Residents speak out against proposed expansion of Minister’s Zoning Order

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Some Caledon residents would not like to see additional lands added to a Minister's Zoning order in the south of Caledon.

On August 24, the Town of Caledon held a public meeting where residents could share their opinions on a Minister's Zoning Order (MZO) amendment request.

The Town received the request on August 3 from Ontario's Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Brookvalley Project Management is the company seeking to build on the lands subject to the MZO.

The proposed MZO amendment is for lands primarily located north of Mayfield Road (up to Old School Road) between Highway 10 and McLaughlin Road. These lands would mainly be used for low and medium-density housing.

Brookvalley Project Management wants to build around 4,550 dwelling units in the 180 hectares of land subject to the proposed amended MZO.

Several residents submitted written comments about the MZO expansion to be a part of the public record. 

Ajaya Gupta said the subject area is already overcrowded and does not need any more houses. 

Harinder Singh said they were not notified of the MZO amendment, even though it includes their land, and sought answers on how to fight it.

Irene Ford had many issues with the amendment, such as her view that the MZO amendment should be treated as a new MZO since it adds so much land to the order.

Rob Harrison of the Valleywood Residents Association said additional traffic from development in the area will cause problems for emergency response times unless changes to highways in the area are made. 

Kennan Yates said it is wrong that the developer is looking to bypass Caledon's planning processes by using an MZO amendment. 

Paul Busch said proposed development in the amended MZO lands does nothing to advance goals related to affordability, increasing density within town centres, and making communities more walkable. He said the housing units planned will create more sprawl and an increased reliance on cars.

In a public meeting information report created by Caledon's planning department for the meeting, several parties expressed their disapproval of the MZO amendment. 

The Peel District School Board and Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board both wanted to see publicly funded schools added as a permitted use in the MZO. The boards said the schools will be needed to serve the large number of children that would be living in the area.

Caledon Fire and Emergency Services said it does not support the MZO amendment because there would be a gap in appropriate levels of fire suppression service for the area. 

“The MZO does not provide details on a proposed road network and therefore Fire and Emergency Services staff cannot confirm any impacts to fire response,” said Caledon Fire's comment in the report.

Caledon's urban design planning staff also do not approve of the MZO amendment.

“The patchwork of acquired lands will lead to incomplete communities and sprawl,” said staff in their comments within the report. “This promotes driving and goes against Caledon's climate change goals. This does not support a distinct community center and a neighbourhood mentality.”

Ultimately, the issuance of MZOs is up to the sole discretion of Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark.

To view the full public meeting and read all corresponding documents, those interested can visit caledon.ca/en/government/agendas-and-minutes.aspx.