Hamilton's urban boundary decision has been rescheduled to Nov. 19
The city is debating whether to expand its urban boundary by 1,310 hectares
Hamilton city councillors will decide on Nov. 19 now whether to accept, reject or defer a plan to expand the city's urban boundary to include 1,310 hectares of countryside.
Councillors stopped a Nov. 9 meeting after more than 12 hours of hearing from residents through hundreds of letters and video delegations. Mayor Fred Eisenberger moved to recess it late Tuesday and finish at a later date.
"We need to be fresh and of clear mind when we deal with this the next time," he said at the time.
Now city council's general issues committee will cast a vote at a 9:30 a.m. meeting next week.
At issue is the city's Growth Related Integrated Development Strategy 2, or GRIDS2. City planning staff say Hamilton will see an increase of 236,000 people over the next 30 years, for a total population of 820,000 by 2051. In that time, the plan says, the city will need to grow by 110,000 more housing units and 122,000 more jobs.
Planning staff are recommending an "ambitious density" plan. That plan would see more density in the current urban area, plus an expansion of 1,310 hectares of so-called whitebelt land — land situated between the existing boundary and the greenbelt.
Opponents say the growth targets, which are dictated by the province, can be met by finding creative ways to add units to the existing urban area.
The upcoming vote will be whether to accept the ambitious density plan or not. The city will have until spring to hammer out the details if it goes ahead.
Any decision on Nov. 19 will have to be ratified by city council. These meetings are streamed live on the city's YouTube channel.
