Smithville Master Community Plan
Integrated EA and Preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment Results
An Integrated Municipal Class Environmental Assessment / Official Plan Amendment Report that meets the requirements of MCEA Phase 1 (Problem/Opportunity Statement) and Phase 2 (Environmental Inventory, Alternative Solutions) is being completed. This report will document the integrated planning process in support of Official Plan Amendment No. 62 and 63.
This includes documenting the results of several impact assessments that are underway:
- Subwatershed Impact Assessment
- Transportation Impact Assessment- Traffic
- Transportation Impact Assessment - Active Transportation
- Water Impact Assessment
- Wastewater Impact Assessment
An environmental impact assessment identifies and analyzes the potential impacts of urban development on the natural and built environment and evaluates alternatives to mitigate these impacts.
At the end of Phase 3 of this study, subject to the Township’s Official Plan Amendment No. 62 and No. 63, and public review of the Integrated EA Report, the Township intends to proceed with the implementation of the recommended Schedule A/A+ and B projects (automatically approved with Schedule B Projects subject to OPA No. 63 Approval and no appeals), and projects not subject to the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process in accordance with the proposed phasing plan.
All Schedule C projects identified in the Smithville MCP Integrated EA Report, including future Smithville Bypass and CPR Grade Separations, will require additional investigations that will be carried out at a later date as their own standalone EA studies to address Phase 3 (Alternative Design Concepts) and Phase 4 (Environmental Study Report) of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment planning process. Phases 1 and 2 are being addressed through the current integrated planning process.
Click on the links about or scroll down to learn about the preliminary results of the impact assessments being completed.
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Subwatershed Impact Assessment
The Subwatershed Impact Assessment analyzes the potential effects of urban development on the natural and water resource systems, as well as the karst features in the study area. The information gained from this assessment is used to evaluate alternatives to manage these impacts and to ultimately establish a recommended environmental and stormwater management plan to protect and enhance the natural systems.
The Subwatershed Impact Assessment included an evaluation of the potential urban development impacts to groundwater, karst, and surface water systems in the area, as well as the area watercourses and drainage features, and the aquatic and terrestrial habitat and wildlife.
The findings of this assessment have identified the specific impacts requiring mitigation, along with their location relative to the development area. This information will be used during the next stage of the impact assessment to evaluate various management alternatives and to ultimately develop recommendations and criteria for implementing the environmental and stormwater management plan.
Detailed analyses have been completed to evaluate the effectiveness of each mitigation and enhancement alternative, and a recommended environmental and stormwater management plan was established.
In the absence of any management or mitigation, the urbanization of the study area would:
- Reduce the natural infiltration of groundwater, thus decreasing groundwater levels and potentially decreasing groundwater discharge and recharge to the upper bedrock
- Increase the movement of contaminants within the shallow groundwater and bedrock
- Encroach upon high constraint karst features, causing overflow of sinkholes toward surrounding properties
- Increase peak flows within and downstream of the study area during storm events, including along the Twenty Mile Creek and North Creek
- Increase erosion potential within receiving watercourses and drainage features
- Increase concentrations of metals, oils, nitrogen and phosphorus in storm runoff
- Reduce the quality of aquatic habitat within receiving watercourses
- Increase mortality of wildlife
- Alter the timing and volume of water conveyed toward wetlands and habitat
Opportunities to mitigate these impacts and enhance the natural environment include:
- Incorporate a Natural Heritage System into the land use plan which protects core features, incorporates linkages to connect key natural components and features, applies appropriate buffers, and integrates sustainable enhancement areas into a robust natural system
- Implement stormwater management measures to control flood risk and erosion potential within receiving watercourses, and provides quality treatment for storm runoff
- Implement Low Impact Development Best Management Practices (LID BMPs) to enhance water quality and promote groundwater recharge
- Apply setbacks to high constraint karst features and control storm volume and peak flows to features
- Manage water budget to high constraint terrestrial features
- Design road crossings to allow passage of wildlife, maintains channel structure, and provide flood protection for upstream properties
- Modify watercourses to enhance aquatic habitat and promote fish passage
Detailed analyses will be completed to evaluate the effectiveness of each mitigation and enhancement alternative, and a recommended environmental and stormwater management plan will be established.
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Transportation Impact Assessment - Traffic
- The traffic analysis for the Smithville Urban Boundary Expansion (UBE), has involved the development of a two phase traffic model. The model has been developed from scratch using the Aimsun Next modelling platform, to represent the existing road network and traffic volumes. This model has been used to test future scenarios to assess traffic operations with and without the planned UBE expansion. The model has used a two phase approach to test major infrastructure improvements and other mitigation measures, Phase I has considered regional initiatives while Phase II is using a refined design concept to conduct sensitivity testing.
- Conducted analysis of the phasing and timing requirements for the various measures in relation to the build out of the various development areas.
- Prepared the Smithville Transportation Master Plan.
Model Setup:
- A traffic model for Smithville has been designed, coded and populated with existing traffic volumes and trip OD information.
- The model has been calibrated and tested to assess its ability to reflect existing traffic conditions in Smithville.
- Initial background runs have been conducted to provide baselines for assessing the future traffic patterns in the 2051 horizon year with and without the UBE.
Phase I:
- A series of different options for the alignment of a Smithville Bypass were assessed in the future 2051 scenario to establish a preferred approach. To enable the testing of the bypass in the model a number of assumptions were made regarding possible alignments and rights of way. The three options tested at this stage aim to consider high level concepts rather than a particular alignment:
› Option A: Is an alignment that considers the provision of a northern bypass that goes through the proposed urban boundary expansion area.
› Option B: Is an alignment that proposes a northern bypass that runs north of the proposed urban boundary expansion area and considers strategic connections to any future escarpment crossing.
› Option C: Takes an alignment to the south of the town which recognises the protected right of way that has previously been designated.
- The modelling work also included testing whether the planned crossings of the CP railway corridor should be grade separated to understand the impacts of these mitigations on future traffic patterns.
Phase II:
- Utilizing the preferred land use concept, a series of internal collector roads were added to the existing road network and tested to assess the impact on the network.
- Sensitivity testing on several intersection layouts and road widths was conducted to assess the operational improvements that different mitigations could provide.
- A review of existing signalised intersections, as well as testing other intersection operations was conducted to test the impact on delay times and flow rates.
- We have confirmed that the traffic network in Smithville will perform without significant delays or volume/flow concerns in 2051 if no UBE is introduced. The introduction of the UBE creates delay and volume/flow issues on the 2051 traffic network in a number of locations.
- Through the Phase I model work, we have established that all three of the tested Smithville Bypass options improve performance across the network in the 2051 horizon year. The analysis shows that the two options that use a northern alignment improve traffic flow in the town centre and to the north, while the southern alignment improves traffic flow in the town centre and to the south.
- After further review, consideration of strategic objectives and existing constraints, a Smithville Bypass alignment that runs to the north of the town has been recommended. The final alignment of this bypass is not yet confirmed and it will be the responsibility of Niagara Region to conduct the next phase of this study.
- The Phase I model also demonstrated that there was a need beyond just the relief provided by the northern bypass, to mitigate the UBE impacts on traffic flow across the study area.
- The Phase II model work has shown that there are a number of additional network improvements that can further improve the operation of the 2051 horizon year. A series of mitigation measures have been tested through the sensitivity phase, including:
› Implementation of traffic signals at intersections where additional regulation of flow/ delay was identified as being needed.
› The widening of several existing corridors including Townline Road, Industrial Park Road and Young Street.
› The expansion and signalization of RR20 and South Grimsby Road 8.
› Adjustments to speed limit restrictions on some non-residential roads.
These mitigations have been tested, however, recommendations on any measures to implement have not yet been confirmed.
- There is still additional testing and review of the various possible mitigation measures required in order to confirm the preferred measures and provide a list for the Implementation plan.
- Conducting analysis of the phasing and timing requirements for the various measures in relation to the build out of the various development areas.
- Prepare the Smithville Transportation Master Plan.
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Transportation Impact Assessment - Active Transportation
- A comprehensive review of both the existing and planned active transportation infrastructure has been conducted to develop a baseline.
- A series of streetscape profile designs that include active transportation provision have been developed to represent the type of street standard that may be applied to new streets and where upgrades are required to urbanize existing streets. For more information on streetscape designs, please visit the Preliminary Preferred Concept Plan.
- A gap analysis has been conducted that looks at the existing active transportation network and identifies opportunities to improve connectivity and safety.
- The findings and analysis of the active transportation review were used to develop the proposed active transportation network and policy guidance.
- Prepared the Smithville Transportation Master Plan.
- There is a significant opportunity to improve active transportation provision and to build a complete network that provides dedicated infrastructure for end to end journeys between key destinations in Smithville.
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Water Impact Assessment
- Hydraulic modelling has been undertaken to reflect existing, near-term, and long-term growth and demands for municipal water based on the preliminary preferred concept plan. This impact assessment will help to ensure enough water capacity and pressure for existing and future development in the community of Smithville.
- We have confirmed that treated water capacity as per the Region’s Water and Wastewater Master Servicing Plan (2016) would meet the long-term growth in Smithville.
- Future build out of the new urban area requires pumping upgrades and additional storage.
- The overall water servicing strategy is based on a new transmission main ring system. This is shown as the red line on the conceptual water servicing strategy figure. The recommended conceptual 400 mm diameter water transmission main ring system has been refined following the second Public Information Centre based on further stakeholder and agency consultation. The proposed transmission main ring system now follows South Grimsby Road 5, south of the future Spring Creek Road extension to Regional Road 20. South of Regional Road 5 the transmission main will cross Twenty Mile Creek along with a proposed pedestrian bridge where the transmission main route will utilize future road MCP right of ways and easements.
- To the south, the recommended transmission main ring system follows Townline Road and utilizes an existing north south easement between Townline Road and Regional Road 20 and then Industrial Park Road.
- The results of this impact assessment, including recommended projects are documented in a Water and Wastewater Master Plan.
- The recommended water servicing projects informed the Integrated Planning Act and Municipal Class Environmental Assessment documentation.
- The proposed transmission main ring system will:
› Provide an opportunity to coordinate with current Smithville Northwest Quadrant servicing.
› Maximize the use of existing road corridors, allowing for coordination with future Townline Road improvements. This also allows for the decommissioning of an existing local watermain between Townline Road and Regional Road 20 and potentially other smaller local watermains.
› Overall, is more cost effective based on a shorter watermain compared to the initial conceptual western alignment that followed South Grimsby Road 6, as presented at Public Information Centre 2.
- The proposed transmission main ring strategy continues to follow direction from Niagara Region’s 2016 Water and Wastewater Master Servicing Plan (MSP) and will be subsequently captured in the Region’s current MSP Update.
- To meet the future water demands due to the urban boundary expansion, additional pumping capacity will be required. The storage strategy will be further reviewed and discussed with Township and Niagara Region staff.
- The following table identifies the recommended water servicing infrastructure projects. Please note that project construction costs are currently being developed and will be included in the final Water Servicing Master Plan Report.
*Note: MCEA schedules are subject to change. The MCEA schedules will be confirmed based on review of individual project location siting considerations, including facility construction within existing and future right-of-way of ways or utility corridors and coordination with future block plan applications.
- A long-term phasing plan with a view to 2051 has been developed that proposes initial development will take place in the Smithville Northwest Quadrant and East Smithville Secondary Plan (both within the existing Smithville urban boundary). This development will include associated water and wastewater servicing components. The phasing plan will be regularly reviewed and updated as the community develops and development applications, including functional servicing analysis are received.
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Wastewater Impact Assessment
- Wastewater modelling analysis has been undertaken to reflect existing, near-term, and long-term growth and demands for municipal sanitary sewage conveyance based on the preliminary preferred concept plan. This impact assessment will help to ensure enough wastewater treatment capacity and sanitary sewage conveyance for the existing and future development in the community of Smithville.
- The results of this impact assessment, including recommended projects are documented in a Water and Wastewater Master Plan.
- The recommended water servicing projects informed the Integrated Planning Act and Municipal Class Environmental Assessment documentation.
- The overall wastewater servicing strategy is based on conveying future development flows to upgraded existing Smithville wastewater pumping station via new sanitary sewers that utilize existing and future roads – continues to avoid sending future development flows through the existing sanitary sewer network, parts of which are already at or near capacity in addition to new wastewater pumping stations at Streamside Drive and in the south.
- The siting of new wastewater pumping stations was guided by topography (preference for lowest elevation which minimizes pumping station depth and cost) and desire to be integrated with planned open space and stormwater management facilities as presented on the preferred MCP concept.
- To accommodate the projected sanitary sewer flows to address the urban boundary expansion and infill growth, additional pumping capacity at the existing Smithville SPS and Streamside SPS will be required.
- The following table identifies the recommended wastewater servicing infrastructure projects. Please note that project construction costs are currently being developed and will be included in the final Wastewater Servicing Master Plan Report
*Note: MCEA schedules are subject to change. The MCEA schedules will be confirmed based on review of individual project location siting considerations, including facility construction within existing and future right-of-way of ways or utility corridors and coordination with future block plan applications.
- A long-term phasing plan with a view to 2051 has been developed that proposes initial development will take place in the Smithville Northwest Quadrant and East Smithville Secondary Plan (both within the existing Smithville urban boundary). This development will include associated water and wastewater servicing components. The phasing plan will be regularly reviewed and updated as the community develops and development applications, including functional servicing assessments are received. Refer to previous phasing figure.
Provide Feedback
We want to know what you think about the Smithville Master Community Plan!
To provide feedback on the MCP, including the draft Preferred Concept Plan, key policy directions and draft Official Plan Amendment No. 62 and 63, please click the link below.
Next Steps
The MCP Project has recently completed Phase 3 of its timeline, following the completion of the Preferred Concept Plan and the Monitoring, Management and Implementation Recommendations in consultation with review agencies, stakeholders and the public.
To learn more about what’s coming up for the Project and how you can be a part of the ongoing consultation, please click the link below.