Mount Hope West Secondary Plan approval means potentially 900 new residential units

March 5, 2026 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

At February’s Caledon Council Meeting, the proposed Official Plan amendment for Mount Hope West Secondary Plan was approved.

With the approval of the plan amendment, there was also a Council endorsement of the Tertiary Plan of the Secondary Plan, with recognition that further revisions will occur through staff and agency approval of updated and revised technical studies.

A tertiary plan is a site-specific planning document that provides guidance for a specific geographic area, also acting as a bridge between high-level Secondary Plans and individual development applications.

Back in June of 2024, Council passed a Zoning By-law Amendment to rezone the Mount Hope West Area for residential and mixed-use development, alongside the continued protection of environmental policy areas.

The Official Plan Amendment application was then submitted by SGL Planning & Design Inc., on behalf of United Holdings Inc., in February of 2025, with supplementary materials submitted on July 8, 2025.

The application was deemed complete in July of 2025, and a second partial submission was received on January 16, 2025.

The Mount Hope West Secondary Plan land is located on the northwest corner of Mount Hope Road and Columbia Way and is approximately 81.5 acres.

The applicant proposes a range of residential units, a commercial block, stormwater management ponds, a park, natural heritage system blocks and a road network as part of the proposed draft plan of subdivision.

This secondary plan includes the development of a community with a range of 900 new residential units and a population of over 2,800 people.

With this plan, the school boards have advised that no new public or Catholic schools are required in the Secondary Plan area.

During the public meeting for the proposed plan, residents voiced concerns about a proposed mid-rise/high-rise block, which, through a Staff Report, stated that “the revised Secondary Plan Official Plan Amendment has removed the mid-rise/high-rise block from the plan area.”

Concerns from residents also included parking and snow removal, bike paths, roadways, and more.

Many of these concerns were stated to be addressed during the Draft Plan of Subdivision review process, where Staff will review.

The June 2025 Planning Justification report by SGL Planning & Design Inc., says that the Town of Caledon’s Growth Management and Phasing Plan has identified Mount Hope West as part of Phase 1 of New Community Area development, which is intended to accommodate growth from

2026 to 2036.

It also states that as part of the Town’s amendment to the Future Caledon Official Plan

brought forward in March 2025, lands within Phase 1 are “development priority areas” for the period from 2026 to 2036, and secondary planning should be prioritized and advanced for lands within Phase 1 – Phase 1 meaning 2026 to 2036.

During a February 10 Planning and Development meeting, where the proposed Official Plan amendment for the Mount Hope West Secondary Plan was first approved, pending final approval at the February 24 Council Meeting, various residents came forward to voice concerns about watershed studies and the environmental impacts of the proposed plan.

Staff clarified at the meeting that they have both received studies from the Toronto Region Conservation Authority and have also included certain policies in the Secondary Plan that provide flexibility.

“They do indicate that prior to any type of development on these lands, the final studies and the final findings may result in some refinement of the natural heritage features and system. There may be some refinements to the development limits, but nothing that we’ve assumed are major,” said staff at the meeting, adding that there may absolutely be changes in the future, as one of the recommendations in the motion allows staff flexibility to make changes as additional information comes in.

At the meeting, staff also shared that the development will be done in phases to “address the availability of services.”

Currently, they said they can service 300 units.

At the meeting, Mayor Annette Groves said they are looking at construction to commence because they will be constructing interim booster pumping stations and other services needed to service the 300 units, “and all that is already in process and in progress and construction is planned to commence 2026 and is scheduled to commence in 2029.”

The reasoning for bringing these applications forward, it was explained, was partly to secure funding and access to the allocated funding.

In June of 2025, Peel Regional Council approved a 50 per cent reduction in development charges for Caledon, Brampton, and Mississauga from July 2025 to November 2026 to accelerate housing construction with a $1.3 billion commitment from the Ontario government to offset revenue losses.

“I think that this is a way forward…this is not over. This is just the beginning,” said Groves at the February 10 meeting, adding that just because the approval comes that day doesn’t mean building starts tomorrow.”