Midtown is an ambitious, future-forward vision to build a vibrant, self sufficient live, work, and play community within a key rail transportation corridor in the Town of Oakville. The plan is central to the town’s ability to accommodate provincial population growth targets and create business opportunities leading up to 2051 and beyond.
Midtown will be a transit supported, walkable, mixed-use community of tall buildings, open spaces, recreational and retail amenities that will drive the future of economic growth in Oakville. A critical piece of the town’s economy for the next generation and beyond, Midtown prioritizes active modes of transportation, reduces the distance necessary to travel between home and work, a significant step in creating a complete urban community.
The Midtown Oakville Urban Growth Centre covers an area of about 103 hectares surrounding the Oakville GO Station – the busiest in the GO Transit network, outside of Union Station – and is bounded by the QEW, Chartwell Road, Cornwall Road and Sixteen Mile Creek. Metrolinx identifies Midtown as an anchor mobility hub, integrating express rail, regional rail, rapid transit and local bus services.
Midtown, currently home to 900 residents and 3,000 jobs, was among 25 provincially-designated urban growth centres identified in 2006. Through an Official Plan Amendment (OPA), Halton Region has provided a target of 65 per cent residents – totalling 13,300 people – and 35 per cent jobs – around 7,300 jobs – for Midtown.
Full build-out, expected to take more than 20 to 30 years, will meet at least the minimum density target of 200 residents and jobs combined per hectare.
Strategic location. Unique features.
The connectivity, walkability, accessibility and sustainability inherent in the Vision for Midtown will become a model for the Town of Oakville and has the potential to serve as a blueprint for other communities across the GTA.
Its mixed-use neighbourhoods will connect to the rest of Oakville, the Halton Region, the GTA and beyond through high-order transit connections, and enhancing pedestrian and cycling networks.
The community will add to and amplify Oakville’s already thriving economy built around a long list of advantages that Oakville offers, including its strong talent base fed by Sheridan College, its unparalleled quality of life and incredible connectivity, thanks to two GO stations and ready access to Highways 407, 403 and QEW.
Key sectors of growth include professional services; life sciences; digital media, ICT, and film; and advanced manufacturing. As a critical piece of the town’s economy, Midtown will provide an opportunity for continued investment and growth in these sectors.
Midtown will feature a high-quality public realm and various community spaces for its residents, workers and visitors, including parks and open spaces, urban commons, streetscapes, courtyards, pocket courts, urban squares, walkways, and bikeways.
Retail spaces are integral to the quality of the street life, and will be integrated with new buildings, combined with office space and residential units on the upper floors, including affordable and rental units. To meet density targets, plans call for extending building heights offering a seamless experience for businesses, residents and visitors.
The plan for Midtown has been shaped by community input and feedback and more public information and engagement opportunities are coming up this fall to further inform the OPA for Council’s consideration in the first half of 2023.
Midtown Oakville is not only about reimagining urban living, but also a movement towards more sustainable development and town planning. We’re building a thriving community of the future, and welcome partners and investors to help write this exciting story with us, together.
For more information, visit oakville.ca
