Town Council Approves Midtown Official Plan Amendment (OPA)
- amandajholden
- Feb 19
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Major Win: Town Council Approves Midtown Official Plan Amendment (OPA)
On February 18, Oakville’s Town Council unanimously approved a new Official Plan Amendment (OPA) for Midtown Oakville, a 103-hectare area surrounding the Oakville GO station. This OPA lays the foundation for a high-density yet livable community, streamlines development approvals through a forthcoming Community Permit Planning System, and provides for a transparent exchange of density for community benefits.
The OPA has now been sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for final review and approval. While we await their decision, the Town will continue public consultation on how to implement the new policies, including the development of a Community Planning Permit By-law.
Why We Love Oakville Supports the OPA, Not The TOC
Infrastructure Ontario’s TOC proposal, released on November 14, 2024, seeks to jam 11 high-rise towers (44 to 58 stories) onto just 5 hectares of land, creating an unacceptable dense, poorly planned development with little to no community benefits.
The Town’s planning department conducted an in-depth analysis of the proposed TOC and concluded that:
“Overall, the TOC proposal appears as a private development proposal with very little to no community benefit for either the Town or the Province.”
The new OPA, on the other hand, focuses on building a livable community not people warehouses. In addition, the new OPA complies with both provincial growth requirements and Ontario’s Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) goals, providing a unique opportunity for the province to integrate the TOC with the Town’s OPA and terminate Infrastructure Ontario’s flawed TOC proposal. This would avoid the duplication, redundancy, and the unnecessary costs imposed by the ill-conceived TOC Proposal, while ensuring that planning decisions stay in Oakville, not Queen’s Park.
That’s why WLO has consistently opposed the TOC proposal through public meetings, formal submissions to government officials, and in an open letter to Oakville’s elected representatives.
