For Immediate Release

COMMUNITY MEMBERS SUPPORT OFFICIAL PLAN SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

Waterloo Region, Ontario – Local community members are expressing support for a settlement agreement between the Region of Waterloo and greenfield developers who have been fighting the Region’s new Official Plan.

“This agreement is a great accomplishment for Waterloo Region,” said Kevin Thomason, co-founder of Smart Growth Waterloo Region and rural Wilmot resident. “While it’s a compromise, it’s a good one that will allow our community to protect our most important rural areas while building more compact, livable cities. It’s a solid foundation for our future.”

“We’re relieved to see a made-in-Waterloo solution to the dangerous decision made by the Ontario Municipal Board in 2013,” added Kate Daley, Waterloo resident and group co-founder. “This deal protects us from relying on the provincial court system to clean up the mess left by the OMB, and allows our community to move forward with our commitment to growing up instead of out.”

In a 2013 decision, the Ontario Municipal Board had sided with greenfield developers who were asking for 1053 hectares of land to be opened for urban development by 2031. The Region had determined that 85 hectares was the right amount to reach the community’s goals by limiting urban sprawl. This agreement identifies 255 hectares to settle the original dispute, and a future 198 hectares to accommodate more recent higher population projections. This settlement must be approved by the OMB, and would end growth-related appeals of the Region’s Official Plan.

Smart Growth Waterloo Region (www.smartgrowthwaterloo.ca) is a grassroots group started in 2013 by local community members to raise awareness of the Ontario Municipal Board decision, and to encourage citizens to speak out to protect the Region’s smart growth policies.

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Media Contact:

Kevin Thomason
Phone: 519-888-0519
Mobile Phone: 519-240-1648
E-mail: media@smartgrowthwaterloo.ca