Northward Bound - Shaping Oakville Development Plans

With great schools, safe neighbourhoods, diverse economic opportunities and a great standard of living, it is not surprising that Oakville's population is expected to grow approximately 40% in the next 15 years. The challenge for the Town of Oakville is to control the growth in a manner that maintains or increases Oakville's desirability. The recently approved North Oakville Secondary Plan was designed to do just this.

"North Oakville" is the largest (and one of the few remaining) undeveloped stretches of land in Oakville. It is bordered by the area North of Dundas Street, South of Hwy 407 West of Ninth Line and East of Sixteen Mile Creek. It is the largest development plan currently underway in the Province of Ontario.

After more than 5 years of planning, the Town of Oakville approved the North Oakville Secondary Plan in January 2008. Highlighted below are some key facts on the area:

• The area will contain 1500 acres of green space which will create North Oakville's natural heritage system. To put it in perspective, North Oakville's green space will be more than twice the size of Manhattan's Central park and is larger in scale than Vancouver's Stanley Park. The community's goal is to be the cornerstone of the most environmentally sensitive new community in North America.
• Trafalgar Road just North of Dundas Street will be developed as a trendy uptown development with restaurants, shops and boutiques similar in style to Oakville's downtown Lakeshore Road area.
• Development is planned to encourage pedestrian traffic and provide easy access to public transportation. North East Oakville will be comprised of 14 unique neighbourhoods, each with a broad range of housing opportunities ranging from executive housing on large lots to high rise apartment and condominium buildings. An extensive walking trail will link the different neighbourhoods together.
• Area is targeted to attract approximately 50,000 new residents and 25,000 new jobs over the development span of 15+ years. A business park located along Highway 407 will contain prestige office space.
• "North Park", a state of the art sports park including an arena, soccer fields, cricket pitch, leash free dog zone, skateboard facility, splash pad, playground and other park amenities began construction this summer. It will be located just west of Neyagawa Blvd, North of Dundas Street. Phase 2, scheduled for development in 2015 will include a community centre and library centre. Phase 3, scheduled for development in 2018 will include outdoor sports fields.
• Planning for a new state of the art Hospital at 3^rd Line and Dundas Road is well underway. Construction is anticipated to commence in 2010; occupancy is expected in 2013. A Master Plan is currently in development to confirm hospital size and services however it is expected to take into account future needs and population growth.
• Mattamy Homes is the area's largest land owner. It is anticipated that the first new homes will be available in 2011/2012. Construction in the area is expected to commence in the next couple of years.
• North Oakville East has been divided into two areas that will be known as "Joshua's Meadows" and "Glenorchy". A Plan for North Oakville West is currently under review by the Town of Oakville. This area will be known as "16 Hollow" and "407 West".

Everything that I have read and heard suggests that protecting Oakville's spirit and sense of community is at the very heart of North Oakville's development plans. I am comforted knowing that the Town of Oakville recognized the need to take their time to develop a plan that will benefit existing residents and attract new ones to the area. It is one of the many reasons I love practicing real estate in the area. For more information on the North Oakville Secondary Plan, visit the Town of Oakville's website at www.oakville.ca or clink on this link for direct access to the plan http://www.oakville.ca/Media_Files/planning08/Final_approved_North_Oakville_East_Secondary_Plan.pdf.

As always, I encourage your feedback. To leave your opinion or ask a question about North Oakville or other real estate opportunities, please contact me at lindsay@remaxaboutowne.com or 905.338.9000.