Official Plan Review

A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Growth Plan (2019) came into effect on May 16, 2019. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has established a deadline of July 1, 2022 for municipalities to update their Official Plans to achieve conformity with the Growth Plan (2019). This provincially legislated requirement is satisfied through a Growth Plan Conformity exercise and Municipal Comprehensive Review. On June 29, 2020, City Council approved a work plan (Item PH14.4) for the “Growth Plan Conformity and Municipal Comprehensive Review of the Toronto Official Plan”. Attachment 5 of the Council report lists the work plan components. The dropdown tabs below provide more information on key elements of the work plan including Managing Forecasted Growth through Intensification, Major Transit Station Areas, Protecting Employment Areas and Updating Environmental Policies.

• At its meeting on February 2, 2022, City Council requested a one-year extension to the date by which the City of Toronto’s Official Plan must conform with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Item PH30.6). The decision from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is pending.

The Official Plan review process, which the City is calling Our Plan Toronto, presents an opportunity to address, through planning policy, a number of the growth related challenges facing Toronto today and in the future. These challenges include: housing affordability, climate change, mobility, public health and others that will help inform the City’s response to, and recovery from, the current global pandemic.

Through Our Plan Toronto, the City of Toronto is undertaking an intensification strategy to satisfy the Growth Plan (2019) policies. This intensification strategy is intended to direct Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and prioritize growth where transit and other infrastructure currently exists or is planned, including in Major Transit Station Areas, Urban Growth Centres, and other Strategic Growth Areas. As part of the intensification strategy, City staff will lead a Land Needs Assessment, as required by the Growth Plan (2019), to assess the quantity of land required to accommodate forecasted growth to 2051.

MTSAs are defined in the Growth Plan (2019) as areas within an approximate 500-800 metre radius of a transit station and representing a 10-minute walk. The Growth Plan (2019) prescribes the following minimum density targets for MTSAs: 200 residents and jobs per hectare for subways; 160 residents and jobs per hectare for light rail transit; and 150 residents and jobs for GO Transit rail. Through Our Plan Toronto, to satisfy the Growth Plan (2019) requirements, the City is required to individually delineate the boundaries for the 180+ MTSAs within the City and to demonstrate that each MTSA is planned for the established minimum target for residents and jobs.

Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs) will become a subset of the 180+ MTSAs. Under Policy 2.2.4.5 of the Growth Plan, the City can delineate PMTSAs before the Municipal Comprehensive Review is completed provided the delineation is in accordance with Section 16(15) of the Planning Act. The introduction of PMTSAs is part of Our Plan Toronto’s equity lens that prioritizes the delineation of PMTSAs to enable the implementation of Inclusionary Zoning as an affordable housing tool, where market conditions could support it.

Major Transit Station Areas progress:

• As Planning and Housing Committee considers draft delineations and minimum densities for each MTSA, they will be added onto the MTSA Interactive Engagement Tool
• Draft OPA 570 (part 1), Draft OPA 570 (part 2), Draft OPA 575
  • At its meeting on March 25, 2022 Planning and Housing Committee approved 57 PMTSAs and 40 MTSAs (Item PH32.7) for the basis of consultation. These draft delineations are located across the City.
  • [Correction to Staff Report, page 7 of 23] Seven stations are identified as potential Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSA), but are not within Inclusionary Zoning Market Areas shown on Map 37 of the Official Plan. The Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) By-Law will only apply to development that is both within an IZ Market Area and an approved PMTSA.
    • These stations are: Islington, Kipling, Caledonia, Fairbank, Oakwood, Keelesdale and Guildwood GO.
• OPA 524 – Downtown Plan PMTSAs & Interpretation Policies
  At its meeting on February 2, 2022, City Council adopted Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 524. This OPA includes 16 Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs) within the Downtown Secondary Plan area (PH30.3). It also includes new interpretation policies and guidance in the Official Plan to implement PMTSAs and Major Transit Station Areas.
• Draft OPA 540 – Bloor-Danforth Corridor
  At its meeting on January 12, 2022, Planning and Housing Committee approved the draft delineation of 23 Protected Major Transit Station Areas along two segments of the Bloor-Danforth corridor, from Jane Station to Bathurst Station, and Castle Frank Station to Victoria Park Station. This includes 20 Line 2 Subway Stations, and 3 GO Rail stations.
• Draft OPA 544 – Lower Targets Request
  At its meeting on October 18, 2021, Planning and Housing Committee approved the draft delineation of 11 Major Transit Station Areas that require lower density targets than are otherwise identified in the Growth Plan (Item PH27.5). Seven of these stations are identified at Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSA).
• OPA 482 – Keele Finch Secondary Plan PMTSAs
  At its meeting on December 16, 2020, City Council adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 482 (Protected Major Transit Station Areas) and endorsed Official Plan Amendment 483 (Keele Finch Secondary Plan). Official Plan Amendment No. 482 is before the Province for consultation and approval.

MTSA Prioritization
Attachment 2 of the approved work plan groups all of the potential MTSAs into three phases.

Local Area Studies

Local area studies will inform the MTSA delineation and density calculation for some, but not all MTSAs. Considering the time and resources required to complete a local area study, the recommended prioritization approach will inform which MTSAs Council should consider as a priority (see Attachment 2).

The City of Toronto is developing inclusionary zoning policy that would require new residential developments to include affordable housing units, creating mixed-income housing. Inclusionary zoning is one solution among a range of City initiatives to help address Toronto’s housing needs. The policies that get developed through the Inclusionary Zoning Policy work currently underway will be aligned with Our Plan Toronto.

An integral component of the City’s economic health are the 8,000 hectares of lands designated as Core Employment Areas and General Employment Areas. These two designations account for 13 per cent of all lands in the City, accommodating of 400,000 jobs. Since 2000, the value of new industrial building permits within Employment Areas averaged over $48 million annually, demonstrating continued investment, interest and confidence in these areas.

As part of Our Plan Toronto, the City is reviewing the Official Plan land use policies for these areas. The Growth Plan 2019 requires municipalities to: prohibit certain land uses (residential); prohibit or limit other sensitive land uses; prohibit or establish size or scale thresholds for major retail uses; and address compatibility issues between Employment Areas and non-employment areas.

In support of the Growth Plan conformity exercise and MCR, the City retained Hemson Consulting Ltd., with Cushman & Wakefield, to carry out an employment study and economic analysis of the City’s Employment Areas and office market (“Employment Study”). The Employment Study was provided to Planning and Housing Committee for consideration at its meeting on April 27, 2022 (PH33.13). The Employment Study recommends directions to strengthen and clarify the Official Plan policies to support and grow employment and maintain a healthy economy.

• Future of Toronto Employment Areas and the Office Market (Attachment 6, Part 1)
• Appendix 1: Mapping of Employment Distribution and Change Over Time by Land Use Category
• Appendix 2: Area of Employment Profiles – (1) South of Eastern; (2) Rexdale-Airport; (3) Junction-Weston-Dupont; (4) Tapscott; (5) Liberty Village; (6) South Etobicoke; and (7) Northwest Etobicoke
• Appendix 2: Area of Employment Profiles (con’t) – (8) Port Lands-Central Waterfront; (9) Eastern-Carlaw-DVP; (10) Leaside-Thorncliffe Park; (11) Bermondsey-Railside; (12) Scarborough-Highway 401; (13) Milliken; (14) Coronation Drive; (15) Golden Mile / South-Central Scarborough
• Appendix 2: Area of Employment Profiles (con’t) – (16) Scarborough Junction; (17) Highway 400; (18) Downsview; (19) Caledonia – South Downsview; (20) Victoria Park – Steeles; (21) Consumers Road; (22) Duncan Mill; and (23) Don Mills

Research and recommendations provided in the Employment Study along with business-focused consultation has helped informed staff’s draft employment policies adopted by Planning and Housing Committee at the April 27, 2022 (PH33.13) meeting to be used as the basis for consultation.

• Attachment 2: Draft revisions to Chapters 2, 3, and 4 – Employment Area, Economic Health, and Land Use Designation Policies

The City Planning Division has received approximately 150 requests to convert lands designated Core Employment Areas or General Employment Areas for non-employment uses as part of the city-initiated MCR.  The year-long City Council approved window to receive conversion requests closed on August 3, 2021.

The City is also considering the conversion of some lands designated Employment Areas resulting from the outcome of a city-initiated planning study; as directed by Planning and Housing Committee to expand Preliminary Assessments for specific conversion requests; and, complete applications for an Official Plan Amendment.

City Planning and Economic Development and Culture staff are currently reviewing requests to convert Employment Areas. Planning and Housing Committee considered Preliminary Assessments in 4 groups. The Preliminary Assessments form the basis for consultation with key stakeholders and the public, including landowners and businesses, to obtain comments and feedback.

• Group 1 (Item PH30.5)
• Group 2 (Item PH31.7)
• Group 3 (Item PH32.8)
• Group 4 (Item PH33.13)

Staff’s final recommendation for each conversion request will be considered by Planning and Housing Committee and Council in the coming months.

City Council authorized the commencement of the Municipal Comprehensive Review on August 4, 2020, and requested the Chief Planner to receive written conversion requests pursuant to A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019) policies 2.2.5.9 and 2.2.5.10 until August 3, 2021.

Requests received on or after December 18, 2020 to August 3, 2021 are subject to the Employment Areas Conversion Request User Fee of $20,000 per request (Item PH19.3, By-law 1137-2020). The fee is waived in circumstances where a complete application for an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) has been received for the same address(es), including payment of the OPA application fee.

If you have any questions, please contact, Christina Heydorn, Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Policy & Analysis, City Planning Division at 416-397-5616 or christina.heydorn@toronto.ca.

KSC = Conversion requests that will be considered through the Keele-St. Clair Local Area Study.

Proposed Official Plan Amendment 583

A recommended Official Plan Amendment for the Environment Climate Change Official Plan Update will be considered by Planning and Housing Committee at a Special Public Meeting held on May 31, 2022. Please contact sustainablecity@toronto.ca if you are interested in receiving a copy of the recommended Official Plan Amendment.

As part of Our Plan Toronto, City Staff will review and recommend changes to Official Plan policies based on conservation objectives related to: water, energy, air quality improvement, integrated waste management, and stormwater master plans. As the City continues to implement TransformTO, the Growth Plan (2019) requires municipalities to develop policies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change adaptation and mitigation goals that are aligned with other provincial plans and policies for environmental protection.

Through Our Plan Toronto, staff will review the in-effect environmental policies in light of the City’s declaration of a climate emergency and any revisions necessary to further advance climate change mitigation and resilience.

At its meeting on March 25, 2022, Planning and Housing Committee authorized the Chief Planner to use draft revisions to Official Plan environment and climate change policies (see: Attachment 1), and updating mapping (see: Attachments 3-5) as a basis for consultation and to bring forward a Final Report by May 31, 2022 (Item PH32.6).

As a major undertaking that will direct the future growth of the City for the next 30 years, Our Plan Toronto includes engagement opportunities for all Torontonians, businesses, and other stakeholders, including First Nations and Métis communities to have the opportunity to participate and engage with the City on this important project. Engagement opportunities will include online consultation, surveys, interactive mapping and virtual meetings. Engagement activities must accommodate physical distancing measures, given the City’s current inability to host public gatherings.

You can access the Engagement Summaries

• Phase 1 Engagement Summary Report
• Phase 2 Engagement Summary Report
• Attachment – Phase 2 Stakeholder Group and Community Leaders Circle Meeting Summaries
• Stakeholder, Community Leaders Circle and Indigenous Engagement Contact Lists
• Scarborough Community Renewal Organization (SCRO) Meeting
• Accessibility Focused Meeting Summary, Slide Deck, Youtube Video

October 2021 Stakeholder meetings or our Public Meetings Youtube presentations:

• Public Meeting;
• Affordable Housing & Intensification;
• Environment & Climate Change;
• Employment & Future of Work, and
• Neighbourhoods & Complete Communities.

The MTSA interactive engagement tool provides some introductory information and Major Transit Station Areas and an ability to interact with our map.

Through the course of Our Plan Toronto, City staff may determine that additional Official Plan policy matters may need to be reviewed and amended.

The City of Toronto Official Plan was approved by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) in 2006. The first statutory Five Year Review subsequently began in 2011. Updated policies have been adopted by Council for a number of thematic policy areas and are either in effect, being reviewed by the Province, or are being adjudicated at the LPAT.

Environment

OPA 262 was approved by the Province in May 2016. The OPA is in full force and effect.

Employment

OPA 231 is currently being adjudicated by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). The majority of the policies and mapping are in full force and effect.

An April 2021 consolidated version of OPA 231 is available.

Heritage

OPA 199, which won the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals Award of Excellence, was approved with modifications by the Ontario Municipal Board in April 2015. The OPA is in full force and effect.

Housing

OPA 214 was approved by City Council in July 2013. The OPA is in full force and effect.

On April 6, 2016, Planning and Growth Management Committee considered a new Official Plan definition for Affordable Ownership Housing.

Neighbourhoods & Apartment Neighbourhoods

OPA 320 was approved with modifications by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) in December 2017 and December 2018. The OPA is in full force and effect.

Urban Design

OPA 479 and OPA 480 were approved by the Province with one modification on September 11, 2020. The OPAs are in full force and effect. The Minister’s Decision approving OPA 479 and the Minister’s Decision approving OPA 480 are available using the links provided.

Transportation

OPA 274 was approved by the Province on December 31, 2014. The OPA is in full force and effect.

OPA 456 was adopted by City Council on February 26, 2020, and was approved by the Province with one modification on June 9, 2021. The Minister’s Decision approving OPA 456 is available using the link provided.