Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan

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. 

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.

At the February 25, 2025,  Regular Meeting of Council, the HBSP and associated Official Plan Amendments were presented to and approved for adoption by Council. The Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Council Adoption Report includes the following:

• Official Plan Amendment No.2 (which includes the HBSP and the following schedules and appendices):
  • Schedule F1 - Howard Bouffard Land Use Plan
  • Schedule F2 - Howard Bouffard Natural Heritage System
  • Schedule F3 - Howard Bouffard Roads and Active Transportation Plan
  • Appendix 1 - Design Guidelines
  • Appendix 2 - Howard Bouffard Stormwater Management Plan
  • Appendix 3 - Terms of Reference, Technical Studies

Consistent with what was committed to at the public meeting, a Comment Response Matrix has been prepared that documents all comments received and a corresponding response to each comment. 

Although not recommended for approval at the February 25, 2025, Regular Meeting of Council, the following documents have been amended for consideration and will be brought back to Council once the HBSP is approved by the County of Essex:

• The Wastewater Plant Capacity Allocation Protocol
• Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment and related map

A Statutory Public Meeting was held on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, in Council Chambers. View the Report to Council, Statutory Public Meeting for the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan. There was a good turnout at the meeting with 77 attendees and a lot of written comments submitted. We appreciate the feedback provided as public consultation is an important part of the Secondary Plan process.

Prior to the meeting, a public notice was sent out to all landowners within the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan area as well as stakeholders and agencies. Use the button below to view the public notice. 

Notice of Statutory Public Meeting for the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan (Official Plan Amendment)

No decision has been made to adopt or approve the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan at the Statutory Public Meeting, but rather the purpose of the meeting was to hear and take in feedback from the public regarding the information that had been released to date.

As a result of the feedback received at the October 29, 2024, Statutory Public Meeting, Council directed administration to draft a report to summarize the feedback and how it has been addressed. The Planning Partnership consultant team in consultation with administration is reviewing the comments and will modify the Secondary Plan project package, as necessary.

This report will be sent back to Council alongside the Official Plan Amendments, Secondary Plan, and Zoning By-law for adoption. The summary response matrix documenting all comments received will be posted on this page once completed. 

The Town of LaSalle together with the Planning Partnership and team of subconsultants, gathered the feedback and information heard prior to the public planning meeting. The proposed plan attempts to factor in the input received from members of the community, residents, landowners, stakeholders, agencies, and First Nations, while balancing good planning principles established within our current Official Plan and legislative requirements.

The Secondary Plan draft information package included the items below: 

• Howard Bouffard Secondary Text and Maps in the form of an Official Plan Amendment.  

• A Zoning By-law Amendment and Maps for those property owners who choose to have their properties rezoned.  

• A Wastewater Capacity Allocation Protocol is a policy document that provides us with a criteria for assigning sanitary capacity to properties. It also provides a process for assigning additional capacity at the request of the property owner.   

• Howard Bouffard Urban Design Guidelines will provide guidance and recommendations that help shape the way the Town is to be built and organized. This includes the development of both public and private properties.  

• Additional Supporting Background Studies, including the Natural Heritage Assessment, helped to inform the preparation of the Secondary Plan.  

• A Terms of Reference document for technical studies is a guide on how to undertake the technical studies required to accompany development applications.   

• A Summary Matrix that outlines all of the comments received to date (landowner, agency, stakeholders, residents, etc.) and a list of responses to the comments 

*The information is also available for review at the LaSalle Civic Centre between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday (except holidays) at the Planning Counter on the 2nd floor. For more information, please contact the Planning Department at 519-969-7770, Ext. 1252 or Send an email to Town of LaSalle Planning Department.

Members of the public took part in a workshop on the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan on January 25, 2024. The workshop began with a presentation on the HBSP, followed by group table discussions.  

• Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan, Public Open House presentation
• Emerging Preferred Plan - January 25, 2024

Comments were accepted about the open house presentation and Emerging Preferred Plan (January 25, 2024) until Friday, February 9, 2024. A statutory public meeting is planned to be held in October 2024. Create a login on Placespeak or subscribe to the Town's News page on our website to receive project notifications and news updates. 

At the November 28, 2023, Council Meeting, an update presentation and staff report were 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 identification of the proposed natural heritage system was shared with Council, facilitated by LGL Consulting, as the natural heritage experts. A public open house together with the statutory public meeting will be held in 2024. 

• Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan: Emerging Preferred Report
• Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan: Emerging Preferred Plan Map
• Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan: Council Presentation, November 28, 2023
• Video of the November 28, 2023 Regular Meeting of LaSalle Council

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 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 the Emerging 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.

The Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan process has begun. There have been many questions about the natural heritage within the study area. A qualified consultant is completing a detailed natural heritage assessment to determine features to be protected over the long term. 

The consultant, Planning Partnership, has prepared three different options to choose from 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 -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 (ERCA), the Town of LaSalle, the 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 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  to receive comments and feedback on the Emerging Preferred Plan.

Description of Options

Option 1

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

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

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

As part of this project, a public information session was held to gather feedback from the public and agencies about the proposed Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Concept. The public engagement was open until Monday, September 25, 2023, to gather comments about options 1, 2, and 3.

A Proposed Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Boundary report was submitted to LaSalle Council on June 27, 2023, recommending the appropriate boundary for the secondary plan. See the map below for the boundary.