Whitchurch–Stouffville is divided between large areas of protected forest in the north and growing development pressures within its four main settlement areas: Ballantrae, Musselman’s Lake, Gormley, and Stouffville proper. Since 2018, the Town has advocated for Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) and settlement-area expansions on the Oak Ridges Moraine at both the regional and provincial levels. To date, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has denied these requests and directed future development to Whitchurch–Stouffville’s remaining “Whitebelt.” The area has also experienced failures in private water servicing in rural settlement areas, following a rash of contaminated wells in the late 1980s.