Complete Communities Secondary Plan

What is a Secondary Plan?

• A Secondary Plan is a land use plan for a particular area of a municipality that is prepared as an amendment to the Official Plan.
• It gives the Town the opportunity to plan how the community should be built out, identify where certain land uses should occur and where amenities such as parks, roads and trails should be located, among other planning considerations such as natural heritage and environmental protection.
• The final plan will set out the overall vision and policies related to the area it covers.
• Secondary Plans are required to conform to the Town’s Official Plan, Master Plans and Guidelines, Regional Official Plan and Provincial Policy. 

Direction from the new Official Plan (2022)

The Official Plan (OP) identifies on Schedule 3 a number of new community areas (former whitebelt lands) that have been brought into the Urban Boundary. The OP sets out general policies for these new community areas but a Secondary Plan is required to establish the land use designations and specific policies to guide the future development and growth of these areas.

Prior to any applications for development being considered in the new community areas, a comprehensive secondary plan will be prepared and approved by Council. Following the approval of the Secondary Plan, more detailed Community Design Plans will be required for individual areas.

The Community Design Plans will then provide the basis for Zoning By-laws within the Secondary Plan lands when appropriate, for development.

Current status and next steps

On September 6, 2023, Council endorsed the Complete Communities Secondary Plan Terms of Reference to allow staff, in coordination with the landowners group to initiate the required background studies to commence the Secondary Plan process.

The Town is currently working to establish a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) made up of staff from the Town of East Gwillimbury, York Region, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, and other review agencies as well as consultants.

The Town and the Landowners Group will engage a consultant team to begin the background studies that will assist in determining the appropriate land uses and policies for the subject lands. These studies include:

• Existing Conditions Report
• Planning Policies Directives Report
• Land Use Plan
• Community Facilities Study Plan
• Parkland and Recreational Facility Strategy
• Retail/Commercial Market Analysis
• Financial Impact Study
• Transportation Plan and Active Transportation Strategy
• Area Servicing Plan and Report
• Subwatershed Study
• Archaeological Assessment
• Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment
• Area-Specific Energy Plan

Once these studies are reviewed and found acceptable by the TAC, the studies will be posted on this webpage. The studies will lead to detailed consideration of future land uses and draft policies related to the subject lands.

A timeline is being developed that will guide the Secondary Plan Process to be posted on this webpage once finalized.

The objective is to have the Secondary Plan drafted and presented to East Gwillimbury Council in 2024 with recommendations for adoption.

An initial presentation regarding the Complete Communities Secondary Plan was made to Committee of the Whole Council on February, 21, 2024.  While the presentation contains references to an emerging preferred plan, it should be noted that the mapping presented was conceptual only and is not intended to predetermine the land uses (including the limits of the Natural Heritage System). We are at the very early stages of a robust consultative process that will evolve as input from residents, landowners, and other stakeholders is gathered and considered.

Where is the study area?

Questions?