Key features of the Preliminary Preferred Concept Plan include:

• An Agriculture-Related area. Located between the hydro corridor and Young Street, the north part of the Study Area contains several existing farms including livestock operations, as well as existing woodlands and wetlands, that are proposed to remain protected. With the potential future location of a truck route to the north of Smithville and plans for the future Niagara Escarpment Crossing, and with the urban employment area of Smithville located nearby, this area may be well-suited for future businesses that serve the agricultural sector. The Preliminary Preferred Concept recognizes the existing farms in this area and would continue to permit agriculture, agriculture-related, and on-farm diversified uses supportive of the agricultural sector in this area.

• Urban Employment areas are proposed to expand the existing Smithville Industrial Park to the north and east for fully-serviced industrial site development and related facilities and services. These areas will accommodate a significant share of future employment growth in the Township and will help to ensure balanced community development with new businesses and jobs. Directing industries to this area will maintain separation from existing and future residential areas and offer enhanced transportation access in conjunction with a future potential truck route and the future Niagara Escarpment Crossing.

• Residential areas are proposed in the north-west, west and south, growing from the existing land use and street pattern in Smithville. These areas are planned to accommodate the majority of future housing growth primarily in the form of single and semi-detached dwellings and street townhomes. The street pattern and trail networks will provide connectivity throughout these areas, with convenient access to parks, open space and nearby neighbourhood centres with local retail and services.

• Mixed Use / Medium Density areas are proposed to frame the future Residential areas along existing and future main and collector streets in each of the new neighbourhoods. Multi-unit housing, primarily townhomes in a range of built forms such as cluster, back-to-back and stacked townhouses, and compatible business uses and services at a neighbourhood scale will help to support a complete neighbourhood with a mix of housing types, local businesses and services, walking, cycling and future local transit.

• Commercial / Mixed Use Nodes are proposed as neighbourhood centres located at main street junctions where a hub of local services and activities will be promoted through mixed-use buildings with street-level business frontages and office and residential apartments above. These neighbourhood focal points are intended to be pedestrian-oriented, with character buildings and complete streets that are well-connected to the surrounding areas.

• Community Facilities and Open Space areas are proposed as locations for future schools, community centres, parks, indoor and/or outdoor recreation facilities, places of worship and similar places serving the local area and/or the community of Smithville as a whole. The existing LeisurePlex Township Park in the south-west is identified with the potential for adding future indoor community facilities nearby to the existing sports fields. Based on the population growth, it is anticipated that three to four new schools may be needed. The plan provides for the central location of schools and other community facilities near parks and Commercial / Mixed use Nodes within each neighbourhood to maximize convenient access to these destinations.

• Natural Heritage System - the future places described above are laid out within a connected system of natural features and open spaces that form the proposed Natural Heritage System (NHS). The intent of the NHS is to conserve and connect key features of the natural environment, protecting habitats, biodiversity and overall health and quality of the watershed. The plan also recognizes that access to the natural environment is essential to the health and well-being of residents, and this will be promoted where trails and other compatible forms of public access to natural areas can be accommodated.

Smithville Bypass Options

The Smithville Bypass was originally identified in the 1970’s when the road was under provincial jurisdiction, at the time an alignment that ran south of the town centre was designated to protect it for a future bypass. When the road was downloaded to the Region the bypass alignment was proposed to run north of the town centre to provide strategic connections to the north of Smithville. As part of the transportation assessment testing of three different alignments is being conducted:

Key features each bypass option include:

• Option A
  This option would provide a new connection around the north of the existing settlement that would facilitate east/west trips to avoid the downtown area. It would run through the proposed Urban Boundary Expansion acting as both a local collector and through route.

• Option B
  This option would provide a northern bypass of the expanded urban area by utilising existing protected rights of way to create new connections between Regional Road 20 and Young Street.

• Option C
  This option builds on the originally envisaged bypass of Smithville that followed a Southern route around town. It would support the through movement of vehicles as well as providing an alternative connection to Regional Road 20 for the Urban Boundary Expansion in the Southwest
• • • • • •  

In addition to the traffic modeling exercise to explore downtown alternative options, the development of a set of standard street cross sections has been developed for Smithville. These designs provide cross sections for six different types of road categories expected to occur in Smithville. These cross sections have been designed to support the use of a range of different transportation modes in a safe and efficient manor, while also ensuring that the streetscape fits in with the character and feel of the town.

Concept Plans

Building on the input received during the initial community consultation, analysis conducted in the supporting studies, and requirements of Provincial, Regional and Township planning policies, two Concept Plans have been developed for Smithville.
Review the information below to learn more about the Concept Plans and the related considerations, which informed their design.

Two Concept Plans have been drafted for Smithville, both featuring complete community elements, including:

• Range of housing types;
• Complete streets;
• Mixed-use nodes;
• Compatible mix of land uses;
• Natural heritage space and open space linkages; and,
• Community facilities.

Both Concept Plans recognize that certain land and corridors in the study area have constraints to development and seek to protect and enhance the connectivity of key features of the natural environment. These areas will be refined as further information and recommendations emerge from the Subwatershed Study. Community and TAC input will also play a role in the refinement of these areas.

A key difference between the two Concept Plans is the location of future employment uses and a potential future truck bypass. Review and compare the two Concept Plans to see what else is different.

Concept Plan 1

• Concept Plan 1 directs future employment uses to the north expanding on the existing north-east employment area, with a potential future truck route/bypass shown along the northern boundary of the expansion continuing south through the existing employment area.

• Concept Plan 1 offers slightly less land for employment and mixed/use medium density uses than Concept Plan 2, while providing more land for community facilities and lower density residential uses.

Concept Plan 2

• Concept Plan 2 shifts the direction for future employment uses to the south part of the expansion area with the potential future truck bypass shown along part of a previously identified bypass alignment identified by the Province in the 1970s when Regional Road 20 (formerly Highway 20) was part of the provincial highway network.

• Concept Plan 2 offers slightly more land for employment and mixed/use medium density uses than Concept Plan 1, while providing less land for community facilities and higher density residential uses.

Community Elements

Community elements on each Concept Plan are generally categorized into the following place-types:

• Future Neighbourhoods including:

› Residential areas generally for lower density, ground-related housing, such as single detached and semi-detached housing.

› Mixed-Use / Medium Density areas for both residential and neighbourhood-oriented supporting uses along arterial and collector streets linking the core and surrounding nodes. Multi-unit housing such as townhomes and apartments, generally up to 3 storeys, would be primarily directed to these areas. Some buildings may feature ground floor business and community uses with residential above.

› Community Facilities such as larger institutional and public use buildings, such as recreation complexes, parks, libraries, schools and community centres.

› Nodes generally located at the intersection of major streets, featuring a mix of uses, with a focus on commercial uses and place-making attributes.

• Employment areas for industrial, office, and supporting businesses and facilities, providing local jobs and services.
• Open Space areas recognizing existing corridors such as 20 Mile Creek and the existing hydro corridor through the north part of the study area, as well as future potential open space linkages.

The image below shows the existing and potential future locations for community facilities such as community centres and recreation facilities, schools, libraries, parks and other community facilities, as well as how these key destinations may be accessed and connected by streets, trails and open space corridors. A linked system of parks, open spaces, trails and community facilities will help to support complete community development and access to local services and a range of recreational and active transportation opportunities. This will also help to support the conservation and connectivity of natural features and corridors. A preliminary system has been mapped and will be reviewed and refined further building on the findings of the subwatershed, servicing and transportation studies and community feedback on the Concepts.

Density and intensification (growth) will occur over multiple years and will be phased. It is important that the way we grow suits the character of our community. An overall density of a minimum of 50 people and jobs per hectare is the currently required target density across the study area to promote the efficient use of land and minimize the amount of land required to accommodate the forecast population growth to the year 2051.

The Concept Plans show existing and future streets that may be planned as ‘complete streets.’ The Growth Plan defines a ‘complete street’ as “Streets planned to balance the needs of all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit-users, and motorists.” Examples of complete street elements are illustrated below. The design of individual complete streets may vary depending on a range of factors, such as traffic volumes, the street / right-of-way width, adjacent land uses, and the modes of travel that are expected.

Review the images below to learn more about what complete streets could look like in Smithville. Visit the Niagara Region’s website to learn more about complete streets policies in our region.