- GRIDS 2 and Municipal Comprehensive Review – “How Should Hamilton Grow? Evaluation” (PED17010(o)) (City Wide) (Item 8.3)
(a) That staff be directed to report to the Planning Committee annually on residential development activity including, but not limited to, the City’s residential intensification rate; construction activity in terms of housing mix; the City’s supply of vacant land to accommodate forecasted growth; and, a comparison of actual versus forecasted growth, as per the land needs assessment, to allow for adjustment, as needed, due to any negative or positive impacts of the adopted City of Hamilton urban boundary and growth strategy.
(b) That staff be authorized and directed to evaluate requests for expansion from Waterdown up to a maximum size of 5 ha of which 50% may be for residential use, as per the Screening Criteria and Evaluation Tool (Waterdown), and report back to Council with the results of the evaluation analysis;
(c) That the Growth Related Integrated Development Strategy (GRIDS 2) / Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) “How Should Hamilton Grow?” Evaluation, including associated technical supporting reports, attached as Appendix “A”, as amended, to Report PED17010(o), be received;
(d) That staff be directed to report back to the General Issues Committee no later than January 2022 with a draft Official Plan Amendment (OPA), as part of the Municipal Comprehensive Review, that implements the following growth directions, and to seek approval to present the draft OPA to the Province for review, and to the public for consultation, as part of the City’s Growth Plan conformity exercise:
(i) A projected household growth of 110,300 households;
(ii) An average intensification target of not less than 60% and not more than 80% between 2021 and 2051;
(iii) A planned minimum density of 60 persons and jobs per hectare (pjh) in existing Designated Greenfield Areas;
(v) An Employment Area land need of 0 ha to 2051, to be confirmed subject to the finalization of the Employment Land Review, including deferred requests;
(e) That the draft Official Plan Amendment include no expansion to the urban boundary;
(f) That the draft Official Plan Amendment identify a Community Area Land need of 0 ha beyond 2031, to be reviewed at least every 10 years, as part of future Municipal Comprehensive Reviews, as required under the provincial Planning Act and Places To Grow Act;
(g) That any determination on the Community Area Land need between 2021 and 2031, be deferred until the outcome of the GRIDS1 appeals of the Rural Hamilton Official Plan and Urban Hamilton Official Plan; and,
(h) That staff be directed to report back to the General Issues Committee annually on the impacts of the no growth option; specifically, on Social housing unit cost, land cost , square footage development costs, and mixed housing contrasting with benchmarking on current values.