Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Vaughan is hosting open houses for the draft 2025 official plan, which will guide the city’s development, housing, and environmental policies until 2051.
Open houses will take place at Vaughan City Hall on Monday, Jan. 27, in the Vaughan Room on the main floor. Attendees can drop in anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to review the draft plan and ask questions of city planners.
Vaughan is one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, and the new Official Plan will help “manage that growth in a smart, sustainable way”.
The Vaughan Official Plan 2025 aims to accommodate the city’s rapid population and employment growth. From a population of more than 350,000 people and over 240,000 jobs in 2022, Vaughan is expected to add 225,900 more residents by 2051, bringing its total population to approximately 575,900 people.
The city will also need to create an additional 114,200 jobs, reaching a total of 354,300 jobs. This population and employment growth will account for nearly a third of the overall growth in York Region over the next three decades.
To address this, the new Official Plan will set the framework for sustainable urban development. Key elements of the plan include:
- Land Use Policies: Directing growth to appropriate areas while protecting green spaces and agricultural lands.
- Density and Housing Supply: Planning for a mix of residential and commercial development to support a growing population.
- Environmental Protection: Ensuring the preservation of Vaughan’s natural features for future generations.
The city has been collecting comments since the project’s launch in 2021, with several rounds of consultations and public meetings. Community feedback has played a crucial role in shaping the direction of the draft plan, ensuring that the voices of residents are reflected in the growth strategy.
For more information about the draft Vaughan Official Plan, visit vaughan.ca/OfficialPlan.