Tougher anti-sprawl targets on the way as part of updated Ontario growth plan

TORONTO Ontario’s anti-sprawl policies, which some critics have blamed for the current housing supply shortage in Toronto and the surrounding areas, are going to get tougher, with the government demanding that most future development in the province’s south take place in existing neighbourhoods.

Any future projects on undeveloped land will have to accommodate more people and jobs — a minimum of 80 per hectare, up from the current 50 — and there will be higher density targets around GO Transit and subway stations, light rail and bus rapid transit.

The province is giving municipalities until 2031 to meet the new, tougher targets set out in its updated growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, which stretches from the Niagara region to Peterborough. The new rules will be phased in, with flexible interim targets in 2022.

Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Mauro said Thursday that the objective of the plan is “building complete and more compact communities, that support transit, create jobs, reduce sprawl and protect our environment.”

Under the plan, 60 per cent of new residential development will take place in already developed areas, up from 40 per cent today.

The growth plan is mean to accommodate the growing population in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which is expected to reach 13.5 million by 2041, an increase of 4 million people.

The province’s growth plan has been facing some criticism, especially from building industry groups that argue it prevents them from building more detached homes and townhomes that would ease some of the pressure on the housing market in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

But proponents of the plan say it protects agricultural and ecologically sensitive land and creates walkable communities that can be well-served by transit.

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton welcomed the plan, saying the kind of dense development the growth plan supports can be maintained with lower tax rates than urban sprawl.

“The mayors have been lobbying for these changes for more than two years, and it’s a very good day for our residents,” said Burton.

The Ontario Homebuilders Association said it still has concerns that the plan will restrict housing supply, slow down the approval process and restrict buyers’ choice.

“This new growth plan will not alleviate either the housing supply crunch or escalating housing prices, however we believe that new interim targets and the recognition by the province for needed local flexibility will provide a smoother transition,” said CEO Joe Vaccaro.