Planned Sprawl in the GTA

[innsertnamehere]

A big reason that Leamington is the centre of greenhouses in the province is that it's the warmest part of the province - the greenhouses produce produce year-round, a big reason they have such higher yields, but doing so requires heating. Leamington's relative warmth keeps those heating bills lower.

 

[afransen]

I've thought for awhile that our sprawling industrial employment lands in Scarborough and elsewhere could become vertical farms one day when the energy efficiency, profitability, and productivity were in place.

Would bring food production close to market and near a large employment base of both skilled and unskilled labour.

Zoning wouldn't permit it however.

Vertical farming is industrial use, not agriculture. And vertical farms won't look like skyscrapers, they will look like Amazon warehouses. Land in scarb is too valuable...they will be built on the outskirts of the city or in secondary cities. Saving 50-100km is irrelevant when produce currently travels 5000km from Mexico etc.

 

[Northern Light]

Article in today's Globe and Mail on the Hamilton decision to freeze urban boundaries and the implications, and whether it will stand:

Environmentalists hope Hamilton anti-sprawl vote sets example for other Ontario municipalities

Hamilton’s move to reject development in the city’s outskirts comes as municipalities across Ontario update their plans to conform to the provincial government’s revised land-use policies

www.theglobeandmail.com

Not paywalled at this time.

 

[Northern Light]

The Globe and Mail is out with an editorial supporting Hamilton's decision to forego any urban boundary expansion.

Globe editorial: This Canadian city just did the unexpected – it voted against sprawl

If other cities follow Hamilton’s lead, they will quickly see how much growth can comfortably fit in by building up existing areas rather than always building out

www.theglobeandmail.com

(not currently paywalled)

 

[TRONto]

Toronto has $2.6 billion in development charges and fees sitting in reserve, BILD report says

The study from the homebuilders’ association says government fees and taxes add 27 per cent to the cost of a home.

www.thestar.com

I wasn't sure where to put this one. It's sort of related.

 

[Northern Light]

Toronto has $2.6 billion in development charges and fees sitting in reserve, BILD report says

The study from the homebuilders’ association says government fees and taxes add 27 per cent to the cost of a home.

www.thestar.com

I wasn't sure where to put this one. It's sort of related.

We've covered the issue at UT of parkland funds, (S.42) going under spent.

Though, in fairness, hundreds of millions are being spent.

I would hasten to add, that the Rail deck would wipe out that entire reserve a few times over.

I don't think its unfair to ask for some clearer plans and a push to spend some of the $$; but it is important to contextualize that its not as if none of the money is being spent.

 

[TRONto]

We've covered the issue at UT of parkland funds, (S.42) going under spent.

Though, in fairness, hundreds of millions are being spent.

I would hasten to add, that the Rail deck would wipe out that entire reserve a few times over.

I don't think its unfair to ask for some clearer plans and a push to spend some of the $$; but it is important to contextualize that its not as if none of the money is being spent.

Agreed. I think the article should have had information on how the money is currently spent and what the plans for the money are (if any).

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

It is honestly hard to take this region seriously sometimes when this is what municipalities and their planning departments come up with:

How patently absurd. This entire area should be planned to be 12 to 40-storeys.

There are active development proposals in the 30-storeys range on the outskirts of this area around Lyons Lane, but near the GO station and within the MTSA? Maximum 20-storeys.

 

[wopchop]

How patently absurd. This entire area should be planned to be 12 to 40-storeys.

There are active development proposals in the 30-storeys range on the outskirts of this area around Lyons Lane, but near the GO station and within the MTSA? Maximum 20-storeys.

Lyons Lane is not near this area, and would actually be within the area of Oakville GO Station.

I haven't looked too much at it otherwise, but hopefully there is plenty of area left for employment/commercial units. Losing more and more units along the Lake is not good for businesses in Oakville in the long run.

 

[ViewfromtheLake]

It is honestly hard to take this region seriously sometimes when this is what municipalities and their planning departments come up with:

View attachment 373609

View attachment 373610
View attachment 373611
View attachment 373617


How patently absurd. This entire area should be planned to be 12 to 40-storeys.

There are active development proposals in the 30-storeys range on the outskirts of this area around Lyons Lane, but near the GO station and within the MTSA? Maximum 20-storeys.

Why? What is the magic of 30 storeys? I‘ve lived and worked in plenty of cities where buildings are commonly less then 10, less then 6 in height. Great working and living environments with livable neighbourhoods. I am not understanding the singular preoccupation with bigger then 30 storeys is better everywhere. There are areas in southern Halton where bigger makes sense in multiples - the Dundas Highway through Oakville and Burlington, North Kerr Street and Speers redevelopment , and adjacent to the Oakville Go Station cluster, Trafalgar Road running north, Fairview in Burlington clustering around the GO stations. Other areas surrounding the Oakville old core, the Burlington old core are certainly ripe for intensification, but in enhanced character. And that would be more 4 to 6 stories.

 

[Northern Light]

It is honestly hard to take this region seriously sometimes when this is what municipalities and their planning departments come up with:

View attachment 373609

View attachment 373610
View attachment 373611
View attachment 373617


How patently absurd. This entire area should be planned to be 12 to 40-storeys.

There are active development proposals in the 30-storeys range on the outskirts of this area around Lyons Lane, but near the GO station and within the MTSA? Maximum 20-storeys.

I'm not obsessed by the need to break 30s here........

I am interested in in the density along Lakeshore; as well as other arterials.

The environmental and financial performance (affordability) of buildings broadly declines starting the in 30-40s range.

That is to say you grow total units and total profit, but you reduce the margin and inflate the price per ft2, and generally increase
negative environmental externalities.

That's not to say there isn't a place for greater height for a variety of reasons, but I'd be disinclined to over-focus on that number.

I am, however, interested in units per hectare/km2; and creating a successful, pedestrian/cycling/transit-oriented community.

The information above doesn't really allow one to draw firm conclusions on the latter; but that's where I'd focus vs 40s

 

[innsertnamehere]

Looks like Empire is up to some games on the north shore of Lake Erie.. this time taking advantage of the un-used wastewater treatment facility for the failed Townsend development to build a new town of about 30,000 residents beside Stelco Nanticoke..

https://www.thespec.com/local-haldi...a&utm_campaign=&utm_campaign_id=&utm_content=

Empire Communities Inc. has pitched Haldimand council with a Nanticoke development proposal that claims to transform the largest and least populated industrial park in the province into a community that would attract people and jobs.

The planner for the multinational developer approached council on Feb. 14 and said that Empire Communities purchased 1,700 hectares that surround Stelco, and with it wants to build a community, incorporating 15,000 residential units with commercial sites, a school and waterfront lands donated to the county.

The plan would start with building water and wastewater infrastructure, and the company proposed changes to the county’s water supply project, the decommissioning of current and future wastewater systems along Haldimand’s Highway 6 corridor and incorporating water and wastewater treatment into one main 75-megalitre-per-day plant. The size was approved in a 2011 environmental assessment.

It would cost $180 million. Currently, the county has $80 million planned for related projects, and Empire proposed to chip in to start up development.

Most of Empire Communities Inc.'s land falls within provincially significant employment lands, and the county has been asked to request provincial rezoning permissions to start development. They estimate proposed commercial sites would generate at least 7,000 jobs.

Both the mayor and several councillors voiced their support for the project, and directed staff to create a report on the feasibility of the project for its March 1 committee session.

 

[ericmacm]

Worth noting that the site located immediately west of the Stelco plant was originally planned to be home to a two-reactor nuclear plant run by Bruce Power back in 2008, as a clean energy replacement for the coal-fired Nanticoke Generating Station. However, energy demand fell in wake of the 2008 Financial Crisis and the plans were cancelled.

A brand new community will be really good for the area though. It'll be exciting to see a new population centre potentially emerge on Lake Erie. Hopefully it actually pans out this time.

 

[Northern Light]

Worth noting that the site located immediately west of the Stelco plant was originally planned to be home to a two-reactor nuclear plant run by Bruce Power back in 2008, as a clean energy replacement for the coal-fired Nanticoke Generating Station. However, energy demand fell in wake of the 2008 Financial Crisis and the plans were cancelled.

A brand new community will be really good for the area though. It'll be exciting to see a new population centre potentially emerge on Lake Erie. Hopefully it actually pans out this time.

I'm not opposed to a new community here, per se.

But I do have concerns.

As with sprawl from any base city in southern Ontario, we continue to eat away at some of the world's best farm land.
Its always just another 100 acres here, and a 1,000 acres there, but there is a cumulative effect.

I would certainly like to see any scratch-built community meet the highest ecological standards, which would include re-naturalizing much of the waterfront, sustainable transportation, and a 15-minute City conceptual design.

Worth adding here, there is no passenger rail service to connect this community to Hamilton/Niagara/GTA.
I think exploring that option and at least preserving it as possible (station site, adequate row for track) is important.
The tracks serving freight still exist here, but whether their condition, as well as freight-related uses allow for an effective passenger service I'm not certain.
Certainly there doesn't appear to be an intelligent connection to Niagara in place, and the connection to Hamilton is a bit awkward via Brantford.

Finally, I think this makes a compelling case for a dramatic expansion of the Greenbelt; where we clearly carve out those lands where we are going to encourage new/expanded urbanity on; but equally fully protect the balance from future sprawl.

 

[innsertnamehere]

The existing rail connection here goes from Nanticoke to Caledonia to Brantford, it's a quite circuitous route and not particularly useful for passenger service.

Passenger service on a useful route (i.e. direct to Hamilton) would have to use the abandoned ROW between Caledonia and Hamilton, which would involve the closure of the escarpment rail trail in Hamilton, a very popular recreational trail in the city. It wouldn't be popular, though it would be a fairly logical extension of service from Hamilton Centre GO.

I'm not opposed to the rail route actually, it would service Caledonia, the Hamilton Mountain area, and Hagersville, all fairly quickly growing communities. Just not sure the political practicality of reviving the abandoned ROW up the escarpment.

Port Dover is growing quite quickly right now (grew 13% 2016-2021, over 2.5% a year), and Empire has a ton of land holdings on the greater Niagara Peninsula here, so it makes sense.

This large of a community here, if paired with growth occurring in Norfolk County and in Caledonia, Hagersville, etc., would likely lead to a revival of the old Highway 6 freeway plans of the 1980's to service it as well. At the very least an extension of it to Caledonia and likely bypasses of Hagersville and Jarvis.