Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Burlington is holding a series of virtual meetings to collect input on the Aldershot, Appleby and Burlington GO Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) before creating development plans for areas around transit.
The goal is to build complete communities close to transit, services and amenities by locating more people and jobs within about a ten-minute walk of the GO stations. Councillors say the focus on development near transit will also help the city respond to climate change by providing more sustainable options for travel.
“Burlington is in a new phase of city-building with future growth occurring mainly through intensification within the existing urban area,” said Health MacDonald, executive director of community planning, regulation and mobility.
“We are reaching out to residents to hear their thoughts on ASPs for our city’s three Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) while we work to prepare them. This feedback is integral to create a vision for future growth with complete communities close to GO Stations. We want more people to be able to live, connect, work and play in Burlington, while making sure we protect the city’s natural heritage and agricultural systems from urban expansion.”
Building on work started with the Mobility Hubs Study in 2017-19, preliminary preferred precinct plans, policy and zoning directions for Burlington’s MTSAs have been developed for public input. Public feedback, findings from technical studies, and planning analysis will be used to develop recommended preferred precinct plans for endorsement by city council.
Once endorsed, the preferred precinct plans will be used to develop Area-Specific Plans (ASPs), which will define the City’s vision for guiding future development in the MTSAs based on land use, building heights and urban design considerations. Once approved by Halton Region, the ASPs will be implemented through the City’s Official Plan and Zoning By-law.
Virtual Public Information Centres are scheduled:
- Appleby GO MTSA
Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, 7 to 9 p.m. - All MTSAs
Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, 7 to 9 p.m.
Zoom links and call-in numbers to join the meetings are available here.