To bring forward any major change in land use under the usual planning process, a developer would submit an application for Official Plan and zoning-bylaw amendments.
It’s a process that can take months, if not years, and is subject to public input and appeal.
But there is a shortcut.
A Ministerial Zoning Order, or MZO, issued by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing can provide approval for a land-use change that is deemed to be of provincial interest or significance.
An MZO takes effect as soon as it is issued and it cannot be appealed.
The Town of Innisfil is now considering requesting an MZO for at least the first phases of the Mobility Orbit – a proposed planned community centring around a new GO Train station and transit hub on Line 6.
If built out in its entirety – a process that planners suggest could take up to 50 years – the Mobility Orbit would eventually be home to up to 150,000 people.
Innisfil’s current planned population is 56,000 by 2031.
The Mobility Orbit proposal describes concentric development centring around a new GO station, with highest densities, amenities and public space within the first 225 metres around the centre of the station itself.
The plan was developed by PARTISANS, working in conjunction with Cortel Group developers and the town. It has been endorsed unanimously by Innisfil council.
The MZO being requested, now in draft form, would regulate land within 425 metres of the proposed GO station in two phases.
The first phase, within 225 metres of the station, would include mixed-use development, a minimum density of 200 dwelling units per hectare and 11,000 square metres of non-residential amenity, retail/commercial and flexible space. Minimum building height would be six storeys; no maximum has been set.
Phase 2, from 225 metres to 425 metres from the station, would see a minimum density of 150 dwelling units per hectare, a minimum of 1,000 sq. m. of non-residential space in each of four quadrants, and minimum building height of four storeys, except for townhomes, laneway suites and heritage buildings.
The Orbit proposal also includes principles that embrace interconnected open space, parkland and trails; a walkable community; energy efficiency, and sustainable development. The MZO would also specify that 10 per cent of all units in buildings of 10 units or more “shall be affordable.”
The station itself includes a 300-m long platform, room for two additional tracks, public parking and drop-off space.
The staff report being presented in council on Wednesday night notes that for financing reasons, the developer needs to know the approved residential and employment development densities – which “requires an expedited planning approval process.”
The public will have an opportunity to comment on the draft MZO. Comments will be incorporated in a final version that will come back to council on Oct. 28.
That is only the start of the process. The MZO request will then go to the County of Simcoe for approval in November. If approved, it will be sent to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing – although, as the report notes, “there is no certainty that an MZO will be granted.”
If approved, development details will be worked out through a secondary planning process, which would be expected to take 18 months. Construction is “anticipated to commence as early as 2022.”
The first two phases of the Orbit could add 7,000 dwelling units and 20,000 people to the Town of Innisfil.
Alex Josephson, a partner in PARTISANS, has told groups like the Innisfil District Association that the design for the Mobility Orbit grew out of a 2018 decision by the province to offload the cost of transit hubs to developers, who would then benefit by being permitted higher population densities on the surrounding land.
In 2019, PARTISANS won a request for proposals issued by the town to work on the design of a transit-centred development.
The result, Josephson said, was a radial “Utopian” plan for “The Orbit, one of the most ambitious and sustainable visions for a community of the future.”
The land in question were part of the 2009 Official Plan Amendment 1 – an amendment which was appealed, and has since been adjourned. Although never resolved by the Ontario Municipal Board, or by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), which has replaced the OMB, staff suggested that the history provides proof “that urban type uses have been publicly considered in this vicinity before.”
Tim Cane, the town's director of growth, told a residents' group in September, "It is the right time for Orbit... If we're going to walk the walk, Orbit is the opportunity to do that."
To see the agenda item, click here.
