A little more than a year after the first draft was released to the public, the second draft of the new Official Plan was reviewed during a special meeting of Collingwood council on July 31, with councillors endorsing the release of the plan for public review.
Included in the new draft are suggestions on how the town can address affordable housing concerns, despite the municipality not being permitted by the province to enforce affordability.
Coun. Christopher Baines first raised the issue of the municipality not having the ability to compel developers to include affordable housing in their developments.
“As a newbie councillor, I’m at a loss to say: How do we advance this agenda if we can’t use the Official Plan?” said Baines. “I’m frustrated. What are the tools in our toolbox to try to compel more developers to provide affordable housing?”
Ron Palmer, a consultant with The Planning Partnership who was retained by the town to oversee the Official Plan process, said while increasing supply is part of the answer, the other part is promoting increased density as it can reduce the per-unit land cost.
“It’s not the only solution that is necessary. What is included in this plan so far is a different step toward the municipality’s role in assisting,” said Palmer.
New changes included in the second draft of the Official Plan also include definitions for attainable and assisted housing.
Attainable housing is defined as housing that is at 80 per cent of the average resale purchase price, or average market rent by housing type within the Collingwood market area. Attainable housing is typically delivered by the private sector, and can be achieved by building dwellings at higher-than-typical densities, and/or smaller dwelling units.
Assisted housing is defined as housing that is typically built by, or is directly subsidized by, the public sector, and provides dwelling units that are substantially below the identified value of the housing supply by housing type. Assisted housing may be provided by the public or private sector, and may be in conjunction with senior government programs.
“It is an objective of the town that the supply of attainable/assisted housing in a variety of locations, dwelling types and tenures account for a minimum of 25 per cent of all new dwelling units built over the planning horizon of this plan, applied on a town-wide basis,” reads the plan.
While the target will be applied town-wide, the plan notes there is no existing statutory ability for the municipality to enforce it.
The plan notes the town may become involved in the supply of attainable/assisted housing through land acquisitions, use of surplus land, development partnerships and the provision of financial incentives. The plan also contemplates the establishment of a not-for-profit housing corporation.
The 200-page plan guides land-use decisions in Collingwood and an update is completed every five to 10 years. The plan is the guide for the town’s 20-year growth and directs where, when and how growth should occur. The town is expected to grow from a population of 22,500 people in 2016 to a projected population of 41,500 by 2041.
The first draft was presented to councillors in July 2022 and was the culmination of work first started in 2019.
Other primary changes between the first and second drafts include accommodating growth through minimum targets to be achieved for new residents and jobs, reframing housing policies, prohibiting certain uses in industrial-focused employment areas, providing opportunities for added residential units in rural/agricultural areas, updating transportation mapping to ensure Collingwood is a walkable and bikeable community, and enhancing urban forest policies.
Changes were informed by public consultation as well as Ontario-wide legislative and policy changes.
During Monday’s meeting, Mayor Yvonne Hamlin said councillors gearing up to attend the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference at the end of August should consider talking with MPPs and provincial ministers about Collingwood’s experience.
“The province decided some time ago that the goals for housing can be achieved through supply, and that doesn’t address the needs in our community. We have to share that loudly,” said Hamlin.
Deputy Mayor Tim Fryer raised frustration that Collingwood doesn’t have the ability to use inclusionary zoning in the Official Plan.
Inclusionary zoning is a regulatory tool that allows municipalities to require developers to either contribute a certain amount of their developments to affordable housing or sell off a percentage of units at a lower price point in areas located in a major transit station area. Currently, the tool is only permitted to be used in Toronto, and will be rolled out in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge in 2023.
“We don’t have the ability to use it,” said Fryer. “Inclusionary zoning may be a tool that’s necessary in municipalities our size when it’s appropriate.”
Coun. Kathy Jeffery raised the issue of food security, and whether it might make sense to partner with other communities.
“We stopped talking about food security and the ability to feed ourselves and the greenspace we’re going to need for that. This will be our last kick at the cat to protect that,” she said.
According to town staff, now that the second draft of the Official Plan has been released, a formal open house and public meeting will be scheduled for the fall to receive more feedback, with timing to be determined. Following that, the town expects to finish a final draft, with a goal of having council approve it by the end of the year.
Draft two of the Official Plan is available here.
