9094 Regional Road 25 Urban Boundary Expansion Proposal

Who is the Owner and Applicant?
Owner/Applicant: Halton Hills One GP Inc. (Rice Group)
Agent: Paul Brown & Associates Inc.

What approvals is the Applicant seeking to permit the proposal?
The proposal requires an Urban Boundary Expansion (UBE) to bring the subject lands into the urban boundary. Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments are required to establish the appropriate land use designations for the proposed uses. If these applications are successful, a Site Plan application is required to be submitted and approved prior to the issuance of a building permit.

Why is the Town considering these applications?
Ontario municipalities do not have the authority to refuse submission of a Planning application filed by a private property owner. The Planning Act allows a landowner to advance any development proposal for their lands, regardless of whether it meets the intent of the applicable policy framework or not. The Town must fully evaluate the proposal before making any decision, as that decision can be appealed by the Owner to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). Changes to provincial legislation resulting from the new 2024 Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) now allow private landowners to file an application to include their lands within a municipal urban boundary. See the Town's Urban Boundary Expansion webpage for more information.

Who makes a decision on the applications?
Town and agency staff complete a thorough review of the application and submitted materials as well as receive public feedback to properly evaluate the policy and technical merits of the proposal. Once staff have completed their review, a Report will be brought to Council for consideration, providing staff recommendations. There is no timeframe in which staff will be in a position to bring forward a recommendation report. The decision regarding the applications resides with Council. The decision regarding any appeal of the applications resides with the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).

What are the appeal rights for Halton Hills One GP Inc. (Rice Group), the Town, neighbours, etc.?
As a result of recent provincial changes to the Planning Act, third-party appeal rights have been removed for privately initiated development applications. This means that neighbours, residents or community groups may no longer appeal Council’s decision on the applications to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). Only the Owner/Applicant, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and another public body/agency/utility/First Nations group may appeal the decision of Council to the OLT. The Owner/Applicant may also appeal to the OLT if Council does not decide within 120 days of the applications being deemed complete. The 120-day deadline for this application is April 18, 2026. However, the Planning Act does allow residents to make a request to the OLT to be added as a party to any appeal filed by the above entities. The OLT may approve the request to be added as a party provided the person made oral submissions at a public meeting or written submissions to the municipality before the decision was made and the Tribunal is of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds to add the person as a party.  Residents may also participate at the OLT via Participant Status which includes expressing their views on the proposal to the OLT via a written submission.

How can residents stay informed, ask questions and provide comments regarding the submitted applications?
Any comments, questions or requests to be notified should be directed to Jessica Rahim, the Senior Development Review Planner assigned to the application on behalf of the Town. Email Jessica Rahim or contact her at 905-873-2600, ext. 2376. A Statutory Public Meeting for the application will be held on February 17, 2026 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers located at Town Hall. Residents are encouraged to attend the Public Meeting and may provide comments orally at the Public Meeting or provide written comments to Jessica Rahim. Residents can also join a mailing list for periodic project updates. Contact Jessica Rahim to sign up and receive future notifications regarding this application. Check back with this project page for ongoing updates and to view additional information.

What are the next steps?
Town and external agency staff are reviewing the received application and comments are expected shortly. The Statutory Public Meeting will be held on February 17, 2026. The purpose of the Public Meeting is to provide members of the public with information about the submitted application and an opportunity to ask questions and/or express views regarding the development proposal. The “Application Review Process” graphic on the next page shows where the applications currently stand in the review process and the next steps.