Sarnia's new official plan is hoped to be the primary tool for implementing long-range provincial, county and city-wide land use policies.
Mayor Mike Bradley said the nearly 130 page draft is being presented to council on Monday.
"Council has brought forward a number of very significant strategic plans for the community, including the recently released waterfront one, we've been dealing with recreational issues in long term planning, we have an official plan document which will be up for more public discussion in March."
Bradley said they're trying to strategically plan for a successful city.
"The way you do that is you organize your tax dollars and your growth in a manner that is going to be best for the taxpayers and for the growth of the community."
Bradley hopes the public will pay attention and know this is about their future, their kids future, and having a city that's successful because it's planned properly.
"While it's predicted in the growth study that we're going to have 12,000 new residents in the years ahead, we have to also make sure that we plan the city properly in the sense of urban sprawl. Places like Mississauga and Brampton have now reversed themselves. Ottawa has discovered that residential sprawl doesn't help them on a tax basis. So, there's some very complicated long term issues here."
Bradley said just because someone buys a piece of property that's outside the growth area, doesn't mean it should be in the growth area.
"The city has been very disciplined. We have a growth area that is there. We have boundaries on that. The growth management report is recommending that not change and we have a responsibility. One of the things that I have been very proud of over the years, since the amalgamation in 1991, is that we have protected farmland."
Bradley understands protecting farmland can be contentious.
"There's huge servicing issues there. There's also the issue of intensification. If you look at any modern city around the world, they're trying to intensify within their present boundaries and grow up in the sense of development. I think you're going to see a lot of change in residential development in the years ahead."
Bradley said it's council's job to listen to groups with special interests and decide if it's good or not for the city.
"A lot of this is being pushed by the province, that there should be more intensification. There should be more mixtures of homes in residential neighbourhoods, not the traditional stuff that we were used to in the 60s and 70s. So there's some big changes coming and the responsibility of Sarnia council this year, with this plan, is to ensure that they are disciplined changes, that they are strategic changes, and that's how you build a successful city."
Council is being asked to receive the draft and direct staff to host a public open house on the draft Monday, March 7 and a public meeting on Monday, March 21.
The draft can be viewed here.
