Council received an updated Growth Management Strategy presentation from Kawartha Lakes’ Manager of Planning, Leah Barrie and Jamie Cook of Watson and Associates Economists Ltd. The purpose of the Growth Management Strategy is to provide a long-term assessment of future growth and associated urban land needs as well as the development of a Growth Management Strategy to inform the completion of the City’s Municipal Comprehensive Review and support the City’s official plan update. The City is currently in the Technical Phase of the project which is set for completion in June 2023. Once that is complete, the Strategic Phase of the project will start, with the goal for it to be completed and presented to Council in December 2023.

Consultation with all stakeholders has been a focus during the Technical Phase of the project. Insights from public consultation identified the following:

1. Public showed interest in wanting to know more about the GMS process
2. Concerns were raised in topic areas such as traffic/congestion, infrastructure, current levels of service, and housing affordability.
3. Stakeholders want to know how GMS relates to other municipal initiatives, such as the Active Transportation Master Plan.

Lastly, preliminary findings were presented, including the following minimum key growth forecasts for the next 30 years (2021-2051):

1. more than 35,800 increase in population
2. more than 16,000 new jobs
3. more than 16,200 new housing units (ranging low, medium, and high density)
4. initial analysis shows that Kawartha Lakes has sufficient supply of residential land to accommodate the 15-year forecasted housing demand

View the Growth Management Strategy Presentation, visit our website for the meeting agenda and minutes, or check out the recording on our YouTube Channel.