Municipal Comprehensive Review
York Region is expected to grow to approximately 2.02 million people and 990,000 jobs by 2051. To accommodate this growth, York Region has been proactively engaging Regional Council, the community, local municipalities, Indigenous communities and stakeholders on the update to the Regional Official Plan through a process called the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR). The MCR was initiated to inform the update to the 2010 Regional Official Plan. The updated York Region Official Plan is a blueprint to guide growth to the year 2051. The Plan will help ensure we are building communities that are healthy and complete, where both current and future residents of all abilities and ages can live, work and play.
The Plan was last updated in 2010 and since then, many Provincial Plans have been revised. The Regional Official Plan needs to align with revised Provincial Plans, which is why an update is required. As outlined by the Province, the date by which upper and single-tier municipalities must have their Official Plans in conformity with the updated policies in A Place to Grow is July 1, 2022.
The Adopted Regional Official Plan
The adopted 2022 York Region Official Plan (ROP) promotes forward thinking and action-oriented policies to continue to deliver on the Region’s commitment to protect the environment, guide growth and build strong, caring and safe communities.
The adopted ROP:
- Prioritizes building “complete communities” where people can conveniently access most necessities for daily living
- Prioritizes sustainable growth and financial responsibility by phasing growth, infrastructure and other community services over time
- Identifies natural areas for protection and supports designing and building communities resilient to the impacts of climate change
- Includes affordable housing targets and purpose-built rental targets for each local municipality
- Encourages employment close to existing and future transit service and opportunities for people to live and work in their communities
- Plans for an interconnected, efficient and safe public transit system for people of all ages and abilities
- Identifies and protects agricultural areas and supports economic connections, prosperity, and viability of the agricultural sector
Timeline
2019 to October 2021
Background work on several policy areas and mapping updates including reports identified through the MCR targeted work plan and reports presented to Council.
November 2021
Draft Regional Official Plan presented to Council
Commencement of engagement and public review of the Draft Regional Official Plan
Early 2022
Public Engagement Sessions - visit Have Your Say for details.
June 2022
ROP adopted by Regional Council - visit Have Your Say for details.
The 2022 York Regional Official Plan was sent to the Province of Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for approval. When the Regional Official Plan is approved by the Province, anticipated in late 2022, the 2022 Plan will replace the existing 2010 Regional Official Plan
Have Your Say!
To stay informed, sign up for the MCR newsletter.
Achievements
Implementation of the 2010 Regional Official Plan has left a positive impact on the Region’s natural environment, economy, development of communities, city building and infrastructure and service provision.
York Region continues to deliver on the objectives of the Regional Official Plan as outlined in the York Region 2018 Official Plan Monitoring Report and 2020 Regional Centres and Corridors Update.
Notable achievements include:
- Increased diversity of housing mix and shift towards higher density forms of housing supported by transit infrastructure
- Strong development activity in Centres and Corridors which support complete communities
- Over 600 hectares of protected and enhanced environmental lands
