By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
CALEDONIA—This overhead map, shown as part of an October 2020 update on Caledonia’s Master Servicing Plan, shows the scope of development taking place across the town, with the population forecasted to nearly triple by the year 2051.
—Photo courtesy of Haldimand County.
CALEDONIA—There’s no doubt about it. Caledonia seems to be growing at light speed, with countless new houses recently built and thousands more to come in the near future. From 10 years ago to the year 2050, The Press is looking at how Haldimand’s most populous town is growing.
“The town has evolved immensely since the 60s, 70s, 80s,” said Councillor Dan Lawrence. “They always thought the south side would see the most growth, but it’s been the north side.”
In 2011, Caledonia had a population of 9,871 residents, which grew by 1,029 to 10,900 by 2016. Growth forecasts done at that time show the County expects that by the year 2051, that population will have grown to 31,000 residents, over triple the size it was just 10 years ago.
In addition to population growth, the forecast predicted that while Caledonia hosted 3,740 homes in the community in 2016, over the next 30 years this number is expected to swell to 11,540.
Many of those new homes are already well into the planning stages. In addition to the 595 homes already completed through phases 1-3 in the Avalon development, there are still 958 more residences moving through the construction process for phases 3B-8.
Other developments include McClung South, Georgia Pacific, Gateway, and Beattie Estates – accounting for yet another 2,857 residences and two apartment buildings in various stages of planning or development.
“One of our major goals has just been achieved, which is Provincial approval of Phase 1 of our Official Plan and our 30-year growth strategy. As it relates to Caledonia, this approval sees the expansion of the urban boundary towards Hamilton, which includes 260 hectares (642 acres) of additional residential lands and 87 hectares (215 acres) of additional employment lands,” explained Shannon VanDalen, Manager of Planning and Development for the County.
She continued, “These additional urban development lands will ensure we can meet our population and employment forecasts for the next 30 years. As these lands move towards development, secondary planning (which is a form of more detailed/master planning) will take place to ensure balanced, integrated, orderly, and properly phased growth takes place.”
Building off Phase 1 of their Official Plan, in the next year the County will conduct a feasibility study related to the development of a major business park in north Caledonia, which would include the employment lands that have just been added to the urban boundary.
Rapid growth requires planning to ensure the proper infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of the growing community.
To this end, County staff are working diligently on the new wastewater treatment capacity facility, on the north side of the Grand River, which VanDalen called a “major undertaking.” The County has also launched a new Community and Recreation Facilities Strategy to help plan and develop for the recreational needs of the community, with the goal of greatly expanding the options available.
“When evaluating or considering development of this scale, it is reviewed in its entirety and from a master community perspective,” said VanDalen.
Larger developments also require more planning within the development, with Empire Homes’ Avalon project being a prime example on Caledonia soil. VanDalen explained that when Empire first approached the municipality, there were several discussions prior to the development proceeding to ensure that it was suitable for Haldimand. This planning includes a focus on infrastructure, amenity space, road networks, connectivity, and respect for the land.
“With development of the Avalon subdivision, the road network was established in consultation with the County and the Grand River Conservation Authority to respect the topography of the area and to set the foundation for the housing form and underground infrastructure to ensure a safe and efficient layout,” said VanDalen.
She noted that the Avalon development incorporates a series of trails between the subdivision and features such as Seneca Park, the Rotary Riverside Trail, the Chippewa Trail, and downtown. The County intends to connect the trails in Avalon to both the Gateway and Georgia Pacific developments via the former rail corridor, linking all three developments to Argyle Street.
“Central to the Avalon development is a large community park and future school block. The central park space is situated in a location to provide a large amenity space for the whole of the development,” said VanDalen, adding that the future school will be a shared initiative between Grand Erie District School Board and Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board.
A new commercial block will host various businesses, with permitted uses including a bank, café/small restaurant, daycare, service shops, retail, and more.
“The subdivision was also designed with a road network to maximize views and vistas,” added VanDalen. “What this means is that at the ends of roads, the views you will see are more greenspace or following a housing line. Very rarely will you see an immediate or hard stop to the visual line of the road.”
The Avalon development also includes urban design components that look to ensure that the same dwelling façade is not repeated in abutting homes: “There are many style and design options to pick from for the purchaser to keep variety in the community and create a more attractive and diverse streetscape. Additionally, the zoning was established to bring the front of the houses closer to the street, while maintaining garages setback further, to promote a greater street presence and the notion of a neighbourhood.”
In order to achieve this level of development, County staff had to change land use designations in certain areas that VanDalen says “no longer fit” with the increasingly urban nature of the land surrounding Caledonia: “The changes made will allow for better community building and more integration of sites and connectivity across major development areas.”
