Planning Applications Under Mayoral Direction

 Index

Council approves rezoning applications

At Council on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Council approved the rezoning of 11 of 12 development applications to provide nearly 35,000 housing units in Caledon as it prepares to grow to 300,000 residents by 2051. Rezoning of the lot municipally known as 12522 and 12580 Torbram Road (A7) was referred back to staff for further consideration and to return to Council on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. This vote of Council came after Mayor Annette Groves announced last week a partial rescission of her strong mayor powers, returning to a traditional majority vote.

On Tuesday, July 23, Council approved the 12th rezoning application following the report back from staff.

“Bringing forward the applications is the right thing to do to protect Caledon’s future, and this was confirmed on Tuesday by the vote of Council,” commented Mayor Annette Groves. “By proactively and holistically addressing our planning challenges we can best determine where Caledon grows, better direct our infrastructure investments, and ensure our community has the necessary amenities for residents.” 

For more information, please see the media release: Council approves 11 of 12 rezoning applications in proactive step to address housing crisis - Town of Caledon.

Zoning By-law Amendments

The purpose of the proposed Zoning By-law Amendments is to rezone the Subject Lands into appropriate residential mixed use zone categories to facilitate the future development of residential lots, residential mixed-use buildings and commercial uses together with the protection of environmental policy areas. While each of the proposed Zoning By-law Amendments has its own specific range of zone categories, in general terms the purpose and intent of the amendments is to rezone the Subject Lands from the existing uses to facilitate future development, including Mixed Density Residential, Environmental Policy Area 1, Urban Corridor, Neighbourhood Centre, Multiple Residential, and General Commercial.

map of proposed zoning by-law amendments

 

Legend for zones A1-12

 A1
 Map of A1
 A2
 Map of A2
 A3
 Map of A3
 A4
 Map of A4
 A5
 Map of A5
 A6 
 Map of A6
 A7
 Map of A7
 A8
 Map of A8
 A9
 Map of A9
 A10

A10-Schedule A 

Map of A10-A

 

A10-Schedule B

Map of A10-B
 A11
 Map of A11
 A12
 Map of A12

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

Planning Questions

What decision was taken?

On March 26, Mayor Groves gave direction to advance the rezoning of 12 development applications in Caledon. This bold and unprecedented announcement demonstrates Caledon's commitment to proactively tackle the housing crisis and foster sustainable growth in the community.
Why has this decision been taken?
  • Mayor Groves would like to reinforce the Town of Caledon’s commitment to proactively address the housing crisis and to contribute to the Province’s housing goal of 1.5 million new residential units by 2031, as well as Caledon's growth forecast to 2051.
  • Caledon is ready to meet and potentially exceed its Housing Pledge targets and has just received $2.8 million as part of the Building Faster Fund for meeting its 2023 annual housing targets.
  • Many of the parcels of land that are included under the Strong Mayor direction are already part of phase one of Caledon's draft Growth Management and Phasing Plan. They were identified because the applications are in areas where existing or planned infrastructure can support development.
  • On March 26, 2024, Caledon Council adopted the Town’s new Official Plan “Future Caledon”, which lays out a detailed roadmap of Caledon’s growth till 2051. The 2051 growth targets are substantial.
  • This move by the Mayor will advance the objectives of Future Caledon by ensuring significant development applications progress in a timely manner, as well as ensure infrastructure and services are aligned for units to be delivered by 2051.
  • This move will ensure that provincial and federal infrastructure and funding programs acknowledge Caledon's proactive approach to growth management.
  • This signals Caledon’s readiness and ambitions for growth, its commitment to partner with the development industry and create complete, sustainable communities, as envisioned in the Town’s Strategic Plan and Future Caledon.
Where is Caledon expected to grow and develop?
  • About 80% of Caledon is protected by the Greenbelt Plan, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and Niagara Escarpment Plan legislation and will remain unavailable for development.
  • Urban growth will be focused in less than 20 per cent of Caledon, mostly in the southern part of the Town.
  • Where and how the Town grows is set out in the new Official Plan.

 
Which applications are included and how many new units are expected to be zoning approved through this decision? 

The following 12 planning applications are included. They are expected to yield approximately 35,000 residential units, incrementally over roughly the next 20 years, subject to variables. The housing will be created along with community elements such as new parks, schools and retail. Mayor Groves would like to ensure the creation of complete communities, as envisioned in the Town’s Official Plan and Strategic Plan. 

 

Some of these applications are currently before the Preliminary Application Review Committee (PARC) and no additional information can be available at this time. To learn more, please review the PARC Meeting process.   on the Town website. 

 

Links to the available applications are provided below. 

 

proposed zoning bylaw

 
Will this include various housing options and affordable housing?
  • A range of housing options will be delivered through these planning applications, including singles, semis, town houses and apartments, ensuring housing typologies are available for various price ranges.
  • Mayor Groves has directed that zoning permissions for additional residential units (second units and garden suites) and multiplexes be addressed in the approvals.
  • Through the other planning approval stages such as secondary planning and plans of subdivision, the Town will ensure policies and opportunities for affordable housing provisions.
Will the selected developments follow the standard planning process?
  • Yes, Mayor Groves has directed staff in the Planning & Development Department to undertake the necessary steps to bring forward the proposed zoning by-law amendments through the municipal planning process, including holding a statutory public meeting.
 Has this ever been done before? Why now?
  • Although pre-zoning has been undertaken by many municipalities, using Strong Mayor Powers is an unprecedented direction, demonstrating Caledon’s commitment to proactively tackle the housing crisis and foster sustainable growth in the community.
  • The zoning approvals for the lands included in the direction by Mayor Groves will enable staff to advance the development applications through the remaining municipal planning process.
  • In the longer term, such a broad mixed-use rezoning will ensure that development and redevelopment of these new communities can happen without frequent and recurring processes.
  • Caledon is ready and open for business—this move will help ensure an ample supply of development sites for all types of housing, both to meet demand and to encourage housing affordability.
  • This move will also provide greater certainty to encourage investment into Caledon’s growth.
Caledon's existing Housing Pledge already accounts for 13,000 new homes. Why are we going beyond that to approve 35,000?
  • While the Housing Pledge accounts for 13,000 new housing units by 2031, the forecast for Caledon indicates 67,000 new housing units are needed by 2051.
  • The 35,000 units in the proposed 12 areas are a step towards meeting the 67,000 units by 2051 and would help ensure Caledon gets the necessary infrastructure and services required to support its growth well into the future.  
Will you be providing the public a summary of the concerns raised by the Region of Peel?
Comments from the Region and responses were provided in the Staff Report at the Council Meeting on June 25, 2024. Any changes needed based on the comments will be built into the by-laws. 
How will the proposed land use affect and change the regressive Caledon property tax assessments that presently see residents paying approximately 75% of the property taxes assessed by Caledon with business interests only carrying approximately 25%?
Caledon has more than 40 tax ratios for different tax classes/property types. The overall contributions from each class is dictated by the number in each class. We continue to focus on economic development work to attract significant new businesses to town, and as more businesses arrive, the overall business contributions to the tax roll will increase.
Where are Caledon's employment lands?

Existing employment areas are:

  1. Bolton Employment Area, including:
    • Coleraine West Employment Area Secondary Plan
    • South Simpson Industrial Area Secondary Plan
  2. Mayfield West Employment Area 
  3. Tullamore Industrial Area
  4. Victoria Industrial Area
  5. Sandhill Industrial Area 

New employment areas to 2051 have been identified in the Region of Peel Official Plan. These areas will be subject to more detailed planning, and are identified in blue on the Townwide Land Use Designation Map.
How are holds removed from a planning by-law?

Council must vote to remove holds. Staff can bring the recommendation forward for a simple Council majority vote or the mayor can bring a motion using Strong Mayor Powers for a one-third Council vote. The mayor cannot unilaterally remove a hold using Strong Mayor Powers.

 

Finance Questions

 What does "growth pays for growth" mean?
New housing developments should pay the true cost of the infrastructure they need. This spares existing Caledon taxpayers from the burden of increased taxes and/or user fees to pay for new roads, streetlights, sidewalks, sewers, parks, etc. in new growth areas.
 Who pays for maintaining all the infrastructure once this new development happens? 
First, growth pays for growth, so new up-front infrastructure is paid for through development charges. As we develop and grow, Caledon will attract more residents and employers who contribute to the tax roll, thus spreading the long-term cost of maintaining infrastructure across more payers. 
 Why does Caledon want or need Provincial and Federal housing infrastructure incentive funding?
Like all Ontario municipalities, Caledon is funded through property taxes, user fees (parking, recreation, etc.) and development charges. Provincial and federal housing infrastructure incentive funding are ways for Caledon to get additional funding to help offset the cost of road and bridge upgrades, stormwater systems and other important infrastructure projects that benefit everyone. That way, the tax burden on residents can be reduced. 
 How is new Development paid for?
New development is paid for by the developers as part of their business model.  The new infrastructure that is required to support new development is paid through Development Charges as set out in the Town Development Charge By-Laws 2024-42 and 2024-43.  The bylaws are supported by a Development Charge Background Study that lists the required capital work (infrastructure) over the next 10+ years to support new development(s). The Study contains lists of projects by service area with the estimated timing and cost of those projects.

 

Development Charge revenue expected over the next 10 years is estimated at $1.06 billion and more than $2.65 billion by 2041. This revenue is used to construct new infrastructure. The construction can be performed by the Town and/or can be performed by the developer on large developments through front ending agreements.  Regardless, development charges pay for the growth of infrastructure (growth pays for growth).
 Will this increase taxes?
Given that there will be new development, there will be new residents and businesses moving into new development and therefore more overall property tax revenue.  We have estimated that the total annual property tax revenue as a result of increased properties will be $145 million in the ten year outlook. Extending that to 2041, the estimate grows to $199.4 million.

Thank you

Thank you to all who came to our community information sessions related to the 12 proposed zoning bylaws under Mayoral direction. Your presence and participation were greatly appreciated. 

Presentations and recordings of each session are available below.

 

Community Information Sessions

 Caledon East Presentation - June 10, 2024
 

On the evening of Monday, June 10, the Town held its final community information session at the Caledon East Community Complex for the 12 proposed zoning by-law amendments.

Please click here or see below for a copy of the presentation, as well as a video recording of the meeting.

 

Video Recording
 Alton Legion Presentation - May 27, 2024
 

On the evening of Monday, May 27, the Town held a community information session at the Alton Legion regarding the 12 proposed zoning by-law amendments. 

 

Please click here or see below for a copy of the presentation, as well as a video recording of the meeting.


Video Recording
 Albion Bolton Presentation - May 23, 2024
 

On the evening of Thursday, May 23, the Town held a community information session at the Albion Bolton Community Centre regarding the 12 proposed zoning by-law amendments. 

Please click here or see below for a copy of the presentation, as well as a video recording.


Video Recording
 Southfields Presentation - May 15, 2024
 

On the evening of Wednesday, May 15, the Town held a community information session at the Southfields Community Centre. 

Please click here or see below for a copy of the presentation, as well as a video recording. 

 

Video Recording

 

 

A Message from Mayor Annette Groves 

Council - April 30, 2024

Last Thursday’s Public Meeting on the 12 rezoning items brought up close to 200 passionate residents and stakeholders. People who spoke raised sincere questions and concerns that our presentation, put simply, failed to address. The message was loud and clear, the people of Caledon need and deserve more information. Information about the process and why we are considering this action, and the details about each of the 12 parcels of land.

Listening is a profoundly humbling experience, it’s the hallmark that helped me earn the trust of voters when I was first elected as Councillor in 2000 and it is what I pride myself on today. So, I have listened and pulled the by-laws from today’s Council Meeting.

We are scheduling three public information sessions for the next month, in different areas of Caledon for transparency and to share detailed information with residents and stakeholders. We can’t move forward without them. We’ll address the questions and concerns raised on Thursday night and we will listen. The people of Caledon deserve to feel heard. The team is booking spaces and dates and will be updating our website and social media channels, including my own, with the information you need to attend.

Thank you Caledon, for helping us realize we must do better and we will.

Mayor Annette Groves

 Mayor Message - April 26, 2024

Dear residents, 

 

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all who attended the public meeting last night. Your presence and active participation are invaluable to our community's progress and I appreciate your passion. 

 

During the meeting, I carefully listened to your concerns and heard your feedback. Your input is essential in shaping the decisions that affect us all. I want to inform you that following thorough consideration and in response to your feedback, the 12 rezoning items have been removed from the agenda for next week. 

 

Your voices have been heard, and your concerns respected. I will be addressing this matter further in a statement on Tuesday at the Council meeting. 

 

Once again, thank you for your engagement and dedication to our community's welfare. 

 

Mayor Annette Groves 

Council and Committee Meeting Info

For additional information related to the Council and Committee Meetings, please see the following:

Notices and Correspondence

Agendas