FAQs

The Official Plan is a strategic planning document that guides the long-term vision for the Town of Aurora over a 25 + year horizon. The Official Plan establishes a policy framework to manage and direct the physical, social, environmental, and economic development of the Town. It also establishes the goals, objectives, and land use policies to regarding where the Town will focus future growth, what that growth will look like and how to plan for the impacts of climate change.

According to the Planning Act, it is required that municipalities update their Official Plan to ensure it is aligned with provincial policies and projected growth forecasts. It has been ten years since the Town of Aurora last updated their 2010 Official Plan.

York Region is made up of nine cities and towns. The Regional Official Plan contains policies that apply broadly to these municipalities. The Planning Act requires that each of these municipalities develop their own Official Plan which must conform to the York Region Official Plan. Both the York Region Official Plan and the Aurora Official Plan are necessary documents to ensure local, regional and provincial planning interests are being met in a coordinated fashion.

The updated Aurora Official Plan must conform to the updated York Region Official Plan, Provincial plans and policies, and other legislation. However, the Town still has flexibility to tailor the Official Plan to the meet the needs and future demands of residents, businesses and stakeholders. This is the reason why your feedback, opinions and thoughts matter - and will be recorded throughout the Project. You will have an impact on policy decisions that answer questions like: 

· What will communities in the future look and feel like? 

· How can the Town maintain its character while accommodating future growth? 

· What services and amenities should the Town plan for?  

· How can the Town design accessible communities that will continue to meet the needs of all residents?

To ensure this work is completed in a safe and timely manner, the Town has set up the Engage Aurora website where stakeholders and the public can get engaged and receive project updates throughout the Official Plan Review. You can expect to see online workshops, public open houses, stakeholder meetings, walking tours, surveys and more on the Engage Aurora site. 

The Town is committed to reporting back on what was heard from the community on a regular basis. Feedback summaries will be released after each phase of the Official Plan Review, and these summaries will explain how the feedback influenced the work completed to-date. The summaries will be available publicly on the Engage Aurora site.