Milton’s population will be 355,000 by 2051

The Town of Milton is on pace to nearly triple in size over the next 30 years.

Currently sitting with a population of about 135,000, the long-term plan envisions 355,000 residents by 2051.

Much of the growth is being guided by Jill Hogan, the Town’s commissioner of Development Services, and her team.

Hogan has been in her role for more than a year after spending five years as director of planning policy and urban design. And she says the Milton we see now will be very different than what’s coming.

“Right now, in Milton, there are about 14,000 housing units in our development pipeline,” said Hogan. “Those are applications that have yet to be processed but are on the way towards it.”

In addition, currently under construction in Milton are about 2,200 units that include 660 detached and semis, 517 townhouses and 1039 apartments spread over eight buildings.

The most visible of the apartment buildings being built is the development at Derry Rd. and Ontario St. Two towers are under construction and an application has been made for another 27 townhouses on the site.

But the real jump in development will be in a pair of nodes designated as Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA).

The Milton Go Station MTSA, defined as an area that is roughly within a 10-minute walk, will see about 25,000 people once it’s fully built out and one of the first shovels will be in the ground no later than this fall.

“The tallest buildings will be around the Milton GO Station,” said Hogan. “We’re just about to break ground on a development with three buildings, 27, 29 and 31 stories.”

Hogan said once the project has begun, it takes on average around two years until completion.

“The urban growth area around the Milton GO will be completely transformed into mixed-use that will have what people need within walking distance.”

The second new growth area will be around Derry and Trafalgar, which is planned for 32,000 people in conjunction with a hoped-for new GO station.

“We anticipate a deal with Metrolinx for a new station in that area. Either way, Trafalgar Rd. is going to be a major transportation corridor in the future.”

Just south of there, at Trafalgar and Britannia Rds. in Drumquin, is a 50,000-person planned community.

“Milton is mandated to grow by the Province. Our job is to keep the character of the Town.”

Hogan said Milton is much larger, geographically, than people realize and 70 per cent of the land is protected by the Greenbelt or escarpment.

In addition to resident-focused areas, the plan for the Milton Education Village, near Tremaine Rd. and Louis St. Laurent Ave., will be to draw employers and innovators from the tech and STEM world to coordinate with Conestoga College and Laurier University.

“Attracting post-secondary institutions here is huge. We want people to feel welcome in Milton and know they can stay their whole lives here, from education to work to being a senior. Our growth is deliberate and is being planned to the extreme details.”

The Town has also produced a video of what the vision of the future looks like.