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Introduction

Midtown Oakville is the Town’s primary strategic growth area, envisioned to accommodate a significant portion of the Town and Region’s required intensification until 2051 and beyond. Covering approximately 103 hectares, it is bounded by the QEW/Highway 403 to the north, Chartwell Road to the east, Cornwall Road to the south, and the Sixteen Mile Creek valley to the west.

Strategic Location and Transit Connectivity

This urban growth center and protected major transit station area is strategically positioned along the Lakeshore West GO provincial priority transit corridor. It is centered around the Oakville GO/VIA Station, serving as the Town’s primary hub for current and future transit services. Currently, the area is served by regional and inter-regional rail and local and inter-regional bus systems, including Via Rail, GO Transit, and Oakville Transit. Future plans include the integration of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, connecting Midtown Oakville with the broader Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) transportation network.

Growth Plan and Development Requirements

Designated as one of the 25 urban growth centers in the Province’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe since 2006, Midtown Oakville holds a critical role in accommodating future population and employment growth. The Growth Plan mandates that Midtown Oakville achieve a minimum density target of 200 residents and jobs combined by 2031. The Town, in collaboration with regional and provincial partners, is committed to implementing a comprehensive plan to provide the necessary infrastructure, programs, services, and incentives for development.

Goals: Create a Vibrant, People-Oriented, and Transit-Supportive Community

• Establish a mix of high-density and compact residential, commercial, and employment uses, along with educational facilities and public service facilities. Enhance public spaces with open areas and public art to attract diverse users throughout the day and year-round.
• Foster a continuous, well-connected, and robust public realm, emphasizing human interactions and active uses at the street level.
• Uphold high urban design and architectural standards for both development projects and the public realm.
• Facilitate public investments in transit, infrastructure, and public service facilities, ensuring that development density aligns with the required infrastructure through the town’s planning approval process.
• Coordinate the provision of future roads and transportation infrastructure as development progresses, ensuring timely support for new residents and employees.
• Promote the use of district energy and sustainable building practices, in alignment with the Oakville Community Energy Strategy.
• Direct major office and appropriate large-scale institutional developments to Midtown Oakville.

Objectives

As Midtown Oakville evolves, the Town will utilize the following objectives to guide decision-making in reviewing planning applications and development proposals:

• To create a vibrant, people-oriented, transit-supportive, and complete community by

a) providing a mix of high-density and compact residential, commercial, and employment uses, educational facilities, and public service facilities, complemented by publicly accessible open spaces and public art, to attract different users throughout the day and year-round;

b) creating a continuous, well-connected, and robust public realm focused on human interactions and active uses at grade;

c) ensuring a high standard of urban design and architectural quality for development and the public realm;

d) facilitating public investment in transit, infrastructure, and public service facilities to support growth by matching density with required infrastructure through the town’s planning approval process;

e) Requiring that the provision of future roads and other transportation infrastructure shall be coordinated as development progresses to ensure that transportation infrastructure is provided for new residents and employees in a timely manner;

f) promoting the use of district energy and sustainable building practices, in alignment with the Oakville Community Energy Strategy; and,

g) directing major office and appropriate large-scale institutional development to Midtown Oakville.

• To create transit-supportive communities by:

a) ensuring the entire area is developed as a place that prioritizes people,

active transportation and transit;

b) improving connections to and through Midtown Oakville for active

transportation and public transit;

c) reducing parking standards over time to promote transit ridership and

facilitate mixed-use development;

d) ensuring a compact urban form with high density and high intensity

land uses while providing a high-quality, active transportation-focused

public realm; and,

e) aligning the planning and implementation of transit-supportive

infrastructure, transit services and operations with new and existing

development.

• To enable the evolution of Midtown Oakville as an urban growth center and the Town’s primary growth area by:

a) planning for a minimum gross density of 200 residents and jobs

combined per hectare – a minimum of 20,600 residents and jobs – by

in accordance with the Growth Plan;

b) ensuring that development occurs in a comprehensive and progressive

manner by monitoring key development indicators at regular intervals;

and,

c) ensuring future population growth, beyond 2051, is accommodated

through sufficient infrastructure planning.

• To attract new investment, and retain and grow existing businesses to enhance the economic development of Midtown Oakville by:

a) promoting the economic function of the Midtown Oakville area by

providing a mix of office and other uses to support employment;

b) promoting partnerships with existing post-secondary institutions,

economic development and innovation organizations, and local

businesses to support new and emerging companies; and,

c) introducing an incentive strategy, policies, and zoning regulations,

informed by an economic development strategy, that will promote and

support business and talent attraction goals.

 

 Midtown Community Framework

In addition to the policies in Parts C and D of this Plan, the following

policies apply specifically to Midtown Oakville. They set out the framework

of components required to build the community envisioned by this Plan.

Midtown Oakville shall be designed as a regional destination and urban

community with a compact form, complete with a mix of building forms and

types, which will include tall and midrise buildings, framing a public realm

that prioritizes active transportation and transit use. New developments

and public realm improvements shall support this direction.

•  Population and Employment

a) In accordance with the Growth Plan, Midtown Oakville has been

planned to achieve a minimum gross density of 200 residents and jobs

combined per hectare by 2031. Based on its gross area of 103

hectares, this translates to a minimum of 20,600 residents and jobs.

b) An overall mix of at least 7,875 residential units and a gross floor area

ranging from 165,000 to 510,000 square metres of retail, service

commercial and employment space should be accommodated to

provide for a minimum of approximately 13,390 residents and 7,210

jobs.

• Public Realm

A major feature of Midtown Oakville will be its public realm – comprised of

a “campus of parks”, public streets, as well as privately-owned publicly

accessible open spaces (POPS) – designed to create a desirable place for

residents, workers, and visitors alike.

As a compact urban community and destination, the planning, design, and

implementation of the public realm in Midtown Oakville will be influenced

by the Urban Park Hierarchy for strategic growth areas, outlined in the

Town’s Parks Plan. Urban park spaces are diverse, flexible and

connected, contain a mixture of green and hardscape design components,

and are inherently connected to the public realm.

The urban parkland system includes primarily public spaces but can also

include semi-public spaces and private components that form an

interconnected network, animated by people who walk from place to place.

Key components of the urban parkland system that will influence the

Midtown Oakville public realm include the following:

• Public commons, which are large social and recreational focal

points that meet the needs of the local community, support a

balance of active and passive uses, and shall be coordinated with

urban school sites, where possible. Public commons accommodate

special features that contribute to placemaking, including locations

for public art.

• Promenades are substantial linear spaces, located between

adjacent building facades and the adjacent road right-of-way, used

to enhance the pedestrian experience together with highly activated

at-grade retail spaces. Promenades may include public art, small

outdoor game areas, seating, places to eat and relax, as well as

street-related activities such as vendors and exhibit spaces.

• Urban squares support community-oriented social opportunities, as

well as town-wide entertainment and cultural events depending on

their size and location. Urban squares may include many of the

same uses and amenities as promenades.

a) The public realm shall incorporate networks of accessible,

interconnected and predictable pedestrian-oriented spaces and routes

that enhance walkability and other active transportation year-round,

reinforce the surroundings, and provide quality spaces for public life.

b) A network of urban parkland, including public parks and open spaces

of varying types and sizes should be provided throughout Midtown

Oakville to support the needs of residents, employees, and visitors.

c) The locations and delivery of urban parkland, including public parks

and open spaces shall be coordinated as development progresses to

ensure that parks and open spaces are provided for new residents and

employees in a timely manner.

d) Urban parkland, including public commons, promenades, urban

squares, connectors, and other open spaces, whether public or

privately-owned publicly accessible open spaces shall be designed,

maintained, and operated as:

i) flexible spaces that are passive in programming and oriented to

urban activities that occur throughout the day and year-round;

ii) places designed to complement the built form and public realm

and incorporate hardscapes, softscapes, tree plantings,

furnishings, context-sensitive lighting, and other urban amenities;

and,

iii) an integral part of the public realm by providing convenient active

transportation routes and places to gather and facilitate public activity. The location of servicing and the back of the house should not be

located along public frontages.

e) The public realm shall include trees and landscaping, lighting,

furnishings, urban amenities, wayfinding, and public art that enhance

the local context and create a sense of identity.

f) A streetscape and/or public realm master plan shall be developed for

Midtown Oakville in alignment with the Town of Oakville Streetscape

Strategy, as amended.

g) Streetscapes shall reinforce the active transportation-oriented and

urban environment and provide a seamless interface between the

public and private realms.

h) As the Town’s urban growth centre, Midtown Oakville will draw

residents, workers, and visitors from local and regional origins daily.

Gateway elements are intended to provide a sense of arrival through

well-designed built form, public art, landscaping, and streetscape

treatments that together, promote a distinctive identity and establish

points of reference. Gateway elements should be positioned at the

following locations, in general accordance with Schedule L4:

i) the intersection of Trafalgar Road and Cornwall Road;

ii) the intersection of Trafalgar Road and the QEW/Highway 403

east-bound off-ramp;

iii) at the eastern and western edges of Midtown Oakville along the

QEW/Highway 403.

i) Parkland dedication should be provided as land for promenades,

public commons, urban squares and connectors located in general

accordance with Schedule L4, which identifies public realm elements,

and may be refined through the planning approval process. Changes

to the location of elements on Schedule L4, as refined through the

planning approval process, can be made without amendment to this

Plan.

j) The promenades identified on Schedule L4 should generally have the

following minimum depth, measured from the ultimate edge of the

public street right-of-way to the property line of the adjacent net

development parcel:

i) Cross Avenue, west of Trafalgar Road: 13 metres;

ii) Cross Avenue, east of Trafalgar Road: 8 metres; and,

iii) Davis Road: 8 metres.

k) The depth of the promenades identified on Schedule L4 may be

reduced below the minimum depths identified in subsection (j) to

enable building articulation and other variability to enhance the public

realm, provided that the resulting promenade:

i) provides a depth of no less than 10 metres along Cross Avenue,

west of Trafalgar Road;

ii) provides a depth of no less than 5 metres along Cross Avenue,

east of Trafalgar Road;

iii) provides a depth of no less than 5 metres along Davis Road;

iv) has an overall area on a site that is not less than the area that

would have been provided at the minimum depth identified in

subsection (j) without the building articulation or variability; and,

v) continues to provide connection to adjacent promenades.

l) In addition to the parkland identified on Schedule L4, privately-owned

publicly accessible open space at grade that is connected and

integrated with the public realm should be provided through

development.

• Midtown’s Main Street (Cross Avenue)

a) Cross Avenue shall be an active urbanized main street that forms the

social spine of Midtown Oakville and emphasizes the movement of

pedestrians, other active transportation users, and transit vehicles

while continuing to accommodate goods transport and automobiles.

This main street shall be an attractive, active transportation-oriented

street animated by ground floor retail and service commercial uses tied

together by an enhanced pedestrian streetscape and promenade with

priority given to transit ridership, landscaping, and open spaces which

enhance the public realm.

• Transportation

Streets and streetscapes facilitate multi-modal movement year-round,

provide valuable frontage for development, and provide the setting for the

range of uses and activities that define Midtown Oakville. A grid of streets

is fundamental to encouraging active transportation and creating a positive

pedestrian experience, which in turn promotes transit use.

a) Significant active transportation, transit, and road infrastructure, as

shown on Schedules C, D, and L3, is necessary to support growth.

Certain existing roads or road segments shall be abandoned,

realigned, widened, extended, or replaced in accordance with this

Plan.

b) The Town may secure rights-of-way on alignments as shown on

Schedules C, D, and L3 through the planning approval process or

through a public land expropriation process. Final rights-of-way shall

be consistent with Schedules C, D, and L3, or otherwise be

determined through detailed transportation studies, environmental

assessments where required, and the planning approval process.

c) The provision of future roads and other transportation infrastructure

shall be coordinated as development progresses to ensure that

transportation infrastructure is provided for new residents and

employees in a timely manner.

d) Subject to section 8.2.3, changes to the requirements, location or

alignment of new transit services, roads, and active transportation

facilities, as shown on Schedules C, D, L3 and L4, will not require an

amendment to this Plan provided that the general intent and purpose

of this Plan is maintained.

e) The rights-of-way of future roads shall be required to achieve the

widths identified on Schedule L3 unless otherwise determined by the

Town through future study and/or confirmed through detailed design.

f) The design and operation of existing and new streets in Midtown

Oakville shall prioritize year-round active transportation and transit

use.

g) The town may require the early conveyance of rights-of-way, prior to

development, to complete the street network.

h) Development shall not preclude the following as contemplated in this

Plan:

i) the realignment and extension of Cross Avenue as a multi-purpose

street;

ii) a new multi-purpose arterial road – the North-South Crossing –

across the QEW/Highway 403 to link to the extensions of Davis

Road and Cross Avenue;

iii) the future local road network as identified on Schedule L3;

iv) a grade separation of the railway at Chartwell Road or an alternate

location east of Trafalgar Road as determined through an

environmental assessment; and,

v) grade-separated active transportation facilities to be located

across:

 the QEW/Highway 403, east and west of Trafalgar Road; and,

 the railway, east of Trafalgar Road.

f) The Town will work with Halton Region and Metrolinx to:

i) implement the extension of the rail platform east of Trafalgar Road

and improve transit passenger access from the east side of

Trafalgar Road; and

ii) implement relocation of the shared bus terminal to east of

Trafalgar Road.

• Block Design

To facilitate appropriate block design and coordinated development within

Midtown Oakville, the following policies shall apply:

a) Development blocks are formed by the planned transportation network

and shall be designed comprehensively.

b) Where properties within a block cannot be consolidated so that

development may be coordinated, development on a portion of a block

shall not preclude the development of the remainder of the block in

accordance with this Plan.

c) Blocks should be designed using the perimeter block concept whereby

buildings are situated along the street edges to support a vibrant public

realm, and service spaces and private outdoor amenity areas are

located interior to the block, accessed through strategic breaks in the

street walls of the blocks to facilitate access to service and amenity

space.

d) Development shall promote safe, convenient, and predictable active

transportation circulation routes and mid-block connections, shown

conceptually on Schedule L4, to increase the permeability of blocks

and to maintain physical and visual connections to community

destinations, landmarks, and amenities without boundaries. The

location of mid-block connections should relate to the placement of the

buildings, align with existing or planned active transportation

circulation routes, and be sized in alignment with human-scaled

architecture and design. Potential barriers along these routes, such as

boundary fences or retaining walls, shall be avoided.

e) Mid-block connections shown conceptually on Schedule L4, shall be

provided as publicly accessible active transportation connections,

open space and/or mews that can be accessed by the general public

24 hours a day, year-round. It is the intent that privately-owned publicly

accessible spaces (POPS) provided by development will create the

the mid-block network identified on Schedule L4.

f) Active transportation circulation routes and mid-block connections will

be established through the planning approval process and should

improve and consolidate access to development and enhance

connections and mobility within and through the area.

g) Vehicular access to parking, service facilities and loading areas shall

be planned from local roads. Temporary or interim vehicular access

from an existing road may be permitted as a condition of the planning

approval process, or through an agreement with the Town, until such

time that a new local road and access are constructed.

h) Shared vehicular access, and shared service facilities internal to a

block, with regards to where service facilities are contemplated, are

preferred and shall be pursued through landowner agreements, and

implemented through the planning approval process.

i) Utility vaults, meters, and similar infrastructure shall be located internal

to a development block and/or the buildings, or underground to ensure

a clear and unobstructed public realm.

j) Hydro and other utility transmission lines, where located within a public

right-of-way, should be provided, or relocated, underground, where

feasible, as infrastructure improvements and development progress.

•  Built Form

The tallest buildings in Oakville will be located in Midtown Oakville.

The highest densities are intended north of the railway, with lower

densities south of the railway as a transition to existing residential areas.

Buildings and public spaces will be designed to ensure that the objectives

for creating the community envisioned by this Plan are achieved.

In addition to the policies in Section 6, Urban Design, of this Plan, the

following policies apply specifically to Midtown Oakville. They provide

direction to ensure that the cumulative effective of multiple tall and midrise

buildings in Midtown Oakville contribute to building a strong, livable

community, and incorporate distinctive architecture and built form that

contributes to a unified sense of identity and character for the area.

a) Tall buildings shall be designed to the highest architectural quality and

detail, and shall ensure a pedestrian-oriented built form, provide active

façades oriented to public streets, and contribute to a distinctive

skyline.

b) Buildings shall be designed and sited to maximize solar energy,

ensure adequate sunlight and skyviews, minimize wind conditions on

pedestrian spaces and adjacent properties, and avoid excessive

shadows on the public realm.

c) Multiple towers within a block, development site, or within close

proximity to each other on abutting sites should vary in height from one

another generally by a minimum of 20 metres in order to create

variation in building height and a distinctive skyline for Midtown

Oakville. Exceptions may be permitted for development sites where

two or more towers of the same height is an important design feature.

Building height variation will be reviewed on a site-by-site basis and

implemented through the planning approval process.

d) The distance between the facing walls of towers shall generally be a

minimum of 30 metres.

e) Building setbacks adjacent to public streets are intended to be

landscaped spaces or, where appropriate, extensions of the public

sidewalk that contribute to the character of an area.

f) The height of the building base (podium) for tall buildings should

generally be equivalent to the building-to-building distance across the

adjacent right-of-way, up to a maximum of 25 metres in height, in order

to frame the street and enhance pedestrian comfort.

g) For tall buildings along public streets or publicly accessible amenity

space, a stepback between the podium base and tower portion should

be provided that is generally no less than 5 metres to reinforce the

character of the public realm.

h) For tall buildings, the floorplate of each tower (the portion of the

building above the base or podium) shall generally be no more than

750 square metres to ensure a slender tower profile to minimize

adverse shadowing, maximize sun exposure and enhance the skyline.

i) Green roofs and/or amenity space should be provided on the roof of

any building base or above-grade parking structure where the rooftop

will be visible from nearby tall buildings.

j) Retail and service commercial uses shall be provided on the ground

floor of mixed-use buildings that directly front onto an arterial or

collector road, as reflected on Schedule L3, with the exception of

Chartwell Road. These uses may be extended to other floors.

k) Where provided, ground floor retail and service commercial uses shall

be continuous along a frontage, interrupted only by building lobbies,

transit station entrances, or other public or institutional uses. A

minimum of 70% of the frontage along the ground floor of the building

shall be devoted to retail, service commercial or public uses, unless it

can be demonstrated that there are functional or operational

constraints that warrant relief, as determined through the planning

approval process.

• Development Density

a) Minimum and maximum density, expressed as floor space indices

(FSI), shall be permitted in accordance with Schedule L2 and the

policies of this Plan, which may permit additional density.

b) Smaller sites are encouraged to consolidate with adjacent lands to

enable a comprehensively designed development that comprises most

of the associated block. As such, notwithstanding subsection (a), sites

less than 2500 square meters in gross area shall be permitted a

maximum density of no more than 0.25 floor space index greater than

the minimum density shown on Schedule L2.

c) The gross floor area calculated by using the maximum floor space

index, as shown on Schedule L2, for a portion of a lot that is to be

dedicated to the Town for a public road, public park, or other public

open space, may be transferred to the retained lot or block and

accommodated on the lot or block as increased density above the

maximum density, as shown on Schedule L2, subject to all other

policies of this Plan. Privately-owned publicly accessible spaces

(POPS) do not qualify.

d) Notwithstanding subsection 20.3.8 (a), on lands designated Urban

Core north of the railway, the following floor areas may be exempt

from the calculation of the floor space index when determining compliance

with the density maximums shown on Schedule L2 and when provided

within a residential mixed-use building, to be implemented through the

planning approval process:

i) the net floor area of

•  affordable housing;
•  educational facilities;
•  community facilities, including daycares;
•  urban-format grocery stores with a net floor area greater than
• 2000 square meters;

ii) the net leasable floor area of office space provided above the

ground floor;

iii) up to 50 percent of the net floor area of:

 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom units, when provided in

developments where more than 25 per cent of the total

residential units are provided as 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom

units; and

 hotels.

e) Required minimum densities are provided on Schedule L2.

Notwithstanding the minimum densities shown on Schedule L2,

minimum densities shall not apply to:

i) lands required for public parks and open spaces;

ii) educational facilities;

iii) community uses operated by a public authority; and,

iv) above ground parking structures operated by a public authority.

f) Reductions to the minimum density required by Schedule L2 may be

considered as part of a comprehensive development application to

provide flexibility in building and site design. Such consideration shall

only be given where it can be demonstrated that the policies of

sections 20.2 and 20.3 of the Plan are met and the planned

intensification for the site(s) can still be achieved.

g) Notwithstanding the minimum density shown on Schedule L2, building

additions, alterations and/or replacements to existing development

may be permitted, where they can be demonstrated not to preclude

the long-term redevelopment of the property as set out in this Plan.

By-law 2023-###, Appendix “A” (OPA XX to the Livable Oakville Plan) Page A-20

• Housing

a) Within Midtown Oakville, residential development should include:

i) a range of housing options in terms of building types, unit types

and sizes, and tenure to accommodate a variety of households,

including those with children;

ii) amenities designed specifically for households with children;

iii) affordable housing; and,

iv) purpose-built rental housing.

• Educational Facilities

Midtown Oakville provides a unique opportunity to accommodate a

growing urban community and providing educational facilities in a high

density, mixed-use, urban community. The policies establish a framework

by which school boards can identify the need for educational facilities and

engage the development community to acquire educational facility space

within a proposed mixed-use development.

The policies contained within this Plan are intended to support the Midtown

Oakville urban community secure access to educational facilities and

shared use of public park space. These policies are representative of a

shift from a suburban greenfield-focused school model to an integrated

urban school model. This Plan recognizes the importance of planning at

the outset for school boards to have the ability to acquire school space

within a mixed-use development, as it is required.

a) A public school board may determine that real property, or a lease, is

required for an educational facility as development proceeds and

projected demand aligns with student population. As such:

i) Any landowner proposing to develop or redevelop a mixed-use

building within the Urban Core designation in Midtown Oakville

shall be required to notify all of the public school boards of

proposed development plans as part of a complete planning

application, to provide the school boards with an opportunity to

determine a need for an educational facility space within the

proposed development; and,

ii) The Town may require, as part of a complete application, written

confirmation from the school boards that the developer has

provided them the opportunity to determine a need for education

facility space within the proposed development.

b) Educational facilities should be planned and designed to meet the

requirements of public school boards for an urban, higher-density

community, and should:

i) be incorporated into mixed-use developments and are encouraged

to provide outdoor space through a combination of space on

building podiums, at-grade and/or through shared use of nearby

public park space through an appropriate shared use agreement

with the Town;

ii) have floor area distributed vertically to minimize floor plates and

make efficient use of land;

iii) have prominent pedestrian entrances on the main building façade

fronting onto a public street which are clearly visible and directly

accessible from a sidewalk on a public street;

iv) be co-located in mixed-used buildings, where possible, and

provide for integrated pick-up and drop-off areas, as applicable;

v) be located adjacent to parks and open spaces, specifically Public

Commons, where possible, to enable synergies between facilities

and potential shared use of public park space, where appropriate

and applicable;

vi) be designed to enable local community use outside of school

hours; and,

vii) when entering into a shared use agreement with the Town to use

public park space, limit obstructions or physical buffers that inhibit

access to and movement through public parks, such as fences

within or enclosing public parks, to allow for a holistic and flexible

park design which enables community activity in the park during

and outside of school hours.

•  Public Service Facilities

a) The Town shall monitor public service facility needs as Midtown

Oakville develops, and works with Halton Region and public agencies to

enable the development of required facilities as they are identified.

b) New public service facilities shall be provided in a timely manner to

support growth.

c) Public service facilities should be planned and designed to meet the

requirements of the Town and/or public agencies, and should:

i) be provided in visible locations with strong pedestrian, other active

transportation and transit connections;

ii) be co-located in mixed-used buildings, where possible, and

provide for integrated pick-up and drop-off areas, as applicable;

iii) be located adjacent to parks and open spaces to enable synergies

between facilities, where appropriate and applicable; and,

iv) provide for multi-functionality through flexible, accessible, multipurpose spaces that can be programmed in different ways and can

adapt over time to meet the evolving needs of the community.

d) Development may be required to contribute to the delivery of

community service facility, through contributions to a community

benefits charge, needs identified through the planning approval

process or other Town master plan or strategy by providing:

i) new space for on-site community facilities;

ii) new space for off-site community facilities within an appropriate

distance; and/or,

iii) a contribution towards a specific community service facility that

meets identified needs.

e) Landowners, public agencies, and/or non-profit community service

providers are encouraged enter into partnerships to support the

provision, improvement and expansion of public service facilities.