Official Plan

The updated Official Plan is proposed to include updated residential and employment growth forecasts to 2046, as per the Official Plan for the County of Grey.

Policy directions include:

• Updating population, employment, and housing forecasts to reflect the 2021 Census figures;

• Addressing trends affecting housing and population growth, including the rise of in migration due to remote work;

• Revising population and household projections to align with the Update to the County of Grey Growth Management Strategy (County OPA 11);

• Updating the requirement for municipalities to maintain a five year supply of draft approved and registered lots available for residential development, and to maintain a fifteen year supply of vacant lands designated for residential purposes.

The updated Official Plan is proposed to include new and revised housing policy, addressing topics such as additional residential units, garden suites, social and special needs housing, affordable housing, tiny homes, and density targets in settlement areas for residential development.

Policy Directions include:

• Revised Housing and Population objectives to encourage a range and mix of housing, including affordable housing;

• Revising permissions for social & special needs housing in designated Primary Settlement Areas where essential services and supports are nearby;

• Aligning density targets for residential development in Settlement Areas with those of the County OP;

• Introducing a new subsection with criteria for the construction of tiny homes.

The updated Official Plan is proposed to reflect recent changes to the Planning Act which changes to the way municipalities regulate additional residential units. 

Maximum number of residential units in a principal building (i.e., detached house, semi detached house, or row house) and/or accessory structure, on a property with full services:

• Three (3) residential units in a principal building if no accessory structures contain any residential units;

• Two (2) residential units within a principal unit, if accessory structures on the property contain no more than one (1) residential unit;

• One (1) residential unit within an accessory structure, provided that the principal structure contains no more than two (2) residential units, and no other accessory structures contain any residential units.

The updated Official Plan will contain new policy to regulate short term rental accommodation, reflecting policy requirements of the County OP.

Policy Directions include:

• Permissions for short term rental accommodation uses in select designations (e.g., Residential, Village Centre, Inland Lake & Shoreline Area);

• Permits a short term rental accommodation in the Agricultural, Special Agricultural and Rural land use types, provided they meet requirements for on farm diversified uses

• Requirements for compliance with any additional Township regulatory framework (e.g., licensing, information, education, registration, taxation, or enforcement);

• Requires confirmation of adequate servicing for proposed short term rental accommodation;

The updated Official Plan will reflect new policy in the PPS regarding natural hazards , as well as new/revised policy in provincial and County planning policy regarding public access to shorelines and best practices for responsible shoreline development.

Policy Directions include:

• New policies require mitigation measures where development is proposed on or adjacent to lands which may be affected by hazardous forest types or wildland fire;

• Revised policies to permit the Township to secure public access to shorelines through the development process;

• Revised policy to permit the re establishment of natural shoreline buffer ;

• Expanded policy concerning requirements for archaeological assessments in areas of high archaeological potential.

The updated Official Plan will contain new policy to address climate change mitigation and adaption, reflecting the requirements of the PPS and County OP.

Policy Directions include:

• Revised policies for water resource management which consider the impacts of a changing climate on the Township’s water resources;

• Revised policies for stormwater management which encourage green infrastructure (e.g., low impact development, permeable paving surfaces, naturalized SWM facilities, etc.);

• New policies which promote climate change mitigation and adaptation (e.g., natural asset planning, use of sustainability features in lieu of parkland conveyance, promoting energy efficient design in new development)

The updated Official Plan will contain a new policy framework for new cannabis facilities, based on best practices and policy requirements of the County OP.

Policy Directions include:

• New policy to require a zoning by law amendment to establish cannabis cultivation as an agricultural use;

• Required setbacks and minimum separation distances from sensitive uses to ensure land use compatibility ;

• New policy to require that cultivation for industrial or commercial purposes must occur within an enclosed building ;

• New policy to require that new cannabis facilities are subject to site plan control , with oversight on matters such as air quality, environmental impact, traffic, landscaping, lighting, and requiring completion of technical studies.