Official Plan Review

Listening and Learning (June-November 2019)

The initial stage of the new Official Plan project focused on listening to ideas about planning issues, opportunities and challenges in Milton, as well as spreading the word about the We Make Milton project to generate awareness.

This stage is complete but we continue to listen and learn about your ideas, concerns and values.

Key Milestones

• Official Plan Launch
• Online Engagement & Crowdsourcing
• Staff Engagement
• Technical Advisory Committee Meeting #1
• Community Pop-up Events and Presentations
• Special Meeting of Council (June 2019)

Visioning and Guiding Principles (December 2019-February 2021)

The second stage of the project established a new land use planning vision statement and guiding principles for future planning and development based on extensive community engagement. It also documented background information and issues on key planning themes. These will be important building blocks for drafting a new Official Plan.

Our Vision Statement is:

Milton 2051: Choice Shapes Us

In 2051, Milton offers a diversity of options for how and where we live, work, move, and grow. As we evolve, choice is what shapes us.

Milton’s new Official Plan will be supported by a set of Guiding Principles that identify specific directions for enhancing the community’s core values and priorities:

1. Be Creative and Provide Choice.

2. Mix Uses.

3. Move Efficiently and Safely.

4. Diversify and Prosper.

5. Prioritize the Public Realm.

6. Support Arts, Culture, and Recreation.

7. Make Connections

8. Protect our Environment.

9. Support the Rural Area.

10. Encourage Good, Green Design.

11. Collaborate.

12. Think Local.

Key Milestones

• We Make Milton Visioning Night
• Online Engagement on Proposed Vision
• Virtual Open House
• Council Endorses Vision Statement (Feb. 2021)

Big Questions (February 2021-November 2023)

Beginning in March 2021, the third stage of the Official Plan review identified and answered big questions about how to manage change to the year 2051. This work resulted in a set of recommended policy directions based on research and community input. The ‘Big Questions’ were grouped into four themes: Living, Growing, Working, and Moving in Milton.

Living in Milton 

The focus of ‘Living in Milton’ is on land use planning matters related to our day-to-day lives in Milton including where we live, socialize, play, and worship. This is about how residents meet their daily needs, while going beyond the day-to-day to explore quality of life, sense of community, social interaction and ecological footprint.

• Introduction to Phase 3: Living in Milton
• Living in Milton: Background and Information Report
• Living in Milton: Big Questions Report
• Council Report - Living in Milton 

Moving in Milton

The focus of ‘Moving in Milton’ is about how people and goods move around in Milton. The moving theme looks at how our new Official Plan will implement key transportation related directions as identified by various Town documents, including the 2019 Milton Transportation Master Plan, and its anticipated 2023 update. It also explores how the Official Plan can face local challenges while supporting opportunities for moving in Milton, including traffic congestion, transit ridership, infrastructure gaps, sustainability, and traffic safety, for example.

• Moving in Milton: Background and Information Report
• Moving in Milton: Big Questions Report
• Council Report - Moving in Milton
  

Working in Milton

The focus of ‘Working in Milton’ is anything related to economic development and job growth. Do you work here or do you commute? Where would you ideally like to work? How can we support new education and training opportunities? How can we diversify and prosper in 2051? This discussion focuses on land use planning matters related to how we work in Milton, how employment needs will be met, and how our new Official Plan can support high quality employment for Miltonians while addressing current and future planning challenges, such as changing local and regional dynamics.

• Working in Milton: Background and Information Report
• Working in Milton: Big Questions Report
• Council Report - Working in Milton

Growing in Milton

The focus of ‘Growing in Milton’ is about where Milton’s future growth will happen and what it will look like. Milton has grown very quickly in the past few decades. Where will future growth happen and what will it look like? As we continue to grow, how can we ensure the protection of resources? In addition, how can we create more complete communities? In the context of our new planning vision, it is anticipated that population growth and changes in demographics will bring a need for more job opportunities, infrastructure, housing and services in different locations and forms.

• Growing in Milton: Background and Information Report
• Growing in Milton: Big Questions Report
• Council Report - Growing in Milton

Drafting and Discussion (Current stage)

Stage 4 of We Make Milton involves preparing and consulting on the first draft of the new Official Plan. Draft policies have been developed based on the research, community input and recommendations collected in Stage 3. 

• Council Report - We Make Milton Official Plan Review – Draft Official Plan Part One
• Draft Official Plan – Part One
• Residential and Non-Residential Needs Analysis Study

The Town of Milton invites residents and interested parties to learn about and provide input on the draft new Official Plan, which will shape the future of our town.

The Town held engagement sessions on the draft new Official Plan on Aug. 22 and Sept. 12, 2024.

A statutory public meeting was held on Dec. 9, 2024, for a municipally initiated Official Plan amendment updating the Town’s Official Plan for all lands located within the Town of Milton.

On Monday March 17, 2025, Town Council approved Official Plan Amendment 92.  This amendment will implement the first set of changes that have been proposed through the We Make Milton Official Plan review. The amendment must now be reviewed and approved by the province.

New Official Plan (Future stage)

In stage 5, staff will present a new Official Plan that has been refined from the first draft.  The new Official Plan will be presented in two parts:

• Part 1 will provide the overall structure and overarching official policy vision, goals and directions.
• Part 2 will provide detailed policy directions.

We will hold a statutory public meeting for Part 1 and Part 2, so that Council can consider and officially approve each part of the new Official Plan.

When approved, the new Official Plan will guide land-use decisions on how to manage change so that future development will meet the specific needs of the Milton community.