Wellington North Growth Management Action Plan Executive Summary
Introduction
In December 2023, the Township of Wellington North retained Watson & Associates Economists Ltd., in association with WSP Canada Inc. to prepare a Township of Wellington North Growth Management Action Plan. The Consultant Team comprises a multi-disciplinary team working together to provide a study that addresses and integrates a wide range of considerations in planning for growth and development within Wellington North, including the long-term population and employment trends, urban land needs, hard and soft infrastructure requirements, financial impacts of development on the Township, and strategic planning policy direction.
Growth management is a set of techniques to strategically plan the when and where of growth, considering both current and anticipated urban needs. The goal is to advance sustainable growth patterns by optimizing the utilization of land, resources, and infrastructure, while also managing other key priorities. Additional priorities often encompass building complete communities, addressing climate resiliency, preserving the character of communities, and safeguarding natural heritage.
The Township of Wellington North Growth Management Action Plan will be designed to serve as a guiding document that broadly addresses the future impacts of growth related to municipal service delivery, infrastructure requirements, urban land needs and land use planning policy, economic development, and financial sustainability as the Township evolves.
Key objectives of the Growth Management Action Plan include the following:
- Develop a long-term vision for growth and development for the Township to guide local growth management decision-making;
- Describe the type of growth the community wants and where that growth should occur;
- Implement the County’s growth forecasts and policy directions through a local lens;
- Prepare a high-level assessment of the growth impacts from a services/ infrastructure perspective; and
Suggested areas where the Township may need to explore further review and study.
A key difference between the previous growth management study, the Township of Wellington North Growth Plan, 2018, and this study is that this analysis will not conduct and evaluate growth scenarios for the Township’s Urban Centres. This study, the Growth Management Action Plan, will instead focus on building upon the County’s growth management work, developing a local vision for growth, and providing direction on local implementation. Through engagement with public stakeholders, this study will identify a series of preferred growth principles and priorities for the Township.