More suburban sprawl, underused public transit and worsening gridlock — that’s what some planning experts are warning will be the result of the provincial government’s proposed changes to the regional growth plan.The Ontario Progressive Conservative government introduced amendments to the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan on Tuesday, arguing the revisions would reduce red tape and make it easier to build quickly next to transit stops, a goal seen as key to boosting transit use and reducing gridlock in the region. The document is intended govern development in the rapidly growing part of southern Ontario that is expected to absorb 85 per cent of the province’s population increase over the next 20 years, reaching 13.5 million residents by 2041. “Local communities need more flexibility over how and where they grow, but they still have to plan for it. We will work with municipalities to make the most of our major transit investments by encouraging development, such as housing, nearby,” said Julie O’Driscoll, director of communications for Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark.But the proposed changes would lower density targets in some communities, which critics say will create new car-dependent neighbourhoods. They also warn the changes could encourage the construction of expensive transit stations in low-density areas where they don’t make sense.Victor Doyle, a retired provincial planner, called the proposed amendments “regressive” and a “huge step backwards.” Doyle, who spent more than 20 years working for the government and oversaw the creation of the Greenbelt, told the Star the changes would worsen the region’s already substantial gridlock problem.His main concern is that the current plan, which was approved under the former Liberal government in 2017, set density targets of at least 80 people and jobs combined per hectare for development of greenfield areas — ...
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