Part of Bradford’s north end could finally be getting ready for development after decades of uncertainty.
Council approved the terms of reference and directed staff to work with a landowners group for a plan to develop about 67 hectares east and west of Yonge Street south of Line 9 and north of the Bradford Bypass, known as Special Policy Area 8 (SPA8), during the regular council meeting on June 18.
Originally included in Bradford’s 2002 official plan as Community Plan Area 5, SPA8 was carried forward in the town’s 2023 official plan, which identified the need to manage and direct growth in the area, according to a report from Ray Kelso, senior planner.
Mayor James Leduc called the process a “great opportunity” to address the “needs and wants of the community.”
“This is going to be actually a historic moment for all of you,” he said to council. “You’ll be proud to say you were part of (SPA8).”
The area is currently designated as mostly commercial/industrial or low-density residential, and in order to create a secondary plan for the area — intended to provide more details and development targets — the terms of reference lists specific background studies the landowners will need to have completed, some of which include: land-use, environmental and heritage studies, and transportation, water and sewer servicing and stormwater management master plans.
Kevin Bechard, senior associate at IPS Consulting Inc., spoke on behalf of the SPA8 landowners earlier in the meeting during open forum and assured council the group wasn’t suggesting any changes to the report.
“It is a detailed process and there’s been a lot of back and forth and discussion to get what we think is a very good approach to a secondary plan,” he said.
However, Bechard conceded the group is considering the possibility of converting some of the employment lands to residential, which concerned Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik, who wanted to see commercial amenities “spread out over the town” so people “can walk to a store.”
“If we’re going to build more homes, we need more auto shops, we need more places for people to work,” he said. “We just really need to maintain that balance.”
The terms also set out a work plan divided into four main phases with the following anticipated timelines:
- Existing conditions and technical background studies (second to fourth quarters 2024)
- Visioning, objectives and targets, including development concepts (first to third quarters 2025)
- Develop draft secondary plan (third quarter 2025 to second quarter 2026)
- Finalize secondary plan (second to third quarter of 2026)
According to the report, the consultants for the landowners are expected to provide updates to council at the end of phases 1 and 2, and at the end of Phase 3 a public meeting is anticipated to be held to present and solicit feedback on the draft secondary plan.
Bechard confirmed work was already underway to assess environmental conditions and take soil samples, and he anticipates technical studies to be complete by the end of this year.
Whether or not all the targets can be hit could depend on external factors though, and both Bechard and Kelso noted five key issues facing the area relating to the Bradford Bypass and the town’s growth management plan:
- The location of infrastructure to provide municipal water and sewer services to the area is partially dependent on servicing corridors and road right of ways, which could be negotiated with the Ministry of Transportation or nearby landowners.
- A recent change in the route of the bypass reduces the amount of land available for development in the area by about 9.53 hectares.
- Depending on the final design of the bypass, the extension of Professor Day Drive north into the area could cross the bypass as either an underpass or overpass, which could impact how land could be developed.
- Depending on the results of the town’s growth management plan, the settlement boundaries could be expanded, and consultants for landowners in SPA8 suggest including about 25.5 hectares of additional land already held by one of the landowners in the group.
- A “significant” amount of land in the area is designated for commercial/industrial use and how much can be converted to residential or other uses is expected to be determined as part of the growth management plan.
Following a recent announcement providing more certainty about the bypass as well as a series of provincial policy changes, the town is moving ahead with work on its growth management strategy, which is why it was “now an appropriate time” for council to consider the terms of reference and work plan for SPA8, according to Kelso.
Ward 7 Coun. Peter Dykie said he appreciated Bechard speaking at the meeting and he’s glad to see the “right players at the table” cooperating to proceed.
“There’s a lot of potential there on the north end of town,” he said. “There’s quite a community that can be formed.”
