Concerns and questions continue to be raised over Bolton GO MTSA CPP By-law

November 6, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Last week’s Planning and Development Public Meeting featured the rescheduled business of the Bolton South GO Major Transit Station Area and CPP By-law.

The public meeting allowed residents and Council to raise potential concerns and ask questions about the information presented.

The planned GO MTSA is a mixed-use, high-density, multimodal community in the draft Bolton Secondary Plan, and is concurrently being led by the Town.

The CPP By-law would implement a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS) that will apply to the growth area, and is an accelerated development approvals process.

Residents at the meeting voiced concerns about benefits, public notice requirements, density, development standards, the height of proposed properties, parking, parks, and more.

When it came to the benefits of the CPP By-law, David Riley, partner at SGL Planning and Design, noted that the proposed by-law contains more detail about the process than the current zoning by-law.

Additional benefits, he said, relate to development proponents in support, design perspective, and community benefits.

Riley explained “community benefits” means that the tool “establishes a framework where the municipality can require community benefits in exchange for additional height or density.”

Questions were raised regarding the approval process, as it states that Classes 1 and 2 do not require approval from Council or the public, but only from staff.

The approval process ranges from Class 1, with Staff approval and no changes needed, to Class 3, which involves larger variations and requires council approval, along with mailing to residents within 120m, website posting, and physical signage.

Amanda Corbett, alongside other community members, raised concerns about the approval process regarding public notice, “the idea of no notice being given, even if staff are looking at it, is concerning.”

She shared there should be an opportunity for the public to have their say, especially neighbouring residences or businesses.

Other residents also voiced concerns about the 120-metre requirement, but Mayor Annette Groves assured that there are opportunities for notices to go outside the 120-metres required under the Planning Act.

Riley noted, “in terms of the change in notice requirements are really for minor variations and site plan approval matters,” and they are establishing an acceptable threshold and accepting concerns and comments on what that threshold should be.

Multiple community members also came forward and voiced concerns about the amount of potential density coming in, with a lack of parking spaces and public transport, as the GO Train Service is not yet confirmed.

“This is a Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) where we can have minimum parking requirements, and what we’ve suggested in the bylaw is essentially carrying over what the parking requirements exist today and applying for the residential units of one space per unit,” said Riley, to which resident Kathleen Wilson said most Caledon homes have more than one car.

Wilson also noted the need for parks in the proposed areas.

“We just heard from the last planning and development committee meeting about the incredible situation in Valleywood, where you can’t plow snow because people’s cars are on the road. There’s no additional parking spaces anywhere where visitors can park,” said resident Rima Dornfeld.

Dornfeld said the “up to a 30% reduction in the [parking] requirement that staff can arbitrarily grant is excessive.” She noted that it leaves no room for changes in the economic conditions in the number of people that live in the proposed units.

Corbett also voiced concerns about how density will come into play given the lack of public transit, as previously noted.

“If we proceed with these condo heights of 20 to 25 stories and that extreme density, no one is going to be able to move anywhere because we’ll be gridlocked with cars from an additional 75,000 people,” said Corbett.

Carmela Anzelmo-Palkowski said she lives approximately four blocks from the proposed area, and the density and parking issues make her “extremely nervous”, as well as issues of emergency services being able to reach the proposed high-rise buildings.

Alongside the density issues raised by residents regarding building height, resident Al Axworthy said the proposed building heights would change the “face of the community.”

Various residents raised questions over the idea of the proposed plan being run as a “pilot.”

Mayor Groves, following suggestions in response to residents’ concerns over the pilot, suggested that staff may look at other municipalities comparable to Caledon and the specific area of Bolton to see what worked and what did not for them.

She also noted that, as the community grows and the density increases, she is sure Town Staff are looking at ways to move the public around that do not solely rely on the GO station.

Councillor Dave Sheen asked whether one potential benefit of this type of density is justifying ridership to Metrolinx for the proposed GO station, and staff answered in the affirmative.

He also clarified that another motivator would be the financial incentive from the Housing Accelerator Fund, which was also answered in the affirmative.

The funding commitment through the Federal Government’s Housing Accelerator Fund ties certain dates to specific initiatives that would enable Staff to “unlock next year’s funding,” but any funding could be revoked if the initiatives aren’t completed, shared Staff.

The Housing Accelerator Fund requires action plans from local governments, unlocking funding to ensure the timely implementation of housing initiatives, with subsequent payments upon delivering results.

“Local governments are encouraged to think big and be bold in their approaches, which could include accelerating project timelines, allowing increased housing density, and encouraging affordable housing units,” reads the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation website.

Councillor Christina Early noted the advantages, but “if we don’t have a GO Train for 20 years or 15 years, we’re going to really compromise some of the people in Bolton.”

Following the Public Meeting, Staff will bring forward a recommendation report for Council to approve the recommendation for the bylaw by the end of November, the bylaw will have to be passed, and then move into implementation from December to March 2026.