31 Sand Road - 31 Sand GP Ltd.

The owner of 31 Sand Road submitted Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications on June 26, 2025. Town Planning staff deemed the applications complete on July 21, 2025.

Prior to Council considering and making any decisions with respect to the proposed development, there will be an extensive planning process including future staff reporting to Council with information and recommendations.

The merits of the proposed development will be addressed through the Town’s technical review process and further reports to Council.

A statutory public meeting was held on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers (19000 Leslie Street). The meeting provided an opportunity for Council and members of the public to provide feedback on the development applications. Council did not make any decisions on the applications on October 21.

The statutory public meeting was an opportunity for the public to hear from the owner regarding the proposed development in an official Council meeting format. The developer made a presentation, received feedback and responded to the questions from Council and residents who registered to speak.

You may share comments in writing via email to planning@eastgwillimbury.ca. See the next question for information on how written comments carry the same weight as oral submissions.

Council is live streamed. You can watch the video recording of the meeting on the Town’s YouTube channel.

Written comments are submissions (letters, emails, etc.) provided by residents, agencies, or interested parties specifically in relation to a planning application.

Written comments are part of the statutory public record for the development application under the Provincial Planning Act and carry the same weight as oral submissions made at the statutory public meeting.

Written comments are typically compiled by Planning staff and included in the planning report or background file regarding a development application. They are not treated as stand-alone agenda correspondence items and are not addressed through individual correspondence. The Planning report will address concerns raised in written comments.

You may share comments in writing by emailing planning@eastgwillimbury.ca.

The Council meeting on September 16, 2025, was the first time Council and staff heard claims regarding the potential existence of a built heritage resource on the property. Specifically, residents have claimed that a historic log cabin exists within an existing structure on the property. In response to residents’ concerns, the owner has agreed to retain a heritage expert to conduct an assessment of the structure.

EG is aware of the community’s strong interest in the future of the property with respect to a potential built heritage resource. Staff are working closely with the owner, legal counsel, and heritage experts to assess claims that the structure on the property is a built heritage resource of cultural heritage value or interest.

No, it is not.

EG's heritage properties are listed in the Town’s Heritage Register. There are 392 properties listed in the Heritage Register, with 12 of those properties being designated pursuant to section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act

You can view the Register of Cultural Heritage Properties to determine if a certain property is on the list. 

More information on Heritage in EG can be found here: Heritage - The Town of East Gwillimbury.

Update (as of November 10, 2025): On November 7, 2025, the property was listed on the Town’s Heritage Register, following the completion of the process prescribed under the Ontario Heritage Act. 

Council can list properties under the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) IF Council believes the property to be of cultural heritage value or interest and the property meets the prescribed criteria under O. Reg. 9/06. 

And, 

The requirement for an owner of a listed property to provide 60 days notice in writing of their intention to demolish only applies if the property is listed in the register before any application is made for a demolition permit. 

Because the property was not listed in the Heritage Register when the Zoning By-law Amendment and Official Plan Amendment applications were deemed complete, the Town no longer has any ability to designate the property under section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. 

No.  

Staff are responsible for enacting the direction of Council.  

Section 34.5 of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) gives the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism the authority to designate a property to be of cultural heritage value or interest of provincial significance if, among other conditions, the property meets one or more of the prescribed criteria in O. Reg. 10/60 and the designation is carried out in accordance with the process set out in the OHA, including the requirement to consult with the Ontario Heritage Trust.  

To date, the Minister’s designation power under section 34.5 of the OHA has never been used. 

The most recent comprehensive updates to the Town’s Heritage Register were completed and approved in 2011 and again in 2021. The review process for each update was presented to Council through special workshops and Committee of the Whole Council meetings. 

Were any site visits or inspections of the property conducted by the Town prior to deeming the application “complete”?

On September 18, 2025, information related to the potential heritage resources at 31 Sand Road, was discussed at the Town’s Heritage Advisory Committee (HAC). The HAC is scheduled to provide Council with its recommendations concerning the property on October 21, 2025.

Update (as of October 27, 2025): The HAC information update to Council is pending and anticipated to be brought to Council at a future Committee of the Whole Council meeting. 

Update (as of November 10, 2025): On November 4, 2025, the HAC brought forward their information update to Council. 

What is the role of the Town’s Heritage Advisory Committee? 

Where can the Heritage Advisory Committee meeting minutes be found? 

Yes, as a part of the submission, the developer submitted a Stage 1 and Stage 2 Archeological Assessment. These reports can be found in the online portal (under Application documents and materials) which includes all documents related to this application.

The Stage 2 Assessment recommended a Stage 3 Assessment be conducted for an identified area of the property. This means, a further and more detailed archaeological study of that area will be conducted.

Why did the Archaeological Assessment as part of the completed application not identify the log cabin?

An archaeological assessment focuses on the identification/evaluation of potential subsurface remains (like artifacts and other physical remnants of the past).

A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is somewhat broader and focuses on cultural heritage resources and built heritage.  

Further archeological assessment and Indigenous engagement are underway.

• The developer will be undertaking a Stage 3 Archeological Assessment over an area of the site identified during the Stage 2 assessment already conducted.
• The Stage 3 assessment will involve engagement with Indigenous communities.
• Town staff have also reached out to the Georgina Island First Nation to ensure they are informed and included in the process.

Health and safety, and property standards are top priorities.

• The structures that were demolished were in very poor condition, with ongoing health and safety concerns and a history of property standards complaints dating back to 2021.
• For public safety, the property was secured with on-site security during demolition.
• The Town and owner are aware that there has been ongoing and recent trespassing on the property. Trespassing onto private property is illegal; if you observe trespassing on this property, please report to York Regional Police.

The Provincial Planning Act requires that certain “prescribed information and material” be submitted to the municipality as part of planning applications. The Planning Act further empowers municipal Councils to require additional information or materials needed to assess planning applications, over and above the prescribed requirements, so long as the official plan contains provisions relating to those extra requirements.  

The Town’s Official Plan provides that the requirements for additional reports, studies, and drawings beyond the prescribed requirements for a complete application will be determined at or following the pre-consultation meeting with an applicant.  

Following a pre-consultation meeting, Town staff provide a checklist to applicants, identifying the information that is required for a complete application.  

View the Town’s pre-consultation checklist template (available in an accessible format, by request).

Please note that not all documents in the checklist are required to be submitted in all cases. Required documents are identified on a case-by-case basis, as assessed through the various stages of the planning process.  

The Provincial Planning Act provides a 30-day deadline for assessing a development application for completeness once it has been submitted.  

An application is deemed to be complete when the required documents prescribed under the Planning Act and identified by the municipality have been submitted.  

Once an application is deemed complete, qualified professionals across various disciplines, within the municipality and through external agencies, undertake a comprehensive review.  

The planning process is iterative, often involving multiple submissions as applicants refine their proposals and address comments received through the review process. Third-party consultants may also be engaged to peer review technical studies and reports.