The Vaughan Official Plan…

The Vaughan Official Plan should be approved, if it is modified to designate the lands at 401 Caldari Road as High Rise Residential. This will bring the land use designation for those lands into alignment with the high density residential land use permitted on the abutting lands that was established through a Minister's Zoning Order. As a consequence, the 401 Caldari site should also be included in community areas. In addition, the Strategic Growth Area mapping of abutting lands should be extended to include the 401 Caldari site.

Although the owners of 401 Caldari Road are industrial land owners, the changes to the abutting lands, combined with the Provincial Land Use Compatibility Guideline make it extremely challenging to find an employment user to take the space at 401 Caldari. The previous manufacturing operation on site has now relocated to Mississauga. As a result, the most sensible approach in planning terms is to now designate 401 Caldari as High Rise Residential.

In addition, in view of the fact that York Region is now an upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities, and that Vaughan can now make its own amendments to the Regional Official Plan, it would make sense to include a conflict resolution clause in the Vaughan Official Plan to read as follows: “To the extent that any of the policies of the Vaughan Official Plan are in conflict with those of the upper tier Official Plan, the policies in the Vaughan Official Plan shall prevail”.

Once these modifications are made, it would be appropriate to approve the Vaughan Official Plan.

In the alternative, the Province could refer the modifications requested above to the Ontario Land Tribunal for a hearing, while granting partial approval to the balance of the Vaughan Official Plan.