Planning for the Future

Council decided to establish a minimum average density target of 47 units per net hectare for the Strategic Growth Areas. At the same time, Council also decided to seek 195 gross developable hectares through the municipal restructuring process (i.e. annexation) to expand Orillia’s municipal boundary to accommodate growth to the year 2051 and beyond.

View the staff report presented at the Feb. 4 meeting.

Council endorsed in principle the 31 policy directions outlined in the Stage 2 Policy Directions Report for the Official Plan Review and Update. 

View the Directions Report and watch the overview video for more details.

The consultant will now embark on Stage 3 of the Official Plan Review process by beginning to write a first draft of the new Official Plan. 

Why is a Boundary Expansion Needed?

1. The City has only enough land to accommodate growth until the 2030s, but Provincial policy requires municipalities to plan for a minimum of a 20-year  growth horizon.
2. Orillia must accommodate 7,330 new housing units by 2051. Council will decide whether this growth can occur within the existing municipal boundaries or if additional land is required.
3. In addition to housing units, the City will require additional land for employment and community uses. This land cannot be accommodated within Orillia’s current boundary.
4. The City has identified 356 hectares in the Townships of Severn and Oro-Medonte as potential areas for a future boundary expansion.

• April 2022: Council directed an update to the Land Needs Assessment to explore higher intensification and density targets for residential development.
• Spring 2022 to Spring 2023: Technical evaluations identified suitable lands for potential boundary expansion and developed a range of density target options.
• June 2023: A Public Open House gathered feedback on density targets and boundary expansion needs.

View the presentation | Summary of public comments

• February 2025: Council decision on amount of intensification for residential housing versus the amount of additional land to be sought for a municipal boundary expansion.

At the Special Meeting of Council on February 4^th, 2025, Council established a minimum average density target of 47 units per net hectare. At the same time, Council also decided to seek 195 gross developable hectares through the municipal restructuring process (i.e. annexation) to expand Orillia’s municipal boundary to accommodate growth to the year 2051 and beyond.

This concludes Phase 2 of the Technical Land Evaluation process and the consultant will embark on Phase 3. 

Phase 3:

Phase 3 will finalize the growth option and draft Settlement Area Boundary Expansion lands for Council’s consideration. Supporting reports and justifications will be prepared to inform a recommended boundary expansion for approval by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing through the annexation process. Any approved expansion lands will be incorporated into the City’s Official Plan through an Official Plan Amendment.

* Please click here to view a larger image of the Official Plan and Boundary Review Timelines.

A Settlement Area Boundary defines the limits of an urban area where growth is concentrated. If a municipality does not have enough land to meet its 20- to 30-year growth forecasts, a boundary expansion may be required.

For Orillia, the existing municipal boundaries do not have enough land to accommodate the growth forecast to 2051, requiring an expansion. The Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, mandates that technical studies accompany any request for a boundary expansion, including assessments of agriculture, natural heritage, servicing, and more.

The City has undertaken a series of technical studies to guide decisions on the Boundary Expansion process and ensure compliance with the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024. These studies inform the City’s long-term growth strategy and the preparation of the new Official Plan.

1. Technical Land Evaluation (WSP Canada Inc.)

• Identifies the most suitable areas for a future boundary expansion to meet growth needs over the next 30 years.
• Includes detailed technical reports:
  • Technical Evaluation for Settlement Area Boundary Expansion Summary Report
  • Agricultural Impact Assessment Report
  • Community Connectivity Report
  • Fire and Emergency Services Assessment Report
  • Municipal Servicing Report
  • Natural Heritage Report
  • Water Resources Report

Outcome: View the Proposed Settlement Area Boundary Expansion Map

1. Updated Land Needs Assessment (Hemson Consulting Ltd.)

• Evaluates how different minimum density targets impact the size of the boundary expansion required.

Outcome: View the Revised Land Needs Assessment Report.

Land Needs Assessment - March 22, 2021 Agenda (see page 101)

First Council Presentation on the Technical Evaluation for Settlement Boundary Expansion - October 22, 2021 Special Council Meeting

• Agenda (see page 67)
• Video

Kick-off Virtual Public Open House Presentation of Technical Evaluation for Settlement Area Boundary Expansion - December 1, 2021

• Video
• Questions and Answers - Responses to Questions submitted during the Open House

Council Information Package - Feb. 18, 2022 - Refined Focus Study Area

Council Committee Report - April 11, 2022 - Update on the Technical Land Evaluation Project (see page 295 - Council selected Option 2).

News Release - April 27, 2022 - Orillia to explore higher intensification for residential development

Council Information Package - December 16, 2022 - Update

Link to Video Recording of June 20, 2023 Open House

Link to Presentation of June 20, 2023 Open House 

Summary of Written Comments received from the June 20, 2023 Public Open House

Second Council Presentation on Technical Evaluation for Settlement Boundary Expansion – February 4, 2025 Special Council Meeting

• Agenda
• Addendum
• Video

The Official Plan is a strategic planning document that establishes a policy framework to guide the economic, cultural, sustainable, connected, and physical development of the city. It is a document that:

• Implements goals, objectives, and land use policies to serve the City;
• Directs density, housing supply, protection of environmental features, cultural heritage preservation and more; and,
• Guides growth and development to implement the vision for the City’s long-term evolution. 

Land use planning is the management of land and resources, and in Ontario it is a shared responsibility between the Province and single-tier municipalities like the City of Orillia.

The Province sets the vision and framework for land use planning in Ontario through legislation and policy documents such as the Planning Act, the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 and the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. The City will engage with community members to implement the applicable planning policy documents and provide detailed planning direction for the City through the Official Plan. 

Why is the City updating the Official Plan?

The City is updating its Official Plan to meet Provincial requirements and guide Orillia’s growth over the next 26 years. The updated plan will include innovative and proactive policies to address evolving demographics, manage growth, and tackle key issues such as housing, employment, and the protection of community values.

The City Moves Report, which contains the proposed Vision Statement and Made-in Orillia Guiding Principles, will form the basis of the City’s new Official Plan. This report was endorsed in principle by Council at its meeting held on March 4, 2024.

City Moves Report - January 2024

Council Presentation of City Moves Report - March 4, 2024

In 2024, the City released draft Issues and Options Reports for public feedback. These reports focused on key policy areas, including:

• Nurturing Neighbourhoods
• Growing Up
• Housing
• Natural Heritage System
• Climate Change

A draft Land Use Schedule was also shared for review. The public comment period has now closed, with:

• 10 written submissions received.
• 297 survey responses collected.

View the Summary of Written Comments and Survey Results.

Stage 2: Policy Directions Report

The feedback from the Issues and Options Reports informed the development of the Draft Directions Report, which outlines 31 policy initiatives for the new Official Plan. Key initiatives include:

• Housing and Growth:
• Incrementally increase permitted heights in Strategic Growth Areas to a maximum of 12 storeys with strengthened urban design policies (Direction 4).
• Permit apartments and stacked townhouses up to 4 storeys on Collector and Arterial Roads (Direction 9).
• Prioritize surplus publicly owned land for affordable housing (Direction 11).

• Climate Change and Sustainability:
• Plan for climate-resilient infrastructure (Direction 26).
• Protect and enhance the tree canopy (Direction 24).
• Encourage sustainable building practices (Direction 25).

• Transportation and Mobility:
• Improve active transportation opportunities (Direction 19).
• Future-proof for transit (Direction 20).

• Natural Heritage and Environment:
• Create a Natural Heritage System schedule (Direction 29).
• Prescribe minimum buffer widths for natural features (Direction 30).

View the full Policy Directions Report

Stage 3: Development of the First Draft of the Official Plan

Stage 3 involves the preparation of the Draft Official Plan for community consultation, building on the work completed in Stages 1 and 2, to present an innovative and contemporary Official Plan for Orillia. 

Stage 4: Statutory Consultation and Finalization of the Official Plan

The final stage, Stage 4, involves revisions to the Draft Official Plan based on input from the community and stakeholders, prior to bringing the new Official Plan forward for City Council adoption.

Timeline and Current Status

At the Feb. 4, 2025, Special Meeting of Council, Council endorsed key policy directions which will inform the writing of the new Official Plan. Topics include:

• Housing growth and intensification targets.
• Maximum building heights.
• Natural heritage protections and buffer widths.
• Climate change planning and sustainable infrastructure.
• Strengthening the local food supply chain.

The consultant is currently preparing a first draft of the new Official Plan for the community’s review and comment. 

It is expected that the Official Plan Review will be completed for Council’s consideration in 2026. Once the new Official Plan has been adopted by Council, then the Province needs to review and approve the City’s new Official Plan before it will come into effect.

When will Council decide about expanding Orillia’s boundary?

Council is meeting to deliberate on intensification targets and potential boundary expansion lands at a special meeting on Feb. 4, 2025. This will determine the amount of land required for growth and guide the next steps in the process.

When will we know how much land Orillia needs?

The City has identified up to 356.1 hectares of land that may be required for growth over the next 30 years. At a minimum, Orillia will require an additional 113 hectares of expansion land to accommodate future employment, recreation, and school growth needs.  However, the exact amount won’t be finalized until Phase 3 of the Technical Land Evaluation is complete and Council provides direction in 2025.

The City of Orillia boundary expansion process was held in abeyance until the Province of Ontario issued its new Provincial Planning Statement, which came into effect on October 20, 2024. On the same date, the Province’s A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe was revoked.

This provincial policy change now requires the City to plan for minimum density targets within the existing built-up areas of the City, removing the requirement to plan for a minimum of 50% of annual building permits to be issued from the existing built-up area. Council will decide what minimum density target to establish which will, in turn, determine the amount of additional land required for the Settlement Area Boundary Expansion. Council’s decision on the minimum density target will determine the amount of building height to allow in Orillia.

All planning decisions in Orillia must be consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement, which requires the City of have enough land to accommodate growth for the next 20-to-30 years.

Council will decide on how much intensification and density the City should pursue within its current boundaries over the next 26 years. This decision will directly affect the amount of land required for a boundary expansion. Options being considered include expanding into the Townships of Oro-Medonte and Severn.

The City is not considering expansion into the Township of Ramara due to the limited availability of large, undeveloped land tracts and the logistical challenges of extending services across the Atherley Narrows Bridge.

Beyond housing requirements, over the next 26 years, the City must plan for:

• Employment lands: 49 hectares to accommodate 805 new jobs that cannot fit within the City’s current boundary.
• Community lands:
• 35 hectares for recreation facilities.
• 29 hectares for schools.

At a minimum Orillia will require an additional 113 hectares to meet these land needs. This cannot be accommodated within the current municipal boundaries and would need to be located on expansion lands.  

The City needs vacant, undeveloped land to accommodate at a minimum 113.1 hectares of land for new school sites, recreation facilities, and employment lands. These types of land uses are difficult to accommodate on existing developed, underutilized sites given the size and design requirements as well as needing to keep employment uses separated from more sensitive land uses to not negatively impact residents from noise and odour from employment operations.

 In the ranges of intensification, what do the different built forms look like? 

At a 50% intensification rate, a range of housing can be built, which is the type of development we currently see happening in Orillia: single-family homes, semi-detached homes, townhouses and apartments.

At a 55% intensification rate, housing would be limited to townhouses and apartments only.

At a 60% intensification rate, housing would be limited to low, medium and high-rise apartments only.

At 65% and 69% intensification rates, housing would be limited to only medium- and high-rise apartments.

At a 65% intensification rate, the following is an example of the built form:

At a 69% intensification rate, the following is example of built form:

At a 69% intensification rate, the following is example of built form:

Where would new structures be built within the existing boundary?

To achieve the intensification rate that Council establishes, new housing would be focused in the City’s downtown and intensification areas. The City will continue to have stable neighbourhoods, which limit the degree of change and restrict the heights of new housing occurring in the neighbourhood. With the writing of the new Official Plan, the City will need to identify new intensification areas, which will be the focus of new growth and development.  

The City will not allow development to occur on land that has natural heritage features and areas that are evaluated to be ecologically significant. The proposed lands required for potential future growth also identify areas of land that cannot be developed on because of the ecological significance.

The annexation process follows Provincial regulations and includes:

1. Negotiating agreements with affected municipalities.
2. Hosting joint public meetings.
3. Securing majority support from the County of Simcoe, Orillia City Council, and Township Councils.

If local agreements cannot be reached, the Province may legislate the annexation.

How does this process affect residents of surrounding townships?

Both the Township of Severn and the Township of Oro-Medonte provided formal comments following the June 2023 Public Open House. Since 2021, discussions with the CAO, Director of Planning, and Mayor at both municipalities have been ongoing throughout this process. Once a decision is made from City of Orillia on the minimum density target to accommodate residential growth over the next 26 years, Phase 3 of the Technical Land Evaluation process will begin whereby a map identifying the best lands from a planning perspective for a future Settlement Area Boundary Expansion will be identified together with a Planning Justification Report. Another Public Open House will be held to consult with the public on the final boundary expansion map and meetings with the CAO, Director of Planning and Mayor of the affected Townships will be held.

Importantly, as the next steps occur, the areas being considered for a future boundary expansion will only shrink, rather than cover a more expansive area. For the future extension of municipal services and for community connectivity, the City will only be looking at lands adjacent to Orillia’s current municipal boundary.

At this stage, no specific lands have been selected for expansion. Residents in Severn and Oro-Medonte may be impacted if their lands are identified for annexation. More consultation will occur as the process advances.

If the City embarks on an annexation process, negotiations would be held with the affected municipalities and implications to affected residents with respect to taxes and services would be addressed at that time.

How does this process affect Orillia residents?

Orillia residents may see changes in housing density, building heights, and the overall scale of new developments within the City. These decisions aim to accommodate 7,330 new housing units while balancing community needs and maintaining the City’s character.

There are no formal appeal rights under the Municipal Act or Planning Act for decisions related to a settlement area boundary expansion. However, public feedback is a key part of the planning process.

How is the Technical Land Evaluation process different from annexation?

The Technical Land Evaluation is a planning process that identifies the best lands for a potential future boundary expansion based on criteria outlined in the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, including:

• Adequate servicing capacity.
• Avoiding and minimizing impacts on prime agricultural areas.

The City’s consultant, WSP, is conducting this analysis. Once complete, a Planning Justification Report will recommend the most suitable lands for a potential expansion.

If Council approves a boundary expansion, the City must then begin the annexation process, which is regulated by the Ontario Municipal Act. This involves:

1. Negotiating agreements with affected municipalities.
2. Holding joint public meetings.
3. Securing majority support from the County of Simcoe, Orillia City Council, and Township Councils.

If local agreement cannot be reached, the Province can legislate the annexation. Annexation discussions will address key issues such as taxes, compensation for affected municipalities, and service impacts.

How has feedback from community members been used in this process?

A Public Open House was held in June 2023 to assist Council in making a future decision regarding the different options for accommodating residential growth. From this Open House, comments were received from the community. A summary of these written comments will be provided to Council to assist with their decision and next steps.

Input will also be considered by the City’s consultant (WSP) as work is undertaken to revise the proposed Settlement Area Boundary Expansion following Council’s direction regarding the establishment of a minimum density target to accommodate residential growth within the City’s existing municipal boundaries.

The City of Orillia’s Boundary Review process is separate from the City of Barrie’s boundary review. However, the City of Orillia is having conversations with overlapping surrounding municipalities, such as the Township of Oro-Medonte.

The Official Plan is a strategic planning document that establishes a policy framework to guide the economic, cultural, sustainable, connected, and physical development of the city. It is a document that:

Implements goals, objectives, and land use policies to serve the City;

Directs density, housing supply, protection of environmental features, cultural heritage preservation and more; and,

Guides growth and development to implement the vision for the City’s long-term evolution.

It is time to update the City’s Official Plan through the Official Plan Review to better meet the needs of current and future citizens, workers, and visitors, and guide the city's growth for the next 26 years. The City is required by Provincial legislation to review and update its Official Plan.

The updated Official Plan will establish innovative, proactive, and contemporary policies to reflect the changing characteristics and demographics, manage growth and development over the next 26 years and review important matters such as housing, employment, and protect what our residents value most. 

Land use planning is the management of land and resources, and in Ontario it is a shared responsibility between the Province and single-tier municipalities like the City of Orillia.

The Province sets the vision and framework for land use planning in Ontario through legislation and policy documents such as the Planning Act, the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 and the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. The City will engage with community members to implement the applicable planning policy documents and provide detailed planning direction for the City through the Official Plan. 

The City has flexibility to tailor the Official Plan to meet the needs of current and future residents, businesses and other stakeholders, and incorporate community feedback where appropriate.

Join the conversation! Your feedback, opinions and thoughts matter and will be recorded throughout the Project.

The City is committed to reporting back on what was heard from the community on a regular basis. Feedback summaries will be released after each stage of the Official Plan Review. These summaries will explain how the feedback influenced the work completed to date.

Join the conversation! There is an opportunity to subscribe to our project mailing list to stay informed on the Official Plan Review and be the first to hear about opportunities to get involved.