Strategic Priorities
The City's current Strategic Plan was adopted by Council in 2013. The 20-year plan outlines a vision for the future of Woodstock and helps guide work planning and decision making.
In January 2023, Council directed staff to plan a Strategic Priorities workshop with Council to provide an update on progress towards the goals in the Strategic Plan, identify any new or emerging issues the City needs to address and develop an updated list of priority actions.
The Strategic Plan identifies four goals:
Community Goal: Enhance the quality of life | ||||
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Economy Goal: Create a dynamic, diversified economy | ||||
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Environment Goal: Protect and enhance our natural environment | ||||
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Fiscal Sustainability Goal: Ensure long-term financial sustainability for the city |
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Some of the initiatives underway related to the identified priorities include:
Housing
Housing Pledge
As part of their efforts to build 1.5 million new homes by 2031, the Province asked Ontario’s largest and fastest-growing municipalities to submit a housing pledge outlining the strategies, actions and initiatives they will take to achieve their housing targets. Council held a special meeting on Nov. 9, 2023 to explore gentle density strategies and brainstorm initiatives and barriers to creating more homes in Woodstock. Based on their feedback, staff prepared a draft housing pledge for their consideration. Council approved Woodstock's Housing Pledge at their meeting on Dec. 14, 2023. Municipalities who committed to reaching the target assigned to them by the Province who also submitted a Housing Pledge by Dec. 15, 2023 are eligible for a share of the $1.2 billion Building Faster Fund.
Read Woodstock's Housing Pledge
Additional Residential Units
As part of their efforts to help address the critical housing shortage in Ontario, the province has recently introduced changes that allow more property owners to add additional residential units (ARUs) to their property. ARUs are one of the ways the City can increase residential density and help achieve our housing target. Learn more about ARUs in Woodstock.
Downtown
Downtown Streetscape Master Plan
In October 2022, Council adopted the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan. The plan outlines design concepts, recommended materials, proposed phasing and cost estimates and was one of the top priorities identified in the Downtown Development Plan. Learn more about this project on the Streetscape Master Plan page.
Mayor’s Social Well-Being Task Force
The Mayor’s Social Well-Being Task Force was established to work with community partners to address the social well-being of the city and support initiatives that accelerate solutions to housing, mental health, safety and addictions issues in our community. Learn more about the task force and community partners on the task force webpage.
Boundary Adjustments
To help ensure Woodstock has enough residential and employment land to support the growth of our community, Woodstock City Council approved the establishment of a Boundary Adjustment Committee in May 2023. Find details about the proposed boundary adjustment between the City and Norwich Township on the project page.