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Town’s New Official Plan Now Approved Town Council adopted Oakville’s new Official Plan on June 22, 2009, and forwarded it to Halton Region of for approval. This approval was secured in late November, 2009, thereby bringing the new Official Plan into effect. Director of Planning, Dana Anderson has advised TCRA that the Region did not impose any significant amendments to the Plan and that the Province has given its approval to the degree of urban intensification provided therein.
OTMH Lands and OTHS Land Use Designation
TCRA was actively engaged in the Official Plan’s consultation process and is pleased with the results attained and, in particular, with the land-use designation afforded to the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital lands, and the treatment of the old Oakville Trafalgar High School building.
In early drafts of the Plan, the hospital lands were designated to be redeveloped (following OTMH’s relocation ~2014/15) at low and medium residential densities, but significantly higher overall densities were to be permitted through “bonusing”. With considerable effort, TCRA was able to convince the Town that low density residential - which essentially permits detached dwellings, semi-detached dwellings and duplexes - was the most appropriate designation for the area, and to reflect same in the approved version of the Official Plan. Some stacked town-houses and small apartments could also be permitted, subject to a future Town-initiated “visioning” exercise, and Community Uses may also be permitted on the lands.
Also, in alignment with TCRA’s requests, the approved Official Plan strongly encourages the maintenance and preservation of the old OTHS building.
Visioning Exercise and Funding The Town will be initiating a visioning exercise to solicit the public’s views on how the hospital lands should ultimately be redeveloped. It is now scheduled to be conducted in Spring, 2010, according to Town Council’s most recent iteration of its 4-year work plan.
TCRA views this visioning initiative as a critical stage in the redevelopment of this potential jewel within our local community. We intend to participate actively in developing and advancing our neighbourhood’s visualization for the area, and have expressed a wish to work proactively with the Town to promote mutually advantageous and desirable uses for the OTMH/OTHS lands. As a starting point, we are reviewing earlier studies done by Parks & Recreation and Culture to identify current facility shortfalls and projected future needs. The Cultural Oakville Mayor’s Advisory Group, on which TCRA has representation, may also be a source of inspiration and imaginative potential uses.
Citing appreciation for its neighbours’ historic support, Halton Healthcare Services has generously agreed to provide TCRA with one-time funding assistance to be used for consulting services for developing the local community’s vision for the use of the hospital and high school property lands. This donation represents approximately 50% of our estimated cost for such services. Consequently, developing additional funding will be a major TCRA thrust in early 2010.
Hospital Land Ownership
Provincial regulations require that local funding makes up a significantly large, pre-determined portion of the total cost of new hospitals built in Ontario. Halton Health Services has requested that the Town of Oakville donate $200MM in this regard. March 2010 is viewed as the effective “drop dead” date by which time local funding must be committed in order to preserve the project’s viability and positioning vis-à-vis the Province’s funding and pecking order.
Committee of the Whole (Town Council) met to discuss this request on December 8, 2009. HHS presented their case for building a top-notch, full-service facility. A staff report was tabled, recommending the Town commit to contributing $140MM, subject, in part, to HHS transferring title of the existing hospital site to the Town of Oakville. HHS CEO John Oliver referred to the intrinsic value of the transferred land as one of the benefits the Town would receive in return for its donation; thereby inferring agreement in principle, at least, to the title transfer.
It was clear that Committee of the Whole was uncomfortable with committing such large amounts without first providing adequate opportunity for public discussion and input. Consequently, they unanimously resolved to recommend the decision be deferred to the end of February, 2010, and that, in the interim, extensive public consultation be undertaken. This recommendation was adopted by Council December 14, 2009.
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