Here’s Why Development in Burlington Will Soon be Limited

Content Originally Published on:

March 5, 2019 at 5:07 pm

Development in Burlington, in certain areas, will soon be limited as a result of a new bylaw that will be coming into effect.

Development in Burlington, in certain areas, will soon be limited as a result of a new bylaw that will be coming into effect.

At a special meeting of council yesterday (March 5, 2019) Burlington City Council voted in favour of a staff report that recommended an interim control bylaw (ICBL). 

“An ICB puts a temporary prohibition or limitation on the development of certain lands while the municipality is studying or reviewing its land use policies,” reads a recent blog poston Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward’s website. “The initial ‘freeze’ can be imposed for one year, with a maximum extension of one additional year.”

The lands, according to a recent press release, included in the study area consist of the Downtown Urban Growth Centre (UGC) and lands in proximity to the Burlington GO Station. 

The purpose of the land-use study, as noted in the blog post, is to look at the role of existing transit, transportation and land use in the city’s Urban Growth Center and to align future decisions with Burlington’s Strategic Plan.

During the one-year freeze on development in the study area, the city will complete a land-use study to examine the role and function of the downtown bus terminal and the Burlington GO station on Fairview Street as major transit station areas, in addition to examining the planning structure, land use mix and intensity for the lands.

Like many rules; however, there will be exceptions to this bylaw. Developments in the study area that have submitted applications for site plan approval prior to March 5, 2019, will be exempted. Exemptions in the study area include 490-492 Brock Ave., 374 Martha St., 421 Brant St., and 442 Pearl St.

There are two main reasons why the initial bylaw recommendation was brought forward by city staff.City council’s primary concerns were, as noted in the release, growth pressures that continue to emerge for the lands in the study area, and the role and function of the John Street Bus Terminal as a major transit station area.

The decision to move forward with the initial proposal is something Meed Ward sees as a good thing.

“I support the rationale behind this bylaw that staff has laid out in their report,” Meed Wardsaid in the release.

“This interim control bylaw is a temporary measure, not a permanent one, that will afford us the time and opportunity to do the more detailed land-use review work needed on our vision and policies. Once the land-use study outlined in the report has been completed, and any required policy changes are made, we will be in a better position to properly evaluate applications and ensure they align with updated policies and the community’s vision for these key areas in our city.”

Work to begin the land-use study will be commenced immediately by the Department of City Building.

What do you think of the ICBL?