Update: November 30, 2023

At the November 28 Council Meeting, an update presentation and staff report was provided to Council on the status of the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan project. The purpose of the report and presentation was to inform Council of the work completed to date and to share the draft emerging preferred plan for review and information. As part of the presentation, the development and delineation of the proposed natural heritage system was shared with Council, facilitated by LGL Consulting as the natural heritage experts. A public open house along with the statutory public meeting will be held in the first quarter of 2024. 

Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan: Emerging Preferred Report

Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan: Emerging Preferred Plan Map

Howard Bouffard Secondry Plan: Council Presentation, November 28, 2023

Video of the November 28, 2023 Regular Meeting of LaSalle Council

Update: October 3, 2023

Thank you for your continued participation in the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Project. The input we receive from the community is a valuable component of the overall project. A few important points of clarification regarding the Natural Heritage System, given the comments received:

  • The options currently proposed online are options to be considered as part of the process, they do not represent the recommended plan for the Howard Bouffard Area.
  • The options presented online incorporate the Natural Heritage System that is based on the Official Plan and includes the features that currently enjoy a certain level of protection.
  • A more robust, detailed natural heritage assessment by a qualified consultant is underway to ensure that natural features found within the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Area are appropriately defined and protected.
  • This work requires that available information from the Essex Region Conservation Authority, Town of LaSalle, County of Essex and other stakeholders be assembled and assessed according to provincial and local criteria for significance.
  • Once the core natural features are identified, they will be included in a Natural Heritage System for the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Area and will be linked with policies developed as part of the secondary plan to protect the features and their functions over the long-term.

The following provides some information regarding the future public consultation components as part of the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Process:

  • Public Consultation is an integral component of the Secondary Plan Process. This process has only just begun.
  • A Public Open House (in-person and on PlaceSpeak) will be held in early 2024 to receive comments and feedback on the Emerging Preferred Plan.
  • This future Public Open House will be held as a means to gather feedback from the public, agencies and stakeholders regarding theEmerging Preferred Plan for Howard Bouffard, which will ultimately incorporate a Natural Heritage System supported by a qualified environmental consultant.
  • The Statutory Public Meeting, as part of the Official Plan Amendment, will also be held in 2024. Members of the public will be encouraged to attend this meeting and provide feedback if interested.
  • The Emerging Preferred Plan will be re-evaluated following the comments received from the Public Open House and the Statutory Public Meeting and the plan will be revised if deemed appropriate by the consultant team and municipality.

Update: September 22, 2023

The Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan process has just started. There have been many questions about the natural heritage within the defined area.   A qualified consultant is currently completing a detailed natural heritage assessment to determine features to be protected over the long term. We have added some additional information in the Natural Heritage System section below. 

Update: September 6, 2023

The Planning Partnership has recently prepared three different options for consideration related to the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan. 

  • Option 1 is based on the existing, previously approved, Secondary Plan.
  • Option 2 represents the landowners preferred concept for their individual land holdings.
  • Option 3 provides a third alternative for consideration.
Natural Heritage System 
The Natural Heritage System (NHS) shown within each option has been taken from the Town of LaSalle’s current Official Plan. The appropriate NHS is still being confirmed by the natural heritage consultant and will be refined as part of the Secondary Plan Process.
  • A detailed natural heritage assessment by a qualified consultant is underway to ensure that natural features found within the Howard Bouffard area are defined and protected.
  • This work requires that available information from the Essex Region Conservation Authority, Town of LaSalle, County of Essex and other stakeholders be assembled and assessed according to provincial and local criteria for significance.
  • Once the core natural features are identified, they will be included in a natural heritage system and policies will then be developed as part of the secondary plan process to protect the features and their functions over the long term.

The goal is to obtain feedback related to Options 1, 2 and 3 and to develop a final option that incorporates elements of all three options provided they are grounded in sound land use planning principles. The final option will be prepared in November, and reviewed by the landowners, Council, and the public as the Emerging Preferred Plan. A Public Open House (in-person and on PlaceSpeak) will be held in early 2024 to receive comments and feedback on the Emerging Preferred Plan.

Description of Options

Option 1
Map of Option 1 of Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan

Option 1 (PDF) is based on the existing Secondary Plan. The Natural Heritage System is based on the Official Plan’s mapping and is subject to refinement being carried out as part of this Update. In this option, the centre of the area is a mixed-use node located on Laurier Parkway opposite the Vollmer Centre. The Option includes 3 elementary schools (2 more in the white areas excluded from the Secondary Plan) and one existing secondary school on Malden Road. Yellow on the option indicates primarily single detached residential with some semi-detached housing.  Pink indicates business park uses with some areas reconsidered for mixed use or residential. Parks are located next to elementary schools.  

Option 2

Map of Option 2 of Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan

Option 2 (PDF) represents a compilation of concepts prepared by  developer/owners with significant land areas in the Secondary Plan. Laurier Parkway is conceived as a mixed-use corridor where higher density housing, commercial, retail and institutional uses can be located. This Option includes several locations for high density housing. There are two elementary schools distributed across the area and two in white areas excluded from the Secondary Plan. There is an existing high school on Malden Road.  

Option 3

Map of Option 3 of Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan

In Option 3 (PDF), Laurier Parkway is conceived as a mixed-use corridor where higher density housing, commercial, retail and institutional uses can be located.  Reaume Road is a focus for mid-rise residential and two of the elementary schools. Yellow indicates areas for single and semi detached housing and the gold indicates areas for mid-rise residential buildings  up to 12 storeys. Option 3 illustrates a park system that creates better connections with the natural heritage system and storm water management features. The option includes 4 elementary schools (2 more in the white areas excluded from the Secondary Plan) and one existing secondary school. 

View the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Handout to see a comparison between options 1, 2 and 3. The Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Land Use Options and Evaluation Presentation provides more information about the three options presented in Phase Two of the project.   

Public Consultation

Public Consultation is an integral component of the Secondary Plan Process.  As part of this project a public information session will be held as a means to gather feedback from the public and agencies regarding the proposed Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Concept. From now until Monday, September 25, 2023, we are accepting comments about options 1, 2 and 3.  There will be additional opportunities for consultation and feedback once the Emerging Preferred Plan is established. The Statutory Public Meeting, as part of the Official Plan Amendment, will be held in early 2024. Members of the public will be encouraged to attend this meeting and provide feedback if interested. 

The Town will be using PlaceSpeak, an online consultation platform that gives the community the opportunity to give us their ideas, thoughts and opinions about the project. Please take some time to participate and review the project Resources and share your comments with us.

To participate through PlaceSpeak, the participant will need to create a PlaceSpeak account. This account only needs to be created once, and then the participant will have access to other Town of LaSalle consultation projects, as well as any other projects that are posted to PlaceSpeak. The participant’s address is never displayed to other users or the administrators of the consultation. Addresses are collected to allow the administrators to know where the respondents live. Read more in the PlaceSpeak privacy policy.

Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Background Information

The Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan will build upon the former Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan (2002) and will include updated land-use goals and policies for the area that support a comprehensive, coordinated growth management strategy. The secondary plan project will contemplate and review the distribution of appropriate densities, overall sanitary allocation, a rational road pattern including active transportation facilities and appropriate transit corridors, delivery of parkland and potential schools sites, the protection and preservation of existing natural heritage as well as the identification of an appropriate natural heritage system. 

The following provides some general goals and intended outcomes associated with adopting a Secondary Plan:

  • To develop more detailed goals and policies for the development of a greenfield area within the urban boundary
  • To ensure land use planning is informed by and integrated with traffic, stormwater and servicing plans as well as natural heritage considerations in a coordinated way
  • To consult with the community and provide opportunities for meaningful participation
  • Sets out a specified land use policy direction/growth management strategy for a secondary plan area
  • Used to promote the orderly and appropriate development of vacant lands and establish the pattern and direction of future urban development
  • Forms part of the overall Official Plan for the municipality

A report was presented to LaSalle Council on April 25, 2023 to obtain a resolution in support of initiation of the Secondary Plan for Howard Bouffard. 

Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Boundary Map

Map of the Town of LaSalle identifying Howard and Bouffard area.

A report was submitted to LaSalle Council on June 27, 2023 recommending the appropriate boundary for the secondary plan.

Contracted Consultant

The Planning Partnership has been contracted to assist the Town of LaSalle with the preparation of the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan. The Planning Partnership is a land-use planning consultancy firm based out of the City of Toronto, that provides a full range of consulting services to both public and private sector clients. The firm maintains a diverse set of expertise in urban planning, urban design, policy development, landscape architecture, public consultation, and communication.