• Stouffville’s Council will debate a proposal June 4 requesting expanded housing permissions on Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt lands from the Ontario government.
  • The recommendations encourage the Province to allow two Additional Residential Units (ARUs) per rural property.
  • Currently, ARUs are restricted in key environmental zones like Oak Ridges Moraine Natural Core and Linkage areas and the Greenbelt’s Natural Heritage System.
  • Staff say expanded ARUs could support multi-generational living, affordable housing, and secondary income for rural residents.
  • Critics have condemned such expansion of development permissions, saying they threaten conservation efforts.
  • The report also recommends broader reforms to conservation area governance, including streamlined processes for minor amendments and expansion of land uses.
  • If approved, the Town will submit the request to Provincial ministers and circulate it to other affected municipalities.

 

Stouffville is weighing a bold step that could reshape housing rules on some of Ontario’s most protected lands. On June 4, Council will debate a proposal to formally ask the Province to ease development restrictions within the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt.

A report prepared in response to a February 2025 Strong Mayor directive from Mayor Iain Lovatt recommends the Province amend both the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) and the Greenbelt Plan to allow for up to two Additional Residential Units (ARUs) on Stouffville’s rural properties.

The proposed request would build on Council’s April endorsement of a resolution from the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio, which urged the Province to generally amend restrictions preventing property owners on Oak Ridges Moraine lands from building ARUs.

Under Ontario’s Planning Act, an ARU refers to a second or third self-contained living space. These units can be located within a primary residence or in a detached accessory structure and are permitted on properties with a detached, semi-detached, or townhouse-style home.

The proposal would apply across all land designations within the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt, including the Moraine’s Natural Core and Linkage areas, and the Greenbelt’s Natural Heritage System, where ARUs are currently prohibited. Each ARU would function independently, with its own kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, and would be required to meet all applicable building and fire code standards.

“The majority of the Town’s rural residents are unable to utilize Federal and Provincial incentives to build even a single ARU,” the report explains. “Allowing for ARUs more broadly would accommodate multi-family residential units on the same lot, allowing older residents to stay in their homes longer, and allow younger families to live in their own units and save money to afford their own home.”

“ARUs can also provide a source of secondary income and contribute to the provision of more affordable housing options within the Town,” the report adds.

The recommendations seek to align ARU permissions in the conservation lands with the recently adopted Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (PPS 2024). That policy document permits up to two ARUs per lot in prime agricultural areas, but only outside protected conservation plan boundaries.

This allowance would come with some conditions. When two units are proposed, at least one must be located within or attached to the main home. Guidelines stipulate that ARUs must not interfere with farm operations and must be supported by suitable water and sewage infrastructure. Units must also be of “limited scale” and situated close to existing homes or farm buildings to avoid unnecessary loss of agricultural land.

The Staff report does not advise specific size or scale limits for new accessory structures intended for the ARUs. Instead, it recommends the Province provide general guidance to ensure new development remains appropriately scaled and compatible with the area’s rural and environmentally sensitive context.

“Given the environmental sensitivity associated with lands within the Provincial plan areas, it may also be appropriate to include additional development criteria for permitting ARUs to ensure the objectives of the ORMCP and Greenbelt Plan are maintained,” Staff explain. In addition to size considerations, potential criteria could include setbacks from key natural heritage and hydrologic features, as well as vegetation protection zones.

“My Strong Mayor directive was catalyzed by a number of residents facing intergenerational housing inequity who struggle to support their families due to Provincial policy limitations,” Lovatt said in comments to Bullet Point News. “With a municipality made up of 90% protected lands, reasonable reform is required to address the challenges Stouffville families are facing.”

“This directive does not seek to eliminate protections of the Greenbelt or the ORM, rather it seeks to allow specific permissions at a local level to address our unique realities,” he added.

Critics, however, remain opposed to expanding housing and development permissions within the protected areas. The Greenbelt Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 organizations that describes itself as a “watchdog and defender of Ontario’s innovative Greenbelt,” has recently raised concerns about the growing push for ARUs from municipalities within the ORMCP area.

“It takes unwavering vigilance to protect the Greenbelt. Most municipalities think their land is unique. A protected landscape can’t be piecemealed by political boundaries…Aquifers flow everywhere,” they wrote in an April 13 post on X. Bullet Point News reached out to the umbrella group for comment on the Staff report but did not receive a response by deadline.

Beyond ARU permissions, the report proposes a series of broader land use policy reforms intended to update governance within the conservation areas. These changes are designed to grant municipalities greater flexibility in addressing local planning needs.

Staff recommend that the Province establish a process for municipalities to make minor amendments to the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt plans without triggering a full provincial review. They also call for a more efficient and clear method for evaluating whether prime agricultural lands can be reclassified as rural.

Further recommendations include expanding permissions for small-scale commercial, industrial, and institutional uses within the Greenbelt Plan and ORMCP, and enabling the development of public service facilities—such as fire stations, community centres, and parks—in areas where such development is currently restricted.

Town Staff are also requesting a formal process for settlement area expansions into the conservation plan zones where justified by local municipalities.

The report calls for the Ontario government to “expedite the review of these Provincial plans, as opposed to waiting until the mandated 10-year review (anticipated by 2027), to establish a consistent planning framework and ARU permissions across the province and help facilitate the development of needed housing.”

If endorsed by Council next week, the Town would submit its request to Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as well as the Ministers of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Red Tape Reduction. The report would also be circulated to other municipalities within the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt areas.