Frequently Asked Questions

Appropriate density means taking into account any existing Town policies on density, along with the existing character of the area in question.

The Town of Halton Hills Official Plan has policies which require the expansion lands to be developed in character with the surrounding community. 

The Stewarttown Hamlet has been historically low density with natural heritage present. This must all be considered when establishing what density would be appropriate for the expansion lands.

Natural buffering between the expansion lands and existing community is something that would be planned for through future applications (e.g. Zoning By-law Amendment and Plan of Subdivision). These applications will occur once the Secondary Plan for the area has been adopted.

Other access points were considered for the expansion lands by the Project Team. At this time, Harrison Place is the only viable access for proper entry into the expansion lands. 

Factors such as topography, the presence of the Greenbelt Plan Area and Natural Heritage System limit the ability for other access points to be considered. 

More information on how access to the expansion lands was determined will be shared in the future, when more detailed land use concepts are presented to the public.

The use of the privately-owned cul-de-sac off Mill Pond Drive for a proposed emergency access or trail entrance to the expansion lands was presented for consideration only.

More information on unit counts will be shared in the future, when more detailed land use concepts are presented to the public.

The impacts of construction within the expansion lands are considered and proposed mitigation measures are identified in a Construction Management Plan. This Plan is submitted for Town approval in future development application process (e.g. Zoning Amendment, Plan of Subdivision, and Site Plan Approval).

Sidewalk expansion on existing streets would need to be carried out through separate public infrastructure projects. Public input related to road improvements on existing streets will be gathered and shared with appropriate Town staff as part of the public engagement process.

The entry point in question will not be directly considered as part of the preparation of the Secondary Plan. However, the issue may be considered as part of the Transportation and Traffic Study being prepared by the consulting team to inform the Plan. 

Part of this study includes reviewing all planned road improvements in the area, one of which is the Regionally-led Trafalgar Road Corridor Study, from Steeles Avenue to Highway 7. 

It should be noted that any planned improvements to this entry point would be approved and carried out by the Region of Halton. Town staff can assist in directing residents to the appropriate Region staff contact.

Town staff have confirmation from the Region of Halton that no expanded servicing is being considered for the area, outside of new development in the expansion lands.

Properties listed on the Halton Hills Heritage Register can be searched publicly on the Town’s website using the Maplinks page. 

More information on the Town’s Heritage Register, including property-specific heritage information can be found here. 

The preservation of the Stewarttown properties currently listed on the Heritage Register is important, and will be considered as part of the Heritage Resource Assessment component of the Secondary Plan process.

The prescribed density of 5 units per hectare applies to the portion of the Plan Area in Stewarttown, outside of the expansion lands. However, the expansion lands are required to be developed in character with the surrounding area, therefore any density assigned to these lands cannot be a significant departure from what already exists.

The Stewarttown Secondary Plan and Vision Georgetown Plan areas are both considered Designated Greenfield Areas, established through the Sustainable Halton process in 2009. They are very different in scale and land use mix, where the Vision Plan will take much longer to develop. At this time, it is not anticipated that the Plans will impact one another in any way.

Further analysis is required for the consideration of a southern access road to the expansion lands. This will be completed in the coming months and information will be shared when available.

A Traffic Impact Study is being completed as part of the Secondary Plan process. This study will evaluate the potential impacts of traffic, resulting from the development of the expansion lands, on the established Stewarttown residential area.

The previous Halton Region Official Plan Review, known as Sustainable Halton, was finalized in 2009. Through this process, a modest expansion to Stewarttown was approved to permit additional residential development in keeping with the character of the community.

The Stewarttown area has historically developed as low density, primarily single detached homes on larger lots. Per the Halton Hills Official Plan, the expansion lands are to be developed in similar character to what already exists in Stewarttown. As a result, opportunities for affordable housing are more likely to develop within strategic locations inside the Built-Up Area of Georgetown as well as the Vision Georgetown and Southeast Georgetown Designated Greenfield Areas.

The expansion was approved on the basis that new development would be in keeping  with the character of the existing Stewarttown community. Based on the work completed to date, due to site access and topographical constraints within the expansion lands, the project team is of the view that the most suitable land use is low density residential complemented by parkland. The final decision in such matters is made by Council.

Several parkland locations within the expansion lands are being considered, one of which is to locate the parkland immediately adjacent Harrison Place.

The inclusion of trails through Open Space and Greenlands will be considered as part of the development of the draft Secondary Plan.

Through the Secondary Plan process, policies encouraging the future development of sidewalks can be considered. Incorporating sidewalks into the expansion lands will considered further along in the approvals process when a Plan of Subdivision application has been submitted.

To access the full project page, please visit the Halton Region website:

https://www.halton.ca/For-Residents/Roads-Construction/Municipal-Class-Environmental-Assessment-Studies/Trafalgar-Road-Corridor-Study-Steeles-Avenue-to

For mapping and reference information related to the project as impacts the Stewarttown Study Area, please see:

https://www.halton.ca/For-Residents/Roads-Construction/Municipal-Class-Environmental-Assessment-Studies/Trafalgar-Road-Corridor-Study-Steeles-Avenue-to/Environmental-Study-Report-Chapter-7-and-8-(1-of-3

https://www.halton.ca/For-Residents/Roads-Construction/Municipal-Class-Environmental-Assessment-Studies/Trafalgar-Road-Corridor-Study-Steeles-Avenue-to/Environmental-Study-Report-Chapter-7-and-8-(2-of-3

The Secondary Plan for Stewarttown still requires further public consultation, the Council endorsement of a Preferred Land Use plan, and both Local Council and Regional approval of the final Plan. This would be expected to occur sometime in 2023, after which a Plan of Subdivision application would be required to gain approval to develop the expansion lands. 

Expansion of current servicing infrastructure into the expansion lands is also necessary and occurs under the approval of Halton Region. It is difficult to estimate a time for when development would commence, however several approval steps are still required.

The project team has developed and evaluated three different scenarios for residential density in the expansion lands. While work is still being done to establish the most appropriate density, consideration for the surrounding area will be a key factor in establishing a firm density target for the expansion lands. Community feedback, and consideration for topographic constraints and increased traffic will also be taken into account.

The format for the third Stewarttown Secondary Plan Public Open House was broken into three components:

• A drop-in session where attendees could walk around and view the display boards with project information covering the key components of the draft Preferred Land Use Plan, policy directions, and the ongoing Trafalgar Road re-construction project. The intent of this was to provide attendees with the opportunity to re-familiarize themselves with the project, while interacting with Town staff and project consultants.
• A presentation from the lead consultant (MHBC Planning) to provide project updates, including the results of the Feasibility Analysis for a secondary road into the expansion lands; and an outline of the draft Preferred Land Use Plan. A 10 to 15 minute question period was also included with this component for attendees to ask questions related to the material presented.
• A workshop activity where attendees could participate in smaller group discussions on the proposed designations associated with the draft Preferred Land Use Plan. Town staff and members of the consulting team were also available at every table to help guide the discussion, take notes, and respond to questions.

The first two Public Open Houses were held virtually, consisting of a presentation, and followed by a question and answer period. 

The third and most recent Public Open House was held in person on June 7, 2023. Town staff transitioned to this setup to ensure they provide a more interactive format, with opportunities to gather ideas and feedback from attendees to help form the completed draft Secondary Plan guides land use. 

While the question and answer period was much more limited this time around, attendees are reminded that questions can be submitted directly to Town staff at any time on Let’s Talk Halton Hills. Staff continuously aim to provide responses to these questions in a timely manner.

Town staff sought out several options to host this event, including other Town venues (e.g. Mold-Masters Sports Complex, libraries), schools, and options within the Stewarttown Plan Area. 

The Hillsview Centre was the best possible option available for this date based on capacity, seating, and audio/video requirements. For future events, Town staff will continue to seek out the best possible venue to meet the needs of those interested in attending.

For the Preferred Land Use Plan, staff will be recommending a unit density be specified for the expansion lands, however, this does not have to be identified as a range. As a Special Policy Area under the Stewarttown Secondary Plan, density can be expressed as a maximum, as opposed to a range, similar to the five units per hectare maximum, which is currently set for the existing Stewarttown area.

The boundaries for these proposed Policy Areas can be adjusted based on feedback from the public and Town staff recommendations. The need for boundary adjustments will be evaluated as part of the work completed on the draft Stewarttown Secondary Plan.

This study was completed in the fall of 2022, to identify and evaluate secondary access road options into the expansion lands. Members of the consulting team from MHBC Planning, Crozier Engineering, and Natural Resource Solutions Inc worked together to identify and evaluate road options based on functionality, access to existing road networks, impacts on natural heritage, and policy implications.

The recommendation from the study is not to pursue any of the road options identified. Technical constraints, the presence of endangered species and wildlife habitat, and Greenbelt Plan policy restrictions all factored into this recommendation. For more detailed information on this study, including memos and the options evaluation table, please visit Let’s Talk Halton Hills.

The project is currently entering its fourth and final phase. A draft Preferred Land Use Plan will be presented to Council for endorsement in the coming months. The project team will also begin to draft policies for the Stewarttown Secondary Plan. Existing Official Plan policies, along with feedback gathered throughout the life of the project will be used as a guide for the draft Stewarttown Secondary Plan.

 All project updates are posted on Let’s Talk Halton Hills for all those interested. Additionally, all past participants of public events for this project will be notified of any future engagement activities including Public Open Houses.