential neighbourhoods at the edges of the UGC.
• Lack of park space.
• Water and wastewater servicing constraints.
• Poor connections between the UGC and the historic town centre along the western
part of Main Street.
• Traffic congestion is already significant along Main and Ontario Streets and there are
limited alternatives for east-west and north-south travel movements.
• The fragmented nature of the ownership of the multi-unit buildings on the north side
of Main (multiple Plans of Condominium).
The current Milton Official Plan allows for a density
of approximately 170 people and jobs combined
per hectare, not enough to meet the density
requirements of the Province’s Growth Plan.
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Potential Long-Term Growth
Scenario for the UGC
(25 years and beyond)
8 storey
Figure 7: Theoretical view looking north from the GO station toward
Main Street, 25 years from now.
8 storey
10 storey
Figure 8: Theoretical view looking west along Main Street from Thompson Road, 25
years from now.
Figure 9: Recommended Density Permissions for the Urban Growth Centre (overall
density up to 250 people and jobs per hectare over 25+ years).
Urban Growth Centre Boundary
Conceptual Open Space Network
1 - 2 Storeys
2
3 - 4 Storeys
6 - 8 Storeys
10 - 14 Storeys
INTENSIFICATION IN
MILTON’S URBAN
GROWTH CENTRE
(cont’d)
Potential Elements of an Intensification Vision for the Urban
Growth Centre
The following elements of an Intensification Vision for the UGC build upon the
directions of Destiny Milton 2:
Figure 10: Theoretical rendering illustrating the transition between the UGC and existing low density residential neighbourhoods.
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• Maintain, promote and enhance the UGC as one of the primary focal points
for commerce, tourism and pedestrian-scale activity in the Town.
• Encourage the development of a range of uses that will support the UGC as
a place to live, work and play.
• Higher density, high quality employment uses, such as office buildings, that
take advantage of the GO station access.
• Create a sense of civic identity and pride through a high standard of
urban design.
• A model of environmental sustainability, including buildings that meet the
highest standards of energy and water use efficiency.
• Provide a full range of housing opportunities for present and future residents
of all ages and incomes.
• Carefully integrate new development into the fabric of the existing community,
through context sensitive urban design. Minimize the impacts of new
development on adjacent low-density residential neighbourhoods through
the use of reduced heights and staggered setbacks.
• Ensure that there is a strong relationship between new development and the
street and that new development is supported by improvements to the public
realm.
• Enhance the eastern edge of the UGC as a gateway to the Town that
demonstrates civic pride and creates a sense of arrival in the heart of Milton.
• Encourage and facilitate pedestrian and bicycle traffic through the use of
trails, paths and lanes.
• Introduce new park space into the UGC.
• A pedestrian, cycling and transit-first community, where dependence on the
private automobile is minimized. Fully integrate the GO station into
surrounding neighbourhoods by providing quick and easy access,
particularly by pedestrians, cyclists and local transit.
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PANEL 5
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Existing Conditions
Bronte Street South
Main Street
Figure 11: Potential sites for intensification in Milton’s historic core
Figure 12: Preservation of Escarpment views is a key element of the Intensification
Vision for the historic core of Milton. This image shows how a 4-storey built form on
both sides of Main Street would still allow for views of the Escarpment, as well as a
skyline dominated by the church steeples.
Figure 13: Theoretical rendering illustrating how a potential development scheme
could integrate with its historic setting (note: this is not an actual development proposal).
INTENSIFICATION IN
MILTON’S HISTORIC
CORE
Current Land Use and Development Pattern
Milton’s historic core includes a wide range of residential, retail and employment uses.
PANEL 6
Buildings generally range in height from 1 to 3 storeys and many are of historic significance.
The most significant cultural heritage landscape in the Town of Milton is the Courthouse
Square. This four-acre space includes Victoria Park on the west of Brown Street
and, to its east, a complex of heritage buildings comprising the former Halton Court
House and Jail and former Registry Office and their associated open spaces.
The urban form is pedestrian-oriented, with wide sidewalks, pedestrian amenities such as
benches and landscaping, and buildings generally set close to the street.
Lands to the north and south of Main Street are dominated by low density housing, many
of which are of historical significance.
Mill Pond functions as a major park and amenity, drawing visitors from across the Town.
Intensification potential in the historic core is limited. Parcels are generally small,
and the proximity of low density housing and the historic 1-3 storey buildings limit opportunities
for higher density development.
The floodplain of the Sixteen Mile Creek also bisects the historic core, limiting opportunities
for redevelopment.
Factors to Consider in Developing an Intensification Vision for Milton’s
Historic Core
• One of the goals of Destiny Milton 2 is to make the Central Business District the main
focal point – administrative, cultural, entertainment, commercial, social and historic
– of the community.
• Need for new residential development to support local stores and businesses.
• Small and irregular parcel fabric.
• Abundance of historically significant buildings.
• Proximity to low density residential areas.
• Maintenance of views to the Niagara Escarpment.
• Traffic impacts, particularly along Main Street, and the provision of parking.
• Role of the historic core in establishing the identity and civic pride of Milton.
• Location of floodplain and its impact on development.
• Relatively few potential intensification parcels (less than 3 hectares in total).
Potential Elements of an Intensification Vision for Milton’s Historic Core
The following elements of an Intensification Vision for Milton’s historic core build upon
the directions of Destiny Milton 2:
• Maintain, promote and enhance the historic core as one of the primary focal points
for commerce, tourism and pedestrian-scale activity in the Town.
• Protect historic buildings and views to the Niagara Escarpment.
• Encourage the development of a range of uses that will support the historic core as
a place to live, work and play.
• Create a sense of civic identity and pride through a high standard of urban design,
public space and public art.
• Provide a full range of housing opportunities for present and future residents of all
ages and incomes.
• Carefully integrate new development into the fabric of the existing community,
through context sensitive urban design. Minimize the impacts of new development on
adjacent low-density residential neighbourhoods through the use of reduced heights
and staggered setbacks.
• Ensure that there is a strong relationship between new development and the street
and that new development is supported by improvements to the public realm.
• Enhance the western edges of the historic core as a gateway that demonstrates civic
pride and creates a sense of arrival in the heart of Milton.
• A pedestrian, cycling and transit-first community, where dependence on the private
automobile is minimized. Encourage and facilitate pedestrian and bicycle traffic
through the use of trails, paths and lanes.
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INTENSIFICATION IN OTHER PARTS OF MILTON
Background
The Downtown Milton Urban Growth Centre will be the primary location for future intensification
in the Town. However, limited opportunities do exist elsewhere in the Town that
could accommodate some intensification. Sites that currently have large amounts of surface
parking, such as plazas and strip malls, and large parcels on arterial roads and transit
corridors may have potential for redevelopment over the next 25 or more years.
In total, 187 hectares of potential intensification sites have been identified in multiple locations
across the Town, outside of the Urban Growth Centre. About 30 percent of this
area is currently designated for employment uses, leaving 70 percent, or 144 hectares,
for potential residential and mixed use development.
The majority of the potential sites are concentrated along Bronte Street, Ontario Street
and Steeles Avenue, as shown in Figure 14.
Figure 14: Potential Sites for Intensification Outside of the Urban Growth Centre
PANEL 7
Potential Elements of an Intensification Vision for Other Parts of Milton
• Encourage the development of alternative housing forms to provide a broader range
of housing along transit corridors.
• Carefully integrate new development into the fabric of existing communities, through
context sensitive urban design. Minimize the impacts of new development on
adjacent low-density residential neighbourhoods through the use of reduced heights
and staggered setbacks.
• Focus density and intensification along arterial roads that offer high levels of transit
service.
• A pedestrian, cycling and transit-first community, where dependence on the private
automobile is minimized. Encourage and facilitate pedestrian and bicycle traffic
through the use of trails, paths and lanes.
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Basic Tower,
45° angular plane
45° angular plane
Podium + Tower stepped back massing
Active “at-grade” retail uses and canopies create a friendlier environment for pedestrians.
Incorporating mid-block walkways and urban plazas into new development provides a pleasant environment for new and
existing residents to access activity centres.
Stepped massings such that taller building do not overwhelm existing lower density buildings
A definable roof edge, that shields rooftop mechanical elements, contributes to an appealing skyline and also reduces the
visual impact of taller buildings.
Balconies and strong window elements help articulate and
“break-up” the visual impact of large-scale buildings.
Unarticulated buildings read as heavy, unappealing volumes.
BUILDING FORM
AND HEIGHT
Determining Appropriate Building Form and Height
PANEL 8
Throughout Milton, a variety of potential sites exist for future intensification. Some locations may be appropriate
for taller buildings, others may be more suitable for mid- or low-rise forms of intensification. The
following considerations should apply when determining appropriate building forms and heights in specific
locations.
Protect privacy by minimizing visual intrusion on nearby residents.
• Ensure adequate distance between buildings and offset windows and balconies.
Minimize shadow impacts on adjacent properties.
• Height limits should be set below an angular plane (typically 30 to 40 degrees) that allows for sunlight
penetration to neighbouring properties.
• Towers should be slender and oriented in a north-south direction to minimize shadowing.
Building heights should not overwhelm the street. New development should create a pleasant pedestrian
environment on adjacent streets.
• The height of buildings should have a proportional relationship to the street right-of-way in order to
create a well-defined character for the street. Towers should be set back on a podium base that
frames the street and creates a well-defined street wall in a consistent manner, creating a pleasant,
lively and pedestrian friendly street frontage.
• No development should shadow the northern sidewalk between 11 am and 4 pm between March 21
and September 21.
• Colonnades, overhangs and/or canopies should be included to shelter pedestrians and control
wind effects.
• Taller buildings should include active retail uses (e.g. shops, restaurants, cafes) along main streets to
contribute to pedestrian activity.
• Along street frontages, orient windows, main entrances and other primary building façade elements
toward the street.
Contribute to the betterment of the public realm.
• Buildings should be sited and massed in a manner that creates landscaped courtyards or other open
spaces that are usable by the building’s residents as well as neighbours.
• Improvements to the streetscape, such as soft landscaping, lighting fixtures, benches and public art,
should be part of the overall project design.
• Integrate open space and walkway systems with convenient and attractive linkages from
residential areas to other activity areas in the community including schools, parks, commercial centres
and institutions to encourage walking and cycling.
Be respectful and be sensitive to the context and scale of neighbouring buildings.
• The mass of a new building should step back (down) to provide a transition on sites that are next to,
or across from, existing low rise residential buildings.
• The design of new buildings should achieve a complementary design relationship to existing buildings,
while accommodating a diversity of architectural styles, building materials and colours, that provide
visual variety and interest.
Ensure adequate parking for the building’s residents in a manner that does not dominate the
streetscape (e.g. utilize rear, side, underground or above-ground parking).
Taller buildings should demonstrate architectural excellence and contribute to a distinctive and
appealing skyline.
• Rooftop elements should contribute to the skyline profile by having an identifiable, well-detailed,
iconic architectural design.
• Smaller architectural elements and features on the street frontage should be used to create a more
human scale and to “break-up” the visual impact of buildings.
• High-grade materials and appropriate colours that achieve an architectural identity while at the same
time remaining respectful of their context.
• Buildings should be articulated and fenestrated in a fashion that breaks down large-scale building
mass and avoids large expanses of blank walls.
Protect natural features.
• The design of sites adjacent to parks, woodlots and watercourses should be sensitive to these
features.
In these instances, appropriate setbacks should be maintained between buildings and sensitive
natural areas, while on-site landscaping should be well integrated with natural areas.
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