Official Plan Amendment 28

 Vacant Land Assessment

Staff will be conducting a detailed assessment of vacant land in the Villages over the next few months and assessing where future development would be most reasonable, if it were to occur, including an assessment of the lands that are currently within the Village boundaries. Public input regarding the assessment of vacant land and any known constraints will be valuable at this stage of the project.

Rural Village Commercial Review

Staff will also be assessing existing commercial uses to determine how they are used, and what opportunities and constraints are present for existing commercial spaces will be undertaken. A review of whether there are any opportunities or need for new commercial uses, and if so, what commercial uses the residents would benefit from will also be considered. Public input, including input from local businesses will be valuable at this stage of the project.

Village Zoning Review

Existing zoning and land use mapping may not accurately reflect the current land uses and vacant land in the Villages. Staff anticipate that there are inconsistencies between the existing planned function (zoning) and existing uses. As a result, Staff will conduct a zoning review to determine existing uses, local needs, future development opportunities and consult the public in this process.

Rural and Agricultural Policies

The Planning Department has identified the need for a comprehensive review of the Official Plan’s Rural and Agricultural policies. This review is initiated to address an accumulation of discrepancies and redundancies that were found in the Community Official Plan and Comprehensive Zoning By-law #11-83.

On-farm Diversified Uses

On-farm diversified uses are secondary to principal agricultural uses of a property and are limited in area and scope. The introduction of on-farm diversification is intended to enable farm operators to diversify and supplement their farm income and to accommodate value-added and agri-tourism uses in prime agricultural areas. Examples of on-farm diversified uses include farm gate retailing, wineries and breweries, small on-farm retail stores selling local produce and farm-related products, as well as accessory uses to on-farm diversified uses including corn mazes, wagon rides, on-site snowshoeing, skating or hiking areas. 

Rural Severance Policy Review

In January 2024, Council issued a motion tasking Staff with reassessing the rural severance policies within the Municipality.  

This follows a previous directive from August 2011, where Council requested staff to review the current severance policies along with two other options, being permitting allowing a third severance on a land holding that existed as of July 1, 1973, where the retained lot would maintain a minimum lot size of 20 ha (50 ac); and, permitting two severances on a lot that existed as of January 1, 1985. At the time, it was recommended to maintain the current rural lot creation policies. For more detailed information, please refer to the attached Building and Planning Report presented to Committee of the Whole on May 12, 2015. 

As part of the review of the severance policies, additional policies may be added to address common considerations that arise during the severance process that relate to forced roads, driveway locations, minimum and maximum lot areas for non-farm rural severances as well as the implications of ‘as-of-right’ additional residential units.