development history

Pleasant View has endured a long-embattled history when it comes to development. 

In 1914 the original Pleasant View survey was laid out and from 1914 to 1952, five additional surveys were laid out in the immediate area.  Due to existing topography, natural features, and lack of municipal services, many of the planned roads were not built, some lots were left land-locked, and the surveys were only partially implemented. 

In 1970, the original 1914 Pleasant View survey was deregistered. What remains are various clusters of residential development, City-owned road allowances, as well as some legal non-conforming uses. 

In 1978, fundamental regulations and vision for Pleasant View were enacted via the provincial Parkway Belt West Plan, freezing development by limiting it to agricultural uses and existing uses.  

In 1986, to achieve conformity with the Parkway Belt West Plan (to which Pleasant View has been continuously subject to), the Town of Dundas adopted amendment OPA 13 that created a Special Policy Area for Pleasant View, which permitted limited residential development on 1 acre lots. 

In 1988, after years of well water contamination issues in Pleasant View, it was the result of local resident lobbying efforts that resulted in the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth extending piped water to existing dwellings in Pleasant View. 

In 1993, the Town of Dundas adopted OPA 23 and amended zoning by-laws to further protect Pleasant View from development. However, several groups who were seeking to develop Pleasant View appealed OPA 23 and the zoning by-laws to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). 

In 1995, again as a result of local efforts, including the instrumental work of the Conserver Society of Hamilton and District, the OMB appeal process resulted in an Order that modified OPA 23 as follows:

• No new single detached dwellings were to be constructed after August 1993, save and except on lots with a minimum lot are of 10 hectares (approx. 25 acres); and.
• “Cluster Form Development” was prohibited (This resulted in the refusal of several subdivisions that were seeking planning approvals within Pleasant View.).

In 1998, the Town of Dundas updated zoning by-law 3581-86 to reflect the OMB decision. Since the 1995 OMB decision, minimal development has occurred in Pleasant View. However, Pleasant View has not been able to rest in resisting the persistent aspiration of developers and private interest in developing the area. 

In 2010, after a two-year battle, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs announced a final refusal of a Parkway Belt West Plan amendment application for a 760-unit residential development in Pleasant View.  At the same time, the Ministry of Natural Resources ordered Pleasant View to be placed in the Niagara Escarpment Commission planning area.  This decision was described as a major step in a long effort to get clear planning rules, and protection in Pleasant View.  Ken Whitbread (manager of the Niagara Escarpment Commission at the time) said of the direction, the ultimate goal is clear.

"It's long-term protection."  "It's a protection plan.  That's the point of the NEC."

In 2013, through Niagara Escarpment Plan Amendment (NEPA) No. 179 the NEC included the area within the Niagara Escarpment Plan and designated the various lands as Escarpment Rural, Natural and Protection. In addition, the NEPA included a Special Policy Area (Policy 2.2.21) which reflects the planning framework from the 1995 OMB decision. No new dwellings are permitted on the remaining undeveloped lots and site-specific policies were put into place to recognize existing uses.

In 2019, Columbia International College (CIC) submitted an application to the NEC seeking an amendment of the Niagara Escarpment Plan to permit a 1,000-student school in Pleasant View.  Unfortunately, rather than a reuse of the 574 Northcliffe Ave. property in keeping with the size and scale of the property's historical use, CIC is pursuing a significantly more intense urban use, one that is not compatible with the small-scale rural area.  As of May 2023, this battle is on-going.

In 2021, Ontario Regulation 826 under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act was amended to include Pleasant View Survey lands within the Area of Development Control.  As a result, all new development in the Pleasant View area:

• Requires a Development Permit from the NEC, unless exempt.
• Must conform to the Niagara Escarpment Plan policies which supersede the City of Hamilton's Zoning By-laws.