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Town Council examines the management of future growth

April 28, 2022   ·   0 Comments

Town Council examined managing future growth during a Committee of the Whole working meeting on Tuesday, April 19.

As the Town of New Tecumseth continues to grow, plans are being put into place to manage that growth in the three centres of Alliston, Beeton, and Tottenham.

Plans for expansion will accelerate in 2023 through the Town’s Official Plan review, although that project has already been started.

The plan looks forward to the years 2040 and 2051.

The Town has been involved in the County of Simcoe’s Municipal Comprehensive Review process.

The County has provided each of its 16 municipalities with an employment and population forecast along with the amount of available land.

Much of the discussion centres on where growth should take place and how it can be achieved responsibly and fiscally.

The Town is expected to have a growth rate of a 77 per cent increase to a population of 80,590 over the next 30 years.

This will require around 448 hectares of land for residential development and 170 hectares for industrial development.

This includes around 6,917 residential units that would be needed for the expanded communities.

There is also consideration for things like new schools that must be factored in when new developments are created.

A major concern for new growth is water servicing for new developments. Currently the plan is to accommodate new developments to 2031 with the expansion of the Collingwood water supply.

The challenge is the fact that the water supply will not be on line until 2026, meaning many developments already approved have been delayed.

Beyond 2031, additional treatment capacity will be required to accommodate additional growth. Alternative water capacity solutions will also need to be assessed.

The Town’s Multi-Modal Active Transportation Master Plan is considered flexible to accommodate growth wherever it will be located.

Council looked at the financial considerations of expansion including water and wastewater servicing, transportation infrastructure, and community facilities like recreation centres, parks, libraries, and fire stations.

Also considered are operation costs to maintain new facilities and infrastructure, including programming, lighting, repairs, snow plowing and related costs.

To recover costs, partnerships with the development community, community benefit charges, and user fees are being considered.

Although planning is considered on a 30-year forecast, those plans are not etched in stone and the plan is revisited every five years to check on progress.

The growth plan does include an aim for more density and intensification, stating that it results in a more effective use of infrastructure and reduces the amount of agricultural land. This means more town houses and few detached homes.

The current plan is to target 60 per cent of new development to be smaller singles and semi-detached, townhouses, and low-rise apartments.

A new urban design and movement strategy is in the works. This includes a future transit system that is more robust with connections of the GTA and other larger municipalities.

The development plan also includes the preservation of the agricultural land base for the long term.

The plan calls for the preservation of the three downtowns of the communities and supporting the characteristics of each community.

By Brian Lockhart

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