The Town of Whitby, with the assistance of a consultant team, is currently undertaking a Sustainable Community Plan for Port Whitby. This page has been established to provide information regarding the project.

Background5

The Town of Whitby has identified Port Whitby as a prime location for the development of a sustainable community plan. In the past, the area has suffered from a lack of infrastructure and low interest in development and redevelopment. However, more recently, there has been a renewed interest in Port Whitby. The Town of Whitby has identified a need to ensure lands that are redeveloped are done so in a sustainable manner. This means making transit a higher priority, reducing pollution and greenhouse gases and making more efficient use of energy and resources.

The area is situated at the most southerly terminus of downtown Whitby. It currently has a planned population of 7,000 persons. It is a major transit node for both GO Transit and Durham Transit. There is an opportunity to provide improved community benefits through residential, mixed use, commercial and recreational opportunities.

The Town of Whitby, with the assistance of Meridian Planning Consultants, are in the process of developing a sustainable community plan for Port Whitby. In seeking to develop this plan, the Town has been awarded a grant by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to complete the work and also has a number of partners contributing to the development of the plan. It is anticipated that sustainable development in Port Whitby will provide many environmental, social and economic benefits for the local community, and could be a future model for urban renewal and intensification projects elsewhere in the town.

The Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan will look at a comprehensive range of issues, including land use, transportation, built form, amenities, employment, environmental protection and municipal services. By looking at these issues together, the Town expects to find ways to promote more efficient growth patterns.

Consultant Team5

The Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan project is being led by the firm Meridian Planning Consultants and their consulting team consisting of planningAlliance, Arup, Glenn Pothier Inc., Metropolitan Knowledge International and Will Dunning Inc.

Project Work Plan5

The project will be undertaken in six (6) phases, described as follows:

• Phase 1: Consultation and Information Collection, November 2009 - March 2010
• Background Review & Analysis
• Project Open House and Workshops
• Community Profile and Best Practices Report
• Phase 2: Conceptual Development Plan and Analysis, January 2010 - June 2010
• Draft Concept Development Plans
• Community Café #1
• Energy Analysis
• Revised Concept Development Plans
• Options Sustainability Analysis
• Presentation to Planning and Development Committee
• Phase 3: Recommendations / Phase 4 : Consultation, June 2010
• Community Café #2
• Preferred Concept Development Plan
• Recommendation Report
• Phase 5: Draft Report, July 2010
• Draft Report
• Phase 6: Final Report, August 2010
• Final Report
• Presentation to Planning and Development Committee

Public Consultation5

• Open House:
• On February 22, 2010 an Open House session was held to introduce the Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan project to the public. At this session members of the public were able to review materials and data collected to date, comment and ask questions of the project team.
• Notice of Public Meeting: Open House
• Planning Report: PL 10-10
• Open House Panels
• Port Whitby Open House Presentation
• Sustainability Learning Workshop:
• On February 23, 2010 a Sustainability Learning Workshop was held for members of the public. The Workshop was an interactive seminar providing the public with an opportunity to explore and understand the opportunities provided by various sustainable measures and low impact development techniques. This session included discussion regarding the potential applicability of different sustainable measures and techniques to the Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan.
• Notice of Public Meeting: Workshop
• Planning Report: PL 10-10
• Sustainability Presentation
• Community Café #1
• On May 11, 2010 the Town hosted a Community Café at the Port Whitby Marina to seek input from the public on a series of Sustainability Concepts for Port Whitby. Information regarding draft sustainability indicators to evaluate future concept plans for Port Whitby where also provided at this session.
• Notice of Public Meeting: Community Café #1
• Planning Report: PL 44-10
• Arup Presentation
• Handout - Final
• Community Café #2
• On June 29, 2010 the Town will host Community Café #2 at the Centennial Building in Whitby. Public input on Finalized Concept Plans and the Sustainability Analysis of the Finalized Concept Plans will be sought to assist the project team in identifying a Preferred Concept Plan for the project.
• Notice of Public Meeting: Community Café #2
• Planning Report: PL 81-10
• Consultant Presentation to Planning & Development Committee
• Revised Concept Development Plans
• Options Sustainability Analysis
• Panels
• Presentation
• Handout
• Draft Final Report - Public Meeting
• Public Notice: Recommendation Report - Thu Sep 9th, 2010 @ 7:00pm
• Planning Report: PL 107-10
• Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan

Next Steps5

The Draft Final Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan report will be presented at a meeting of Council in Committee of the Whole on September 9, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Whitby Municipal Building. Please see Notice above for further information.

Additional Information/Comments/Questions5

Your Feedback is Welcome
The Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan is a project that welcomes input from anyone throughout the duration of the project. You can submit your comments by mail or email. Please reference "Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan" in your correspondence.

Interested persons may obtain information on the Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan at the Whitby Planning Department, during regular working hours, Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Further Notification:
Throughout the phases of the Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan, there will be ongoing publication of Notices of Public Meetings, Workshops, and Open Houses on the Town's website and in the newspaper.

Should you wish to receive further notification by mail regarding the Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan, please submit your request in writing, including your name, address, postal code, telephone number and email address.

• Links and Resources:
• Meridian Planning Consultants
• planningAlliance
• Arup
• Metropolitan Knowledge International
• Will Dunning Inc.

Contact5

Port Whitby Sustainable Community Plan
Planning Department
Whitby Municipal Building,
575 Rossland Rd. E.
Whitby, Ontario, L1N 2M8
Email: portwhitbyplan@whitby.ca
By Fax: 905-668-7812