Milton is making sure its older neighbourhoods don’t change too much.
On Monday, October 19th, Town Council enacted an Official Plan amendment, Zoning By-law amendment, and Interim Control By-law to protect the Town’s mature neighbourhoods and character areas. This follows the Mature Neighbourhoods Study that was enacted back in April, 2018. That was “in response to Council’s direction to review Town policies and regulations relating to the construction of new dwellings and additions and recommend appropriate changes to protect character.”
The Interim Control By-law will allow for the Town to have an opportunity to place a temporary pause on development of certain lands while a municipality studies or reviews land-use policies. There are exemptions to the ICBL. You can read about those here.
The Interim Control By-law has been put in-place to temporarily prohibit development for one year, while the Town completes Phases 2 and 3 of the Mature Neighbourhoods Character Study.
The neighbourhoods listed are: Mountainview, Mountain View Survey, Fallingbrook, Forrest Grove, Bronte Meadows, Valley View, Dorset Park and Timberlea neighbourhoods.
The Town Councillor for Milton’s Ward 2, John Challinor, says it’s important to maintain the look of these original areas.
Audio PlayerThe Regional Councillor for Ward 1, Colin Best, says the idea behind these amendments and the ICBL is to make sure that residents can maintain an older look while updating the homes.
The neighbourhoods listed follow under a ‘core area’ being addressed by the Town of Milton. It says that “rapid growth in Milton has resulted in development pressure and significant interest in redevelopment in Milton’s mature neighbourhoods.”
The Commissioner of Development Services with the Town, Barb Koopmans, issued a statement saying that they are taking in the community’s interests and feedback when conducting these studies.
“The Mature Neighbourhoods Character Study is well underway and the Interim Control By-law provides staff with space to address a legitimate planning challenge and its impact on the character of Milton’s mature neighbourhoods. This By-law temporarily restricts the level of change permitted in stable neighbourhoods until the necessary policies that reflect community interests and support the character of each neighbourhood are in place.”
The Town Councillor for Ward 1, Kristina Tesser Derksen, says they want to avoid having homes that stick out too much.
Audio PlayerPhase 1 of the Study addressed the Downtown Character Area and is now complete with the Council-approved Zoning By-law Amendment that introduces new standards for residential development in the area.
