Official Plan

Approved: Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Official Plan, 2025

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued a Notice of Decision to approve in part with modifications, the Town’s New Official Plan on September 25, 2025. The New Official Plan repeals and replaces, in part, the Town Official Plan, 2004 (see below), including all amendments thereto, and pursuant to By-law 2024-057-OP. The decision of the Minister is final and not subject to appeal.

The Town’s Approved New Official Plan, September 2025, is available here:

• Text – Approved September 25, 2025
• Schedules – Approved September 25, 2025

The approved Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Official Plan outlines a comprehensive land use policy framework to guide growth and development within the Town to the year 2051, including policies that establish growth management; establish protected major transit station areas; provide for a wide range of housing options and transportation options; plans for infrastructure and servicing; protect the natural heritage system and water resources; protect the agricultural system, and other matters.

Employment Areas - Decision Deferred

The Minister withheld a decision on the following matters with respect to Employment Area policies and land use designations, until such time as the Town amends the New Official Plan to conform to and implement the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024:

1. Section 3.8 Economic Development and Attracting Employment in its entirety.
2. Section 6.4.18 Community of Stouffville Business Park Area in its entirety.
3. Section 6.5.2 Community of Gormley Business Park Area in its entirety.
4. Section 6.5.3 Community of Gormley Industrial Area in its entirety.
5. Section 6.5.4 Community of Gormley General Commercial Area in its entirety.
6. Section 6.8.4 Community of Vandorf Industrial Area in its entirety.
7. The definition of Employment Area in Section 8 in its entirety
8. Schedule D Stouffville Land Use Designations, but only as it relates to the lands designated Business Park Area.
9. Schedule D-1 Western Approach Land Use Designations, but only as it relates to the lands designated Business Park Area.
10. Schedule G Vandorf Land Use Designations in its entirety.
11. Schedule H Gormley Land Use Designations in its entirety.

These Employment Area policies and land use designations have been identified as “deferred” in the New Official Plan. It is anticipated that the Town will undertake an Official Plan Amendment to review and update the Employment Area policies and land use designations in the near future. Until such time, the applicable policies of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Official Plan, 2004 continue to apply.

Ballantrae and Musselman’s Lake

The Town’s New Official Plan does not include land use designation and servicing policies for the communities of Ballantrae and Musselman’s Lake which were approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal on January 31, 2025, through Official Plan Amendment 136, as modified.

As such, the policies which were not repealed through By-law 2024-057-OP, have been updated in the Town’s Official Plan, 2004 (April 2025 Office Consolidation), and continue to apply. It is anticipated that the Town will update and consolidate the policies in the New Official Plan at a later date.

York Region Official Plan

The York Region Official Plan was approved as modified by the Province on November 4, 2022. On July 1, 2024, the Region of York was deemed an upper tier without planning responsibilities (Bill 185). As per S. 70.13 (2) of the Planning Act, an official plan of an upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities that are in effect are deemed to constitute an official plan of the lower-tier municipality, and the York Region Official Plan remains in effect until the lower-tier municipality revokes or amends it to provide otherwise. As such, the policies of the York Region Official Plan continue to apply at this time and are administered by the Town, as they relate to planning matters.

In the case of a conflict between the policies of the Town’s Official Plan and the York Region Official Plan, the policies of the York Region Official Plan will prevail until the Town amends or revokes all or applicable conflicting parts of the York Region Official Plan. It is anticipated that the Town will revoke the York Region Official Plan, once the Town’s Official Plan has been updated, as required.

All planning decisions and applications that have been deemed complete after September 25, 2025 must conform to the Town’s New Official Plan, September 2025.  Should you have any questions regarding the status of the Town’s Official Plan, please contact the Policy Planning Division for further information.

For further information on the Town’s New Official Plan, please visit the Official Plan Review webpage at: www.cometogetherws.ca/opr

Former Official Plan, 2004 (Repealed in Part)

The following provides the April 2025 Consolidation of the Town’s Official Plan, 2004, which has been repealed in part, with the exception of the matters identified above for which a Decision was withheld on the Town’s New Approved Official Plan, September 2025.

Sections 1 to 9 of the Consolidation contain the Official Plan Policies that are primarily applicable to the rural / agricultural area of the Town. These sections include the vision, principles and objectives as well as the schedules for this area of the Town.

Sections 10 to 13 of the Consolidation contain the Secondary Plans, which consist of detailed land use plans and policies for the communities of Stouffville and Ballantrae-Musselman Lake, the Gormley Industrial Area and the Vandorf - Preston Lake Area.