Town of Innisfil Growth Management: Potential Growth Alternatives

1
Town of Innisfil Growth ManagementPotential
Growth Alternatives

• Public Workshop
• January 21, 2006
• Stroud Arena

2
Growth Drivers Population

• Current trends forecasts base forecast about
  240 new homes each
• GTA Overspill lack of supply and affordability
  issues
• Barrie Overspill forecasted shortfall of 36,370
  housing units
• Increased Immigration 62,500/year new Canadians
  42 settle in Southern Ontario
• Increasingly smaller household sizes (3.2 to
  about 2.6 ppu)

3
Growth Drivers Employment

• About 21 of Innisfil residents work within the
  community, the remainder commute
• Municipalities typically target to retain 50 of
  jobs with the community
• While the long term industrial markets are
  strong, achieving an activity rate of 50 over
  the next 20 years will be challenging
• Under any scenario, new industrial lands must be
  designated and a strategy for servicing devised.

4
Population and Employment Forecasts
5
Provincial Policy Statement Directions for Growth

• Settlement expansions need to
• Consider opportunities for intensification
• Not locate in specialty crop areas
• Avoid prime agricultural land or where not
  possible consider lower priority lands
• Consider cross-jurisdicational issues
• Provide infrastructure in a cost-effective manner
• Provide a mix and range of employment
• Have a compact form, mix of uses and densities
  that efficiently use land, infrastructure and
  public facilities
• Avoid hazardous lands
• Protect significant natural features

6
Proposed Growth Plan for the Greater Golden
Horseshoe

• Recommends a minimum density of 50 residents and
  jobs per hectare
• Recommends a minimum of 1 job per 3 residents in
  the outer ring (including Simcoe County)
• Encourages municipalities to designated and
  preserve lands in the vicinity of major highway
  interchanges for employment

7
Future Vision

• Properly managed growth by building on existing
  communities while maintaining the small town and
  village character and identity of each area
• Countryside ambiance with green rural landscape
  and continuous open spaces
• Healthy Lake
• Balanced residential and employment growth
• Thriving employment uses along the Highway 400
  corridor and in strategic locations within the
  existing communities
• Viable agricultural lands
• Increased public access to the shoreline
• Choice of housing and employment
• Stronger identity as one Town embracing our
  originality
• Self-sufficiency with shopping, health care,
  recreational, community services within the Town
• Improved transportation choices with public
  transit anchored by new GO Station

8
Key Strengths

• Small town and scenic rural character
• Strong sense of community with civic pride and
  citizen involvement
• Waterfront /Lake Simcoe Shoreline with public
  access and beaches
• Pastoral character, natural heritage and green
  spaces
• Slower pace and good quality of life
• Healthy Lake and natural environment
• Proximity to major urban centres
• Highway access (400 and 11)
• Vibrant agricultural community
• Active communities
• Railway for GO Train Service

9
Challenges

• Protection, restoration and enhancement of the
  Lake Simcoe shoreline
• Improving the health of Lake Simcoe
• Achieving a balance between residential,
  commercial and industrial development
• Achieving a broader tax base to relieve pressure
  on existing taxpayers
• Managing the urban / rural boundary
• Avoiding continuous sprawl with controlled
  growth
• Infrastructure planning with services in place to
  support growth as growth occurs
• Maintaining the rural character and protecting
  agricultural lands and viability of farming as
  growth occurs
• Finding common ground between the communities
• Defining community character and originality
• Outside influences from the Province and
  neighbouring municipalities
• Expectations of residents
• Maintaining harmony between existing and new
  residents
• Supporting main streets and villages
• Defining community character and building
  distinct settlements
• Maintaining forested areas

10
Key elements that define Innisfil

• Rural traditions
• Conservation mindset
• Friendly involved community
• Shoreline / Lake
• Small communities
• Scale
• Blend of old and new
• Farming and agricultural community
• Small villages and towns
• Lots of green space
• Quiet and peaceful

11
Working Session 1

• Develop a list of principles/considerations that
  could be used to test and measure the various
  growth alternatives.

30 minutes
12
Working Session 2

• Establishing Growth Boundaries In planning for
  growth, there is a desire to develop a definitive
  boundary.
• How should growth boundaries be established? For
  example, should the boundary follow major roads
  (development on one side and not the other),
  along natural features (stream corridors and
  woodlots), or other major infrastructure.
• Should there be a separation between existing
  settlement areas (i.e .Lefroy, Gilford, Stroud,
  Alcona.)
• Balancing employment/residential growth Balanced
  residential and employment growth has been
  identified as a key future direction for the
  Town.
• What in your view represents a realistic balance
  for residential or employment uses? For example
  many municipalities target 1 job for every 2
  residents, the provincial draft Places to Grow
  Plan calls for lands. In Simcoe County to be
  designated to plan for 1 job for every 3
  residents.
• Balancing growth with protection of the
  agricultural industry, rural character and open
  spaces The pastoral quality, countryside
  ambiance and agricultural industry are viewed by
  many as being important for the future vision of
  Innisfil.
• How can this vision be balanced in the context of
  providing for the projected growth?
• How can the agricultural industry be optimized?

1 hour
13
Potential Innisfil Growth Areas and Developable
Lands
14
Working Session 3

• Testing the alternatives In looking at the
  various growth alternatives and recognizing that
  not all of these would be part of the Towns
  preferred growth strategy to match the growth
  projections, how do the each of the various
  alternatives measure up to the principles that
  you developed earlier in the day. Which ones
  best meet these tests? Which ones are less
  desirable?
• Whats missing - Are there other growth scenarios
  that arent shown that should be considered? If
  so, please describe.

1 hour