A Zoning By-law Amendment is a change to the Township’s Zoning By-law to permit a use or development on a specific property that is not currently permitted.
The Zoning By-law is a legal document that regulates land use within the Township, establishing permitted uses and development standards (such as building setbacks, lot coverage, parking, etc.) for specific areas or “zones”.
Click here to access the Township’s Zoning By-law 40/2016 and identify the zoning of your property.
To begin, please contact the Planning Technician at planning@get.on.ca to discuss the feasibility of the proposed application. Note: For a Zoning By-law Amendment Application to be considered, it must be in-line with the provisions of the County of Wellington Official Plan.
Click here to access the County’s Official Plan. The property’s Official Plan designation can be found using the County Index Map and associated Schedules. The land uses permitted within this designation will be outlined in the text of the document.
Once you have spoken with the Planning Department and it is confirmed that you are able to move forward with your proposal, you will need to submit a formal pre-consultation meeting request. The pre-consultation meeting is the first phase of the Mandatory Two-Phase Pre-consultation Process. Click here for more information.
Application requirements are to be outlined as part of a Two-Phase Pre-consultation process. Click here for more information. All applications must include a Planning Justification Report and Concept Plan.
The cost of a Zoning By-law Amendment Application is $6,572.00. This amount includes a $2,000.00 deposit that is refunded at the end of the process and a $4,572.00 non-refundable administration fee.
Please note: The Township uses consultants for Planning, Engineering, and Legal services. The Township’s planning processes operate on a user-fee basis. As such, all consulting costs incurred by the Township in the processing of an application are to be paid by the applicant. Additional fees may be required by external commenting agencies, such as the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) or Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO).
Zoning By-law Amendment Applications are heard and decided by Township Council.
Yes. Zoning By-law Amendment Applications are part of a public process. A Public Meeting will be held during a regularly scheduled meeting of Council, at which time the public will have the ability to attend, ask questions, and provide comment in support of or opposition to the proposal.
- Preliminary discussion of the proposed amendment to confirm feasibility
- Two-Phase Pre-consultation Process:
- Pre-consultation meeting to identify application requirements
- Preliminary review of required submission materials
- Application to be deemed complete to proceed
- Notice of complete application issued to relevant agencies and to the public
- Application is circulated to agencies and staff for review and comment
- Note: Comments are to be addressed by the applicant. Additional circulations and revisions will be required until all comments have been appropriately addressed.
- Public meeting is scheduled, and notice is provided to relevant agencies and to the public through an advertisement in the local newspaper, a letter to neighbours within 120m of the subject property, and through signage posted on the subject property
- Public Meeting held where the public has an opportunity to comment on an application
- Comments during the public meeting to be addressed and proposal to be finalized
- Final Planning Recommendation Report prepared and brought to a regular meeting of Council
- Council decision
- Note: Council may request additional information or apply conditions
- If approved, a notice of passing will be issued in the prescribed manner under the Planning Act
- Once the notice is issued, a 20-day appeal period commences
- If no appeals are received, a declaration is signed and the amendment is considered final and binding
Before submitting a Zoning By-law Amendment Application, please make sure that you have prepared the necessary submission materials identified during the Mandatory Two-Phase Pre-Consultation Process. All required materials should be uploaded to a drop box with the following naming conventions:
Document Name_Property Address_Application Type_Submission # (Example: ZBA_100TownRd_ZBA_Sub1)
Note: If the property does not have a municipal address, please use another identifier such as company or project name.
In addition to the submission requirements outlined during the pre-consultation process, depending on the type of proposed development, you will also be required to complete one or more of the following information sheets:
If the applicant is not the owner of the property, you will be required to fill out the following form:
Once you have prepared all necessary documents, you can submit your Zoning By-law Amendment Application using the following form: