Stakeholders interested in obtaining information or providing comments about the City’s Land Needs Assessment and Settlement Area Boundary Expansion studies can now attend the upcoming public open house meeting either in person or virtually. The meeting takes place on June 20, 2023, from 6 to 8 p.m.
“It is important to provide the public with different options to participate in the open house for the boundary review,” said Mayor Don McIsaac. “With hybrid options available, those who want to attend in person as well as those who prefer to attend virtually can both participate. We look forward to answering questions and receiving feedback from interested participants on June 20.”
Attending In Person:
Location: Council Chamber, Orillia City Centre (50 Andrew St. S., Orillia)
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Registration Information: No pre-registration is required.
Attending Virtually:
Location: Through Zoom meeting link or by telephone
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Registration Information: Pre-registration is required at orillia.ca/MCR.
The project team from WSP Canada Inc. and Hemson Consulting Ltd. will give a virtual presentation and will not be in person at the public open house. All attendees, whether virtual or in person, will have the opportunity to share comments, ask questions and provide input.
If you have already pre-registered to attend virtually, no further action is required. For those unable to attend the open house, a video recording and a copy of the presentation will be made available following the live event on the City’s website at orillia.ca/MCR.
Background:
Since 2018, the City has been completing a municipal comprehensive review, which is being informed by a Land Needs Assessment and a technical land evaluation to determine how much land is required, and to identify the most suitable locations from a planning perspective to accommodate projected population and employment growth to the year 2051. The City’s Land Needs Assessment has included an evaluation of how various ranges of intensification rates and greenfield densities would impact potential future land needs.
Open house attendees will receive an update on the City’s Land Needs Assessment, learn about a range of various intensification and densification targets, and learn about the findings of the technical land evaluation, as well as next steps in the process. Participants will also have the opportunity to share comments, ask questions of the project team, and provide input that will help inform future recommendations to Orillia City Council based on the findings presented.
All of the technical land evaluation reports and the potential boundary expansion map are available for review at orillia.ca/MCR in advance of the open house. Comments and feedback are welcome at the June 20 open house or by submitting written comments to planning@orillia.ca with the subject line “Boundary Expansion.” Written comments must be received by July 17, 2023.
The input received from the public will be taken into consideration to inform a report that is anticipated to be presented for Council’s consideration in the fall of 2023. Council will then determine the preferred intensification and densification targets to inform the City’s new Official Plan and the size of a potential boundary expansion, which will inform the next Official Plan and future discussions.
