Richmond Hill Council may have been denied the MZO but they still have two other initiatives that are being pursued to develop the Moraine
UPDATE: The motion by Councillor DiPoala re-designating parts of the ORM to Settlement Area is no longer on the agenda for the February 11th York Region Committee of the Whole.
One initiative is to continue to develop the Gormley Go area as a Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) and to facilitate the development of a minimum of 50 persons and jobs per hectare in the area south of Stouffville Road and east of Leslie, municipal servicing will be required. The MTSAs are intended to accommodate a greater concentration of people and jobs over the next twenty-plus years. The Gormley GO station falls within the now denied MZO area.
The other initiative is to request that York Region staff include as part of the Municipal Comprehensive Review re-designating parts of the ORM to Settlement Area.
At the Thursday February 11th York Region Committee of the Whole Richmond Hill Regional Councillor Joe DiPaola will be bringing forth a motion proposing to convert a large swath (500 acres) of Countryside designated lands to Settlement Area of the Oak Ridges Moraine to permit urban development although there would be no change to the designated Natural Linkage (light green) and Natural Core (dark green) areas.
The motion contends that since the proposed area is no longer viable for agricultural uses as a result of existing urban expansion it may as well be converted to settlement area.
The area may no longer be viable for agricultural uses however the Countryside Area also provides a buffer between the Natural Core Areas and Natural Linkage Areas and the urbanized Settlement Areas.
The motion also states that there is no scientific evidence suggesting the need for such a large buffer zone and adverse impact on the eco-system if a small portion of it is re-designated to settlement area.
If you wish to comment or delegate on the DiPaola motion send to the Regional Clerk's Office at regional.clerk@york.ca by 12 p.m. on February 10, 2021.