Stouffville council passes Hwy. 48 Subdivision Plan, but not without debate over the community centre

By Gene Pereira, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Whitchurch-Stouffville Town Council has officially granted draft plan approval for the vast Kingsmen (Stouffville) Inc. residential development south of Stouffville Road between Highway 48 and McCowan Road.

While the approval marks a major milestone for growth within the provincial Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) lands, the decision did not come without sharp debate—specifically over a novel proposal to repurpose the developer’s temporary sales centre into a future municipal community space.

Located at 11776, 11822, and 11882 Highway 48 within the Oak Ridges Moraine, the 773-unit Kingsmen master-planned subdivision represents a key component of the town’s expanding settlement boundary. The approved plan includes a balance of much-needed housing and local amenities.

There will be a total of 773 residential units, comprising 272 single-detached homes, 28 townhouses, 299 medium-density units, and 152 high-density units.

The new community will include blocks reserved for a future elementary school, a neighbourhood commercial centre (CM2 zoning allowing for up to 700 square metres of retail, food, and medical space), and dedicated public parkland.

The development will also ensure environmental protection, including designated blocks for stormwater management and natural heritage protection along the Oak Ridges Moraine.

While a full, standalone community centre is written into the town’s 10-year capital plan for the area, funding constraints mean a permanent build is years away. To bridge the gap, staff negotiated an agreement with the developer to construct a high-quality, 4,000-square-foot sales centre designed to be handed over to the town on or before January 2, 2036, for municipal community use.

The interim plan sparked a debate around the council table, highlighting contrasting views on municipal flexibility versus public oversight.

The majority of the council viewed the agreement as a practical, forward-thinking solution that delivers public space without an immediate burden on taxpayers.

Emphasized was the timing mismatch between housing completion and long-term capital builds.

“The Region Master Plan identifies a major community centre. In a perfect world, that would be open in 2031,” said Sunny Bain, Chief Administrative Officer. “We know with the collection of development charges, we’re way further than that… When we look at the opportunity to use the sales office as a community space, which will be adjacent to, down the line, a community centre, and schools, it’s the chicken and egg. We’re going to have residents in that area that are going to be looking for services, and this gives us a really excellent short-term solution until we have the major hub there for later use.”

The facility, noted Dwayne Tapp, Director of Development Services, was deliberately planned rather than added as an afterthought.

“The proposed location of this site is going to be to the north of our long-term planning facility, which, when we have the capital to do so, we’ll do so, but at this time, this represents an efficient use of available resources that we have in the short term,” he said.

Voicing his support was Ward 1 Councillor Hugo Kroon, who praised the avoidance of typical developer waste.

“This is the perfect opportunity to get a purpose-built facility that we can utilize for uses, as the report notes, not yet determined, but the staff will be able to find a good use for it,” said Kroon of the sales centre.

“A lot of sales centres get built in subdivisions, and they get built shoddily, and then when they are done, they just drive a bulldozer through them, which for me is a complete waste,” added the Ward 1 councillor. “If this builder is suggesting an offer to build a facility that we can take over and meets our needs… then I see absolutely no reason why we wouldn’t do this. It will be a beautiful building that we’ll be proud to call one of our assets.”

Also throwing his backing behind the project was Ward 2 Councillor Maurice Smith.

“I am a great supporter of this project, and, where we’re heading, I certainly support staff involvement, and I would just like to put on the floor at the moment to please think library because we could use it right in this particular project,” he said.

Ward 6 Councillor Sue Sherban was the lone vote against the motion, expressing her frustration over how the deal was negotiated outside of direct Council and public discussion.

“There are a number of issues that the community is aware that I don’t support in that MZO for this project to start with,” said Sherban. “Having said that, I am more disappointed as I read through this report and saw the comments of agreement of transfer of building to town on or before Jan. 2, 2036… As I read this, it concerned me that we’re doing things that are outside of the public input, the public realm, as to something that we would like to negotiate. I wasn’t aware of this prior to reading this report.”

“First, we had MZO. It was approved,” she added. “Nobody here needed to approve it because it was done by the province. We’ve delegated authority, so now we’ve added to that. That we’re going to build community centres in it. Elected officials who represent residents are getting less voice at the council table, and I believe we need to pull this back… I feel that it was important that our community know and understand that going forward.”

Despite Sherban’s vote, the draft plan approval passed, clearing the way for site servicing and infrastructure works. While major site-wide infrastructure is targeted ahead of early development phases toward 2028, the decision ensures that when residents eventually move into the 773 homes, a temporary community footprint will be ready to serve them as the municipality works toward its long-term vision.