Green Earth Village - Royalpark Homes and SigNature Communities

A public meeting was held on May 20, 2026 at 6 p.m. The meeting took place in Council chambers at 19000 Leslie Street and was livestreamed on the Town's YouTube channel. 

• Public notice
• Video recording

A public information meeting was held on June 11, 2026 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Health and Active Living Plaza (HALP) located at 160 Jim Mortson Drive in Queensville.

• Public notice

Application materials

Community Design Plan (CDP.25.02)

• View the first submission materials.

Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA.26.01) and Draft Plan of Subdivision (19T-26001)

• View the first submission materials.

The zoning by-law amendment and draft plan of subdivision applications were submitted in April 2026 and were accompanied by the required information, plans, studies, and planning application fees required by the Town to commence its review process. Review of the applications is not a decision on the applications.

The statutory public meeting is a legislative requirement per the Planning Act for the public to hear from the applicant and Town staff regarding the proposed development as required under the Planning Act.  It enables Council and staff to hear commentary from the public which staff will consider as part of their review of the applications. The applicant made a presentation, received feedback from Council and residents who registered to speak.

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

Alternatively, the public may share comments in writing via email to the Planning Branch.   

As a result of feedback received during the Statutory Public Meeting held on May 20, a Public Information Meeting was scheduled on June 11. The Information Meeting provided an opportunity for interested individuals  to review information pertaining to the proposed development comprised of a Community Design Plan, Draft Plan of Subdivision and proposed Zoning By-law Amendment. The format enabled participants to ask questions and provide comments to the applicant and Town staff. This Information Meeting was held to provide the public with an additional opportunity to understand the proposal, ask questions, understand the process and timing regarding the proposed development.

Feedback from attendees was gathered and will help inform the final version of the proposed applications.

Yes. Written comments are submissions which may include letters, emails or comment sheets, provided by the public, agencies, or interested parties regarding the planning application. They form 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 compiled by Planning staff and are summarized in the planning report or background file regarding a development application.  

You may share comments in writing in writing via email to the Planning Branch.   

Qualified professionals across various disciplines, within the municipality and through external agencies, undertake a comprehensive review, led by the Planning Branch. 

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 be engaged to peer review technical studies and reports. 

As part of the development application process, the applicant has submitted a Natural Heritage Evaluation (NHE) to assess the potential impacts of the proposed development on environmental features and functions located on or adjacent to the subject lands. The study will be reviewed by the Town’s peer review environmental consultant, as well as applicable agencies (including Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority), to ensure the proposal complies with provincial, regional, and municipal environmental policies and standards. 

No final determination regarding environmental impacts or preservation has been made at this stage of the review process. Staff and the Town’s environmental experts will continue to assess the submitted materials to ensure that environmental features are appropriately protected and that any approved development can proceed in a responsible manner. 

As seen in the Community Design Plan, approximately 51.6 hectares of environmental lands are proposed to be retained within the proposed development.  

[The following information has been provided by GEV]

Throughout the development of GEV the goal has been and continues to be to create a sustainable community with the goal to be near or at net zero. Eight guiding principles form the basis for GEV which inherently strive to create a sustainable community:

Principle 1: Adaptive and Resilient – GEV will be environmentally, economically, culturally, and socially healthy and resilient, meeting the challenges of climate change and other environmental issues through measures such as energy efficiency, water conservation, and green infrastructure. GEV will adapt and respond to the impacts of climate change, and the changing needs of the community over time, through integrated solutions and leadership in sustainable forms of green building design and technology, the incorporation of renewable and alternative energy sources, the responsible use of resources, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Principle 2: Healthy Living – GEV will be designed for healthy living and well-being by ensuring connectivity between the community and the natural heritage system, creating an accessible and well-designed system of public parks and open spaces, supporting access to healthy food, clean air and water, and by providing a safe and inclusive pedestrian-oriented environment that is designed to create opportunities for residents to be physically active and socially engaged.

Principle 3: Complete Community – GEV will meet people’s needs for daily living throughout their entire lifetime by providing convenient access to an appropriate mix of jobs, local services, a full range of housing options, community facilities, a robust parks and open space system, and convenient access to public transit and options for active transportation.

Principle 4: Connected – GEV will establish an accessible multi-modal mobility network that provides choice and connects neighbourhoods. The network is supported by an interconnected system of streets, sidewalks, trails, and parks to balance the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles to ensure all persons have transportation options while reducing automobile dependence.

Principle 5: Vibrant and Urban – GEV will be recognized as a highly urban, vibrant, mixed-use community with a distinct, definable identity and a balanced mixture of places to live, work, learn, and play. The community will engender a sense of pride as a place to live and a sense of stewardship in its long-term care and maintenance.

Principle 6: Housing Options – GEV will provide a range of housing options that meet the social, economic, and well-being requirements of future residents, including additional needs housing. A mixture of housing types will be provided to support growth requirements and sustainability goals to meet the needs of present and future residents throughout all stages of their lives.

Principle 7: Balanced and Liveable – GEV will be designed with livable neighbourhoods that provide a balance between protecting the environment and fostering a healthy, equitable, and complete community. The arrangements of land uses, roads, and infrastructure take into account the topography and environmental features of the site, will minimize crossings, and ensure the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of natural features and functions.

Principle 8: Viable Community – GEV will support people and jobs and provide municipal services to ensure long term sustainable development which is fiscally responsible. Development will be planned to ensure that growth does not place an undue financial burden on the Town and its residents with inherent flexibility to allow new development to respond to the marketplace over time.

These principles, which include broad measures to achieve a sustainable community, have been incorporated into the design of the Community Design Plan, Draft Plan of Subdivision and the specific design and engineering studies and plans created to support them, including the following community wide initiatives:

1. A mix of uses at appropriate densities to optimize infrastructure (both hard and soft) investments.
2. A mix of housing units to provide a variety of housing tenures and choice.
3. A mix of non-residential uses (including the hospital, long term care facility, and commercial uses.
4. Incorporation of active and passive recreational areas, including on-street and off-street trails, throughout GEV.
5. Incorporation of low impact development measures into the design of the streets, parks and other public realm areas of the plan.
6. Preservation and enhancement of significant natural heritage features..
7. Incorporation of overall energy system designs where feasible with various utilities to optimize energy usage and design on a community basis.

In addition, on an individual site development basis, the following measures are being explored to incorporate, where appropriate, through the Site Plan Approval process:

1. Use of green roof systems and cool roof systems (to reduce urban heat island effect) as well as blue roof systems (for rooftop storm water management and rainwater harvesting)
2. Use of Permeable pavement / porous concrete and asphalt usage
3. Incorporation into site design of bioretention and infiltration areas including but not limited to soakaways, infiltration trenches / chambers and bio swales
4. Use of soil cell and tree trenches
5. Incorporation of solar roof top technology into building roof design
6. Use of solar canopies for parking areas
7. Integrating photovoltaics into building designs of facades, roofs and windows
8. Use of geothermal energy exchange systems
9. Incorporation of EV charging stations into all building / site design
10. Incorporation of greywater recycling systems
11. Achieving and exceeding Energy Star for New Home requirements
12. Use of native, non-invasive plant species

A more fulsome discussion on these elements is detailed in the Urban Design Brief submitted with the Community Design Plan.  

If the application is approved, construction activities would be required to comply with the Town of East Gwillimbury Noise Control By-law, which regulates permitted construction hours and noise-related activities within the Town. Under the Town’s Noise Control By-law, construction equipment and vehicles are generally prohibited between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and before 9 a.m. on Sundays and holidays.

As part of the development review process, the Town will continue to assess potential construction-related impacts and may require mitigation measures through future approvals and agreements. These measures can include construction management plans, dust suppression practices, traffic management measures, fencing and hoarding requirements, and controls related to site access and staging. The Town also requires developers to minimize inconveniences associated with construction activities, including noise, truck traffic, dust, and debris, to the greatest extent possible.

Construction impacts are generally temporary in nature and are monitored throughout the construction process to help ensure compliance with municipal standards, applicable by-laws, and conditions of approval.

No. Existing residents would not be required to connect to municipal water or wastewater services as a result of the proposed development. Private servicing systems, such as existing wells and septic systems, may continue to be used provided they remain in good working order and comply with applicable health and regulatory requirements.

If municipal services become available in the future, property owners may have the option to connect voluntarily; however, there is no requirement at this time for existing residents to connect as part of the current development application. Further, existing residents wishing to extend services would follow a Local Improvement process in order to install any required servicing in the right-of-way and would have to obtain the necessary sanitary allocation from Council in order to connect. Further, existing residents would be responsible for all servicing works and costs on their own property. 

Yes. The development identifies lands for institutional uses, which have been identified as the future home of a new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury, as part of Southlake Health’s new Distributed Health Network. To learn more, visit our Southlake page.  

When is the long-term care building anticipated to open?

A licence has been issued by the Province to Signature Communities to develop a long-term care facility within GEV. It is intended that this facility be developed concurrently within the initial work for Phase 1. Until all approvals have been granted it is not possible to give a firm date. However, once approvals are granted, it is the intention of the applicant to commence construction following which the estimate would be the facility would be open in approximately two to three years following approval of a future site plan application and approval of building permits.  

Yes. The subject lands are approximately 432 acres in size (approximately the size of High Park in Toronto which is approximately 400 acres), making this the largest residential and mixed-use development application received by the Town to date. The applications propose a comprehensive mixed-use residential subdivision consisting of approximately 1,743 residential units (in phase 1) ranging from low- to high-density forms, several commercial blocks, an institutional use for Southlake Hospital, a long-term care facility, multiple park blocks, and a school block.

Based on the current CDP and Draft Plan of Subdivision for each phase of registration, using average densities as well as persons per unit estimates the following is a general estimation of the total potential population: 

3,158 units with an estimated population of 7,402 people.

• Phase 1 estimates 1,667 units with an estimated population of 4,189 people
• Phase 2 estimates 1,491 units with an estimated population of 3,213 people

As each phase is refined these estimates may vary.

It is difficult to determine at this time, as there are extensive planning and approval processes that must be completed before construction can begin. In addition to the current applications, further planning approvals and technical reviews, including detailed engineering, servicing, environmental, and subsequent planning applications, would be required prior to the start of development. If approved, development is not anticipated for 2026 or 2027.

A development containing 1,743 residential units would typically yield an estimated population of approximately 4,700 to 5,200 residents, depending on the final mix of low-, medium-, and high-density housing forms and average household sizes.

Using a common municipal planning estimate of roughly 2.7 to 3.0 persons per unit, the projected population would be in the range of approximately 4,700 to 5,200 residents.

Highway 425 (name announced on May 14, 2026) is  in the detailed design and early construction phase. The Province of Ontario has completed portions of the preliminary design work, awarded detailed design contracts for the central and east sections, and has begun early works and utility relocation activities on the west section.

As of spring 2026, the province has indicated that construction of the west section is expected to begin, with work already underway on related infrastructure such as Highway 400 connections, bridge works, detours, and utility preparations. The Miller Group has been awarded the construction contract for the west section of the Bradford Bypass. The portion of the Bradford Bypass that will go through East Gwillimbury is considered the ‘East Section’. 

Find out more: BRADFORD BYPASS – Project Website

The applicant has submitted a Transportation Study that is under review and will be peer reviewed by both York Region and Town transportation engineering staff. At this time, York Region’s 2026 10-Year Roads and Transit Growth Capital Construction Program does not identify any planned widening or reconstruction of Leslie Street or Queensville Sideroad in the vicinity of the subject lands.

The Town continues to work collaboratively with York Region and the applicant to ensure that the existing and planned transportation network, including Leslie Street, is appropriately assessed and that any required improvements are identified through the applicable municipal and regional planning and capital budgeting processes.

The proposed development is intended to be serviced by full municipal water and wastewater infrastructure. As part of the development review process, the applicant has submitted detailed hydrogeological and servicing studies to assess potential impacts on groundwater resources and surrounding properties, including private wells. These studies are reviewed by Town staff, external agencies, and technical peer reviewers, where appropriate, to ensure that the proposed development can proceed without adverse impacts to existing groundwater conditions.

If approved, the development would also be subject to conditions through the subdivision and site plan approval processes requiring the implementation of appropriate servicing, drainage, and monitoring measures to mitigate potential impacts.