Kincardine council has an update on Bruce County’s stance regarding the municipality’s urban settlement boundaries, and it appears the County isn’t ready to support expansion in Kincardine just yet.
County planning staff are holding firm on their recommendation to exclude two areas — north of the Northline Extension and east of Highway 9 and Highway 21 — from being added to the urban settlement boundary.
The proposed Official Plan mapping changes would result in a net increase of 9.8 hectares for the overall Municipality of Kincardine. That includes a 29.8-hectare increase in lands surrounding Tiverton and a 20-hectare decrease around Kincardine itself.
According to the County’s land needs analysis, there is currently a surplus of residential land in both Kincardine and Tiverton. However, more employment lands may be needed in the future, depending on growth rates and how existing industrial areas are used.
Municipal staff say it’s important for Kincardine to ensure that employment lands are preserved for job creation, warning that if residential development continues faster than expected, more greenfield lands could be required later through a future boundary expansion.
The County of Bruce is in the process of preparing a new Official Plan to guide growth and development through 2046. The final recommendations on Kincardine’s boundary adjustments are expected to go to County Council later this fall.
