Hamilton’s Elfrida Secondary Plan Explained - Updated 26-09-01
Hamilton planning and development | Updated September 1, 2026
Hamilton's Elfrida Secondary Plan: Planning Committee Backs Denial
Hamilton's Special Planning Committee has approved staff's recommendation to deny the privately initiated Elfrida Secondary Plan. That moves the municipal process forward, but it is not the same thing as a final Council decision, and the separate urban-boundary appeal remains before the Ontario Land Tribunal.
The August 25 meeting answered the next question in the Elfrida process. Planning Committee has now backed staff's recommendation to deny the privately initiated Secondary Plan.
That is a meaningful step, but I would not describe the application as finally refused by the City yet. Committee makes recommendations to Council. As of September 1, I have not found a final Council disposition on PED26152.
The Ontario Land Tribunal appeal is also a separate process. It remains active, with the Elfrida site-specific hearing scheduled to begin in January 2027.
Where things stand
What changed on August 25?
- Planning Committee approved the staff recommendations. The Committee considered PED26152 and backed the recommendation to deny the proposed Elfrida Secondary Plan amendments.
- Council has not yet been treated as final in this article. Planning Committee's recommendation still needs to remain distinct from the City's final Council disposition.
- The Ontario Land Tribunal appeal is still separate. The August committee decision on the Secondary Plan does not resolve the site's separate urban-boundary appeal.
- No new Elfrida subdivisions or homes have been approved. Urban-boundary status, servicing, future subdivision approvals and construction remain separate steps.
My read: the municipal position is now clearer than it was a week ago. Staff recommended denial and Planning Committee agreed. What has not happened is a final Council disposition or an Ontario Land Tribunal decision selecting Elfrida for urban expansion.
The proposal
What is the Elfrida Secondary Plan?
Bousfields Inc., acting for Elfrida Community Builders Group Inc., applied for an Official Plan amendment to establish a Secondary Plan for lands in Stoney Creek and Glanbrook.
A Secondary Plan provides more detailed direction for how a defined area could eventually develop, including housing, employment, roads, parks, transportation and municipal servicing. The City deemed the application complete on May 13, 2026, but the lands remain outside Hamilton's urban boundary.
The general area is bounded by Mud Street and the hydro corridor to the north, Second Road East and Hendershot Road to the east, Upper Centennial Parkway and Trinity Church Road to the west, and Golf Club Road to the south.
The boundary issue still comes first. The City's Elfrida Secondary Plan page states that these lands would need to be brought inside Hamilton's urban boundary before the Secondary Plan can move forward.
Why Committee backed denial
What were the problems with the proposed plan?
City staff described the Secondary Plan as premature because the Elfrida urban-boundary appeal remains unresolved and the site-specific Tribunal hearing is not scheduled to begin until January 2027.
PED26152 also identified deficiencies involving:
- Municipal servicing
- Natural heritage
- Land-use compatibility
- Urban design
- Transportation
- Development phasing
Planning Committee heard the public meeting record, delegations and staff's recommendation on August 25. After its consideration, Committee approved the recommendations in PED26152.
That is now the Committee position. The next municipal question is what Council does with it.
The numbers
Why do the Elfrida population figures look so different now?
There have been two related Elfrida planning processes, and the numbers should not be mixed together. The earlier urban-boundary application used much larger population, employment and density estimates than the Secondary Plan considered by Planning Committee.
| Measure | Current Secondary Plan | Earlier urban-boundary proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Population | About 64,392 people | About 114,900 people |
| Employment | About 5,975 jobs | About 14,600 jobs |
| Density | 71.79 people and jobs per hectare | About 135 people and jobs per hectare |
If you see the older 114,900-person figure elsewhere, it refers to the earlier urban-boundary proposal. It is not the population proposed in the Secondary Plan Planning Committee considered on August 25.
What happens next
The Elfrida timeline from here
August 17, 2026
The Ontario Land Tribunal ruled on the common residential land-need issues. It found a need for at least 1,600 gross developable hectares of urban-boundary expansion, but did not determine where that expansion should occur.
August 25, 2026
Special Planning Committee considered PED26152 and approved the staff recommendations, including denial of the proposed Elfrida Secondary Plan amendments.
Council decision: pending
As of September 1, I have not found a final Council disposition on PED26152. Hamilton's next scheduled Council meeting is September 9, but I will not describe the application as finally decided until the Council record confirms it.
January 18, 2027
The Elfrida Part Two Ontario Land Tribunal hearing is scheduled to begin. That hearing addresses the remaining site-specific issues in the separate urban-boundary appeal.
Keep the decisions separate
Planning Committee's vote does not finish the Elfrida story
There are several different decisions involved here. Treating them as one decision makes Elfrida sound either more approved or more dead than the public record supports.
- Staff recommendation Planning staff recommended denying the proposed Secondary Plan.
- Planning Committee recommendation Special Planning Committee approved the staff recommendations on August 25.
- Council disposition The final municipal disposition still needs to be confirmed through Council's public record.
- Urban-boundary appeal The separate Elfrida appeal remains before the Ontario Land Tribunal, with the site-specific hearing scheduled for January 2027.
- Future development approvals Even if the boundary issue were eventually resolved in favour of expansion, subdivision, servicing, infrastructure, registration and building approvals would still be required before homes could be constructed and occupied.
Ontario Land Tribunal
What did the August 17 Tribunal decision actually settle?
The Tribunal dealt with residential land-need questions shared by the Elfrida, White Church and Upper West Side urban-boundary appeals. Its finding that Hamilton requires at least 1,600 gross developable hectares answers the broader question of whether more urban land is required.
It does not answer the more important site-specific question for Elfrida: whether these particular lands should be added to the urban boundary.
The Tribunal's earlier procedural order separated the common land-need hearing from the merits of the individual proposed expansion areas. Elfrida's remaining site-specific issues are still scheduled for the January 2027 Part Two hearing.
For current buyers
Should buyers treat Elfrida as housing supply that is coming soon?
I wouldn't.
The lands remain outside Hamilton's urban boundary. Planning Committee has now backed the recommendation to deny the Secondary Plan, and the site-specific boundary appeal is still months away from its scheduled Tribunal hearing.
If you're buying today, I would make the decision using the market that exists today. What else can you buy at the same price? What have comparable homes sold for? Does the property actually fit your budget, condition requirements and timeline?
Elfrida is worth following. It is not current housing inventory.
Buyers comparing locations can review my Hamilton real estate guide and current Hamilton market information.
For nearby homeowners
What should homeowners near Elfrida watch now?
The Committee decision makes the City's current planning position clearer. It does not settle what eventually happens to these lands.
Servicing and transportation remain important, but so do natural heritage, compatibility with surrounding uses, urban design, parkland and the order in which any future development could occur.
Those issues could affect the eventual form and timing of development. They do not automatically tell you what a nearby home is worth today.
If you're selling now, value still comes back to the property itself, recent comparable sales, competing listings and what buyers are actually paying.
Homeowners considering a move can request a Hamilton home-value review.
For sellers and investors
I would not price a current property around an unresolved Elfrida outcome
Elfrida may matter to a long-term land or investment strategy. It still does not give us a guaranteed development timeline, future density or future market value.
If you're selling a house now, I would price it against current comparable sales and current competition.
If you're evaluating land affected by the proposal, that is a different exercise. The official planning documents matter, and so does advice from the appropriate planning, legal, engineering and financial professionals.
What I am watching next
The next useful update is Council
Planning Committee has now done its part. I do not think another round of speculation adds much value before the next decision.
The next thing I am watching is the Council record. If Council adopts the recommendation to deny the Secondary Plan, I will update this same article again and clearly separate that municipal decision from the continuing Ontario Land Tribunal appeal.
Where I land on it now
Planning Committee backed denial. I still would not treat Elfrida as a finished file.
The August 25 decision is important because the City's committee position is now clear. Staff recommended denial and Planning Committee agreed.
But Council still needs to be separated from Committee, and the Ontario Land Tribunal appeal is still its own process.
- Staff recommended denial
- Planning Committee backed that recommendation
- Final Council disposition remains pending
- The Tribunal has not selected Elfrida
- The site-specific hearing begins January 18, 2027
- No subdivisions or construction are approved
If I were buying nearby today, I would not pay a premium because of a future Elfrida story. If I were selling, I would not discount a current property because of it either. Make the property decision using the market and evidence we actually have today.
Sources and disclaimer
Primary sources: August 25, 2026 Special Planning Committee meeting record, City of Hamilton staff report PED26152, City of Hamilton Elfrida Secondary Plan application, City of Hamilton Elfrida urban-boundary application, and Ontario Land Tribunal case OLT-25-000591.
This article provides general real estate and planning information and includes my interpretation of the current public record. It is not legal, municipal-planning, engineering, financial or investment advice. Planning applications, recommendations, Council decisions, approvals and hearing schedules can change. Review current City of Hamilton and Ontario Land Tribunal records and obtain appropriate professional advice before making a property or investment decision.
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