Council Public Meeting - Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 6:00 p.m. - City of Richmond Hill

By GPT-4 & Parth on 2025-11-27, City: Richmond Hill, View Transcript

High-level summary

The meeting bundled multiple development proposals and planning discussions around the East Beaver Creek Secondary Plan and adjacent high-density projects along Highway 7/Lesley Street. Key actions included referrals to staff, deferrals, and ongoing public consultation, with several motions either passed or deferred as staff and council balance planning policy, transit targets, and community input.

Five most important topics discussed

1) East Beaver Creek Secondary Plan alignment and process - The council treated the discussion as a core step in the secondary plan process, with timetable notes such as “phase two, final plan by March 2027.” Public input and alignment between the application and the secondary plan were emphasized. Quote: “Council made the determination that we wanted to take a look at this area as part of a secondary plan process separately.” and “We’ve yet to encounter any specifics about the secondary plan which is to come to council for public consultation.”

2) Proposed high-density development around Highway 7 and Leslie Street (eight towers, up to ~49 storeys) - Applicants presented a dense vertical proposal with 3,773 dwelling units on multi-use land, while council considered density targets and urban form. Public remarks highlighted concerns about scale and gateway impact. Quote: “The tallest buildings are directed to the Highway 7 frontage with the lower building heights tucked towards the rear.” and “eight towers ranging from 39 to 49 stories, totaling 3,773 dwelling units.”

3) Public participation, input process, and transparency - The meetings stressed broad public involvement, including in-person and online participation with time limits for speakers. Quotes: “If you get home tonight at 2:00 in the morning ... there’s still time.” and “Your voices are very, very important. Always have been, always will be.”

4) Compliance with bylaw designations (KDA) and parkland requirements - Residents raised concerns about KDA designation and adequacy of parkland; a bylaw cited was Parkland Dedication Bylaw 132-22, which requires a 2-acre on-site park. A resident noted that the current plan “does not meet the bylaw requirement” and proposed park buffers as an alternative. Quote: “The land is large enough to support new public streets, parks, and urban open space connections. What was being proposed does not have those enough space mentioned.” and Parkland Dedication Bylaw 132-22.

5) Transit, density targets, and planning metrics (PPJ/FSI) - The discussions tied the proposal to provincial transit and density targets, including MTSA densities and PPJ metrics, with staff promising ways to translate density measures for clarity. Quotes: “This MTSA is intended to accommodate a minimum density target of 200 people in jobs per hectare.” and “All three of the options presented for the EBC secondary plan would meet or exceed that as required.”

File numbers and bylaws discussed

Opportunities for public input

Motions and outcomes (titles and outcomes)

Councillors present

Notes - The transcript set includes multiple, sometimes overlapping meetings and sections, each addressing different development proposals and planning steps. The above synthesis highlights the recurring themes, representative quotes, and formal motions that appeared across sections, focusing on topics with tangible implications for residents (density, parkland, public input, transit integration). If you’d like, I can tailor a version that focuses on a single project or a particular bylaw/file for deeper detail.

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