Ontario Construction News staff writer
Peel Regional Council has approved Brampton Plan, the city’s official plan for land use and growth management.
Highlights:
- Innovative Urban Design:Focused on creating vibrant, people-friendly spaces encouraging community interaction and active transportation.
- Economic Development:A roadmap for attracting investment, supporting local businesses and fostering innovation to ensure a robust economy.
- Sustainable Practices:Commitment to environmental stewardship through green initiatives, energy conservation and responsible resource management.
- Cultural Enrichment:Enhancing Brampton’s cultural landscape by supporting arts, culture and heritage programs.
- Inclusive Communities:Policies promoting inclusivity, diversity and accessibility for all residents.
In recent years, Brampton’s population has grown at a rate four times faster than Canada’s average and five times the rate of Ontario’s growth. Over the next three decades, Brampton is projected to hit one million residents and transition to a major urban centre.
The plan for growth focuses on medium to high density growth centres, targeting a sustainable housing/jobs balance in each. Due to a limited supply of land, at build out, low-density greenfield growth would account for 5% of new housing supply. 95 per cent of the expected new dwelling growth would be accommodated in urban multi-family neighbourhoods.
There is also a “green” goal, to create a city-wide eco park that builds on an existing green network with new parks and amenities in or near growth centres, including:
- Uptown: sports centre, bio-dome Central Park
- Downtown: proposed Riverwalk amenity space, enhanced pedestrian zone (high streets, lane district, pocket parks)
It also includes transforming major arterials from being utilitarian traffic moving corridors into “Greenway Boulevards” providing a city-wide bicycle and walking network.
- Create a new regional Central Business District
- Add a LRT Transit Line in order to support CBD level jobs, population and retail
- Redevelop the city owned golf course for housing, and recreational amenities
- Create a new Central Park as a city-wide open space amenity
- Establish Shoppers World as a significant District Centre, adding housing and jobs and increasing retail activity
- Densify housing in the neighbourhoods adjacent to the Shoppers World District Centre
- Allow for the gradual intensification in the existing neighbourhoods between the two centres
- Intensify the existing NW industrial lands to accommodate more jobs, as well as housing, achieving transit supportive densities and providing the redevelopment lands required to meet Uptown’s growth targets.
A variety of green spaces are proposed to expand recreational needs of the large concentration of popultion proposed for Uptown:
Uptown Central Park – a major city-wide green space respecting/preserving the Etobicoke Creek Valley
- Uptown Sports Park – retaining a portion of the golf course as a buffer to existing residential and providing a major sports and recreation facility for Uptown’s population
- Local Parks and Playgrounds – located within a two minute walk of residents
- Greenway Links – pedestrian/bike links leading to major amenities
- Urban Plaza – an urban plaza/gathering space, in both Central and West Uptown
“By prioritizing sustainability, inclusivity and economic development, we are setting the stage for a vibrant and dynamic future,” said Regional Councillor Michael Palleschi.