In April 2022, after months of our Stop Sprawl Orillia campaign, Council voted unanimously to have the City’s Land Needs Assessment (LNA) be updated and revised to consider a higher minimum intensification target and a higher minimum designated greenfield density target, to provide options for ways of reducing the extent of a future boundary expansion.
On May 18th, 2023, over one year later, the revised LNA came back with a range of options for intensification and densification:
These scenarios are in comparison to the original proposal of expanding the boundary by 381 hectares (939 acres) of land.
While they do offer an improvement, with Scenario 5 being the best out of these options (and the only scenario in which the boundary would only be expanded for recreational and employment lands rather than housing), these scenarios still did not offer what we hoped for, which was NO BOUNDARY EXPANSION. However, just because the consultants provided five scenarios to choose from doesn’t mean that Orillia City Council has to accept any of them. They can still choose to go with 100% intensification and no boundary expansion!
The Focused Study Area has also been refined in a new Technical Land Evaluation report, displaying a broad area of land to choose from if Council chooses a boundary expansion:
When comparing the Focused Study Area to this map of Natural Heritage Constraints below, it is clear that ANY boundary expansion will severely impact our natural features. This is why we MUST keep fighting for NO BOUNDARY EXPANSION.
REMINDER OF WHY we campaigned so hard to stop urban sprawl:
- Dated form of planning
- Destroys nature heritage including wetlands, forests, and wildlife
- Paves over valuable farmland
- More EXPENSIVE for the taxpayer
- Results in car-dependent communities, less walkable
- Lack of access to amenities
- Results in poor air quality and decreased overall health
- Typically results in luxury single detached dwellings – unaffordable!
So, what’s next?
On Monday, October 16th, 2023, Orillia City Council will hold a Special Meeting in the Orillia Opera House to formally initiate the process to review and update the City of Orillia’s Official Plan. See the notice here.
The purpose of this Special Meeting of Council is to discuss the revisions that may be required to the Official Plan. It is intended to provide an opportunity for the public to offer comments regarding any issue or matter that should be considered during the Official Plan Review process. The meeting also provides an opportunity to present an overview of timelines and important milestones for the project. If you weren’t aware, the City’s Official Plan is only updated every ten years – check out the City’s current Official Plan, which is from 2013.
IMPORTANT: Updating the City’s Official Plan is part of Orillia’s ongoing Municipal Comprehensive Review, which is the process that determines whether or not there will be a boundary expansion. Please if you can, come to this meeting and help us advocate for NO boundary expansion!
To get official updates on the City’s boundary expansion process, visit https://www.orillia.ca/en/city-hall/planning-for-the-future.aspx
What can I do to help?
- Attend the meeting on October 16th. Attend, learn, listen, ask questions, and make your voice heard that you want NO BOUNDARY EXPANSION in the update to the Official Plan. Wear your Stop Sprawl Orillia button if you have one!
- Put your lawn sign back up if you have one, or email us at greenorillia@gmail.com to get one for free!
- EMAIL Mayor and Council letting them know that you want NO BOUNDARY EXPANSION in the update to the Official Plan. (copy and paste their emails below):
- jlewis@orillia.ca
- dmcisaac@orillia.ca
- dcampbell@orillia.ca
- wsmith@orillia.ca
- rcipolla@orillia.ca
- lleatherdale@orillia.ca
- jczetwerzuk@orillia.ca
- jfallis@orillia.ca
- jdurnford@orillia.ca
- tlauer@orillia.ca
The COST of expansion is ludicrous.
Only a very small portion of infrastructure costs come from development fees!
The rest of us poor taxpayers get stuck with funding 90% of infrastructure costs FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES! And it will never goe down.
It has to stop.
Depending on region, anywhere from 32% to 71% of new housing is bought by Investers!
WHY SHOULD WE PAY FOR WEALTHY INVESTERS TO MAKE MORE MONEY!??!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Ban invester purchases for now!
We can’t afford it any longer!
P.S. What politicians don’t tell you is how us taxpayers have to pay for sprawl like:
Roads, sidewalks, teachers, more municipal employees, Hydro lines, sewers, traffic lights, water, parking, schools, hospital backups, garbage, buildings & equipment to house all this, etc., etc.
Try banning invester purchases and we’ll solve much of the problems.
We love orilla as a small city .we dont want it to grow any bigger .I would move to a smaller community if it gets too big.Please dont grow .And need low income houses,apartments. Etc… only rich people from Toronto can afford those places .what about 7s the low and middle class .Its all about money .dont care about the people. I could go on on .