Caledon, June 23- All members of council expressed support and enthusiasm for a new direction in planning Caledon’s future at Tuesday night’s Planning and Development Committee meeting by endorsing a “made in Caledon” growth concept and responsible growth management investments/practices.
This innovative approach to planning will improve the quality of life for Caledon residents while welcoming growth by creating smart growth processes, unique to Caledon, that benefit everyone.
“We are welcoming growth while being strategic, fiscally and environmentally responsible, ensuring Caledon plans for Caledon with the exponential growth we are facing,” said Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson. “The groundwork we are laying now will ensure Caledon has appropriate infrastructure, employment and community areas to provide the best future possible for our residents and businesses. The steps we are seeing today are critical for the future we want for Caledon.”
Strategic Growth Direction
Caledon’s strategic growth plan will ensure positive community outcomes and customer service and will:
· Establish criteria to evaluate and prioritize areas of growth;
· Consider infrastructure capacity (water, wastewater), transportation networks, public transit, community supportive infrastructure (firehalls, community centres, parks, etc);
· Consider the tax base and financial obligations/requirements;
· Consider community and employment needs; and
· Lead the planning process to “Caledonize” not “urbanize” the town.
“We are taking important, exciting and unprecedented steps to plan for the future of Caledon and provide strong customer service and clarity for our industry partners and community builders. We are investing in our Official Plan, taking it directly to the province and implementing measures to manage our volume of applications and increase housing supply.” Said Antonietta Minichillo, Director Planning and Chief Planner. “We are proactively leading the planning process for Caledon with our growth concept and strategic direction that will drive better outcomes for residents, the environment, the development community and stakeholders.”
Staff will bring forward a future report to the Planning and Development Committee in July on applications impacted by these proposed actions and communication is to occur with local industry partners.
