Brookswood-Fernridge Community Plan

In 2016, Council launched a planning and engagement process to update the 1987 Brookswood-Fernridge community plan. Through community consultation, workshops, dialogue sessions, open houses, and Public Hearings, residents and stakeholders helped shape the new Brookswood-Fernridge community plan, which was adopted on October 23, 2017.

Latest news

Update: January 22, 2019

With the adoption of the new Brookswood-Fernridge community plan, and with Council direction and endorsement of the Project Terms of Reference (as amended), staff have commenced with the preparation of neighbourhood plans, for Booth, Fernridge and Rinn, in the south and east portions of the community.

For detailed information, latest news updates, and frequently asked questions regarding the neighbourhood plans, please visit the new Brookswood-Fernridge neighbourhood plans page.

Residents are also encouraged to sign up for email notifications at tol.ca/eNews by creating an account and opting in to the ‘Brookswood-Fernridge plans’ notifications list. Please note, if you were subscribed to the original 2016 email list, and have not created at a TOL online account and opted in, you will need to do so in order to continue receiving email notifications as per Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation.

As a preliminary step prior to the initiation of neighbourhood planning process, an environmental assessment is being completed. This environmental assessment began in July 2018 and is expected to take approximately 10 to 12 months, with a final report due in spring 2019.

Going forward, all communications regarding the Brookswood-Fernridge neighbourhood planning process will be posted to tol.ca/bfnp.

Update: March 16, 2018 (Cedar Creek Estates Manufactured Home Park)

This update relates to the proposed Bylaw No. 5320, a bylaw to change the land use designation in the Brookswood-Fernridge community plan for the property located at 3031 – 200 Street (Cedar Creek Estates) from ‘Single Family 3’ to ‘Manufactured Home Park’. An information sheet is available below to clarify the status of the proposed bylaw and the rezoning application by the property owner.

Update: November 7, 2017

PLEASE NOTE: Tree Protection Bylaw 2017 No. 5301 which was adopted on November 6, 2017 has been replaced with a Township-wide Tree Protection Bylaw 2019 No. 5478, adopted on July 8, 2019. Please visit www.tol.ca/treeprotection for more information.

On November 6, Council unanimously approved and adopted Tree Protection Bylaw 2017 NO.5301 (repealed and replaced by Tree Protection Bylaw 2019 No. 5478). This bylaw is unprecedented in the Township and unique to Brookswood-Fernridge. This bylaw covers not only all aspects of tree removal, but also treatment of a tree, root pruning, protection barriers, replacement, and other important points, including enforcement, conviction, and fines.

Update: October 25, 2017

On Monday, October 23, Council adopted the Brookswood-Fernridge community plan, with amendments.

With the adoption of a new community plan, and the upcoming neighbourhood planning process, there will be many opportunities for residents and stakeholders to be involved and shape the future of Brookswood-Fernridge.

Updates will continue to be posted on this web page, and we encourage you to sign up for our new email notification system to receive important information directly to your inbox.

Questions regarding next steps and the neighbourhood planning process? Take a look at the most frequent questions and answers below and let us know if you have a question that has not yet been answered by emailing brfrcp@tol.ca.

What happens next?

Council has directed staff to commence neighbourhood plans for the Booth, Fernridge, and Rinn Neighbourhoods.

One of the first steps in the neighbourhood planning process will be to conduct environmental network planning to identify priorities for restoration and enhancement of important environmental and natural assets that support biodiversity. An updated mapping inventory of environmental features and ecological assets will be completed, including vegetation types and structures, watercourses and associated classifications, and the spatial relationships between these features in the landscape and their role in ecosystem processes (see Section 9.1, Policy 4 of the Brookswood-Fernridge Community Plan).

Other initial steps in the neighbourhood planning process will be confirmed in the future. Please stay tuned.

Why are three neighbourhood plans starting at the same time rather than one at a time?

Based on Council direction on October 23, 2017, neighbourhood planning will commence in three neighbourhoods: Booth, Fernridge and Rinn. The direction is consistent with Section 9.1, Policy 7, to give priority to development proposals in Booth and Rinn that interface with the existing developed area of Brookswood. In addition, Fernridge is readily serviced by municipal services.

How long will the neighbourhood plans take to complete?

A typical neighbourhood plan will take between approximately 12 to 18 months to complete. The exact timing will vary depending on many variables, such as the level of public engagement and the complexity of engineering servicing analyses. In this case, due to the significant amount of work previously undertaken and available information, the process is expected to be completed sooner.

What changes can we expect to see in our neighbourhoods in 2018?

With the approval of the new Community Plan, large scale development will not happen overnight in Brookswood-Fernridge. However, as of October 23, 2017, the Township has received 14 complete development applications in Brookswood-Fernridge (some of these applications have been “in-stream” for over two years). As these applications are approved by Council, some development activity is expected in the area.

More questions about the neighbourhood planning process? Check out the Township planning video sketch series.

Stay connected

Keep up-to-date on the community plan update, including announcements about future public engagement activities, by subscribing for email updates.