Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan

What is the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan (HBSP)?

The proposed Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan (HBSP) is a roadmap for how the Howard Bouffard area will grow in the future. It helps to inform future building locations, future land use categories, and what kind of nature to protect. The HBSP helps plan for community growth while taking care of the environment.

The proposed Official Plan Amendment includes several Town-wide Official Plan changes in addition to the HBSP. An implementing Zoning By-law Amendment is also being brought forward that will propose to hard zone those properties in keeping with the Secondary Plan designations. The study area is approximately 940 hectares, as outlined on the map below.

Goals of the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan (HBSP)

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.

Project 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.

Next Steps, October 29, 2024:

The public is invited to attend:

Statutory Public Meeting
Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Time: 4:30 pm
LaSalle Civic Centre, Council Chambers, 5950 Malden Road

A public notice will be 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.

Please note that this is a Public Planning Meeting to receive and hear comments regarding the draft documents put forward for the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Area. No decision will be made to adopt or approve the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan at the Statutory Public Meeting, but rather the purpose of the meeting is to hear and take in feedback from the public regarding the information that has been released to date.

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

Public consultation is essential to the HBSP, and we look forward to hearing your feedback. The public is encouraged to participate in the following ways:

Register to attend the meeting
Speak at the meeting
Submit written comments to be included in the Council Agenda

Use the button below to submit a participation form before noon on Friday, October 25, 2024.

Participate Here!

The information in the links below that has been provided to the public and council to lead the discussion at the statutory public meeting.

The Town of LaSalle together with the Planning Partnership and team of subconsultants, have gathered the feedback and information heard to date regarding the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan. 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 includes the items below:

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

Additional Appendices to the Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan include the Howard Bouffard Concept Plan and the Howard Bouffard Stormwater Management Plan.

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 Open new window to send an email to Town of LaSalle Planning Department.

Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Timeline

Howard Bouffard Secondary Plan Workshop, January 25, 2024

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.

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.

Project Update Presented to Council, November 28, 2023

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.

Natural Heritage System 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 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.

Natural Heritage Assessment Underway, September 22, 2023

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.

Introduction of the three options for the Emerging Preferred Plan, September 6, 2023

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.

Proposed HBSP Boundary Report, June 27, 2023

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.