Whitby Official Plan, West Whitby Secondary Plan, Whitby Intensification Strategy

As part of the Town of Whitby’s Official Plan Review, pA and Meridian Planning Consultants were retained to develop both a comprehensive secondary plan for West Whitby and a detailed Intensification Strategy for the built up area of the Town. This exercise not only aided the Town in completing their Growth Plan conformity exercise for the Province, but provided a comprehensive vision for how growth in Whitby should occur well into the future. Importantly, in preparing both the West Whitby Secondary Plan and the Whitby Intensification Strategy, pA ensured that the principles of environmental, social and fiscal sustainability were incorporated throughout.

The West Whitby Secondary Plan involved the creation of a compelling vision for a 1,500 hectare greenfield area that will accommodate much of the Town’s future growth. The planning for West Whitby included consideration of a major highway (the link between the 401 and 407) and a major expansion of Whitby’s employment lands, as well as residential growth. pA prepared a comprehensive Secondary Plan, which will shape West Whitby’s future evolution into a complete community with a mix of densities and uses. In doing so, pA was guided by the vision of a new type of neighbourhood built around centres and corridors that will allow all residents to have easy access to all needed amenities. The resulting neighbourhood has been designed to evolve as a safe, environmentally friendly community where residents can both live and work, and to encourage intensification in appropriate areas over time.

In 2009, planningAlliance was retained by the Town of Whitby to undertake the first-ever intensification study for the Town’s urban area. pA led a multi-disciplinary team to explore the transportation, water and wastewater servicing, and market demand constraints and opportunities for intensification in the Town. A series of public meetings and charrettes were held to explore public preferences for built form and density. pA then used 2D and 3D modelling to explore intensification options for the Town, and to develop a preferred intensification scenario that balances urban design considerations with the realities of infrastructure servicing, market demand and public preferences. The Whitby Intensification Strategy charts out a clear path that could allow the Town to accommodate more than 50% of its future growth through infill and intensification of its already urbanized area, while at the same time improving quality of life and liveability in existing neighbourhoods, and providing for a more pedestrian-focussed and transit-supportive urban structure. The strategy was the basis for an amendment to the Town of Whitby Official Plan that identifies intensification areas and establishes a clear policy context for future intensification in the town.