Various Provincial policies and legislation require the City to plan for and protect employment areas. The Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statement, and the Places to Grow Growth Plan all provide very similar definitions for an "employment area". The Growth Plan defines employment areas as: "Areas designated in an official plan for clusters of business and economic activities including, but not limited to, manufacturing, warehousing, offices, and associated retail and ancillary facilities." New employment areas policies and zoning need to will conform to all Provincial directions.
All the employment areas in the City are separated into two categories:
Older Industrial Areas:
- Bayfront Employment Area
- Dundas Employment Area
- East Hamilton Employment Area
- A few sites on Glen Road/Tope Crescent
Business Parks:
- Airport Business Park
- Ancaster Business Park
- Hamilton Mountain Business Park
- Flamborough Business Park
- North Glanbrook Business Park
- Stoney Creek Business Park
- West Hamilton Innovation District (planned new Business Park)
The proposed Official Plan policies and zones implement the findings of the City's Comprehensive Employment Study, staff's Comprehensive Review/ Conversion Analysis for Employment Lands, and the City's draft Urban Structure Plan for the new Official Plan. The policies and zones are consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement and conform to the Province's Places to Grow Growth Plan.
Approach to Planning for Employment Lands
Report PED08146 (see "Resources" below) provides new draft Official Plan policies and zones for employment areas, excluding the Airport Business Park. A new Official Plan designation was developed for the City's older industrial areas, which is the "Employment Area – Industrial Land" designation. The proposed policies for this designation permit a broad range of employment uses, including heavy industrial uses. This designation is implemented by two new zones, including the "General Industrial (M5)" Zone to be applied on the interior of these older industrial areas, and the "Light Industrial (M6)" Zone to be applied as a transitional zone between heavier industrial uses and designated sensitive land uses.
For the City's business parks, a new Official Plan designation, "Employment Area – Business Park" was developed with related policies. This designation permits a broad range of employment uses with policies designed to enhance the image of the parks and the City. This designation is implemented by five zones, including:
- "Research and Development (M1)" Zone for the West Hamilton Innovation District (approved by Council in 2006 and partially under appeal);
- "General Business Park (M2)" Zone to apply to the interior of the parks;
- "Prestige Business Park (M3)" Zone to apply along the edges of the parks;
- "Business Park Support (M4)" Zone permitting supporting uses at locations on arterial streets and/or collector streets into the parks; and,
- "Modified Light Industrial (M6)" Zone applied as a transitional zone in certain locations (i.e. North Glanbrook Business Park) between heavier industrial uses and designated sensitive land uses.
The proposed policies among other matters, protect designated sensitive land uses, support eco-development standards at all locations, and require a higher calibre of design at certain locations to enhance the image of employment areas and the City in general.
Resources:
Private Waste Disposal Sites Study
Jacques Whitford Limited has been retained by Planning staff to complete a planning study on private waste disposal sites. The consultant will be presenting its findings to the Economic Development & Planning Committee in the fall of 2008, after informal public consultation. Depending on the study's findings, staff may recommend that all the Official Plans and Zoning By-laws be amended to implement the Study's recommendations, rather than wait until completion of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Reform programs in 2009. To review information panels and additional background information, visit the Public Consultation Page.