Private Partnerships
Increasingly, the public realm is being enhanced through Privately-Owned Public Spaces (POPS). POPS are open/landscaped spaces that are privately owned and maintained but legally required to be open and accessible to the public. 18 They are typically provided in exchange for additional height and density and often feature public art pieces, street furniture, and landscaping. Although POPS contribute to the public realm – particularly in urban environments – most municipalities consider them to be insufficient as parkland. However, since the passing of Bill 23, POPS and encumbered lands (e.g., public spaces developed on parking garages) must now be accepted as parkland conveyance. The Province has not released details or direction on an appropriate value for municipalities to credit POPS toward parkland dedication requirements. A look at other municipalities’ requirements related to POPS could provide insight for the Town in developing its own POPS policy. For example, the City of Mississauga’s 2019 Parks and Forestry Master Plan recommends covenanting these private lands as public space and requiring the building and maintenance of POPS to meet municipal standards and specifications. The City of Toronto also has extensive urban design guidelines for the provision of POPS that can be a good resource for the Town.
18 https://www.oba.org/Sections/Municipal-Law/ Articles/Articles-2023/June-2023/From-Plazas- To-Parkland-Ontario%E2%80%99s-Bill-23-and
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Appendix D
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