I get through each day without you because of the love we shared (Unknown).
Now that I was feeling reasonably comfortable with the Water Committee, I thought I needed to focus on the Town Planning Committee.
I found out that the Town Planning Committee is a committee of a town municipality responsible for guiding how land is used and developed in an orderly, sustainable, and lawful way. Its core functions typically include:
- Reviewing Development Applications: Examines proposals for new housing, commercial buildings, industrial developments, subdivisions, and major renovations;
- Preparing and Updating Town Plans: Helps develop and revise the municipality’s land-use plans, zoning schemes, and long-term development strategies;
- Making Recommendations to the Municipal Council: Reviews planning applications and advises the council on whether they should be approved, modified, or rejected;
- Overseeing Zoning and Land-Use Compliance: Ensures developments comply with zoning regulations, building setbacks, density limits, and other planning requirements;
- Protecting Public Interests: Considers the impact of developments on traffic, public safety, the environment, heritage sites, public amenities, and neighboring properties;
- Public Consultation: Organizes or considers public input on significant planning proposals, allowing residents and stakeholders to express support or concerns;
- Coordinating Infrastructure Planning: Ensures that new developments are supported by adequate roads, water supply, sewerage, drainage, electricity, parks, and other public services; and
- Promoting Sustainable Development: Encourages balanced economic growth while protecting environmental and social interests.
It was important for me to understand that:
- The committee does not make the final decision on major planning matters. Instead, it evaluates proposals and makes recommendations, while the municipal council or another legally designated authority makes the final determination.
I had to call Frank and ask him if there are any standards to follow when I will review the Development Applications? He said, of course, there are standards to be followed to review every aspect of the development application. I said in that case, I need a copy of those standards, Frank. He said, why don’t you swing by and have a cup of coffee with me. I will make a copy of those standards for you. I said, please give me 10 minutes.
The time I got to Frank’s office, I found him on the phone. As soon as he saw me, he waved at me to come in and sit in one of the chairs across from him. Once he finished talking on the phone, he shook hands with me and said, congratulations. I said – What are you talking about? He said Don got the report from the Water Committee that you di very well in the meeting. Asked some pointed questions and acted as you were serving the committee for a while. Don was told that you were well received by the Committee members who have been serving for years. I said, they were very kind to me.
He opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a folder with the standards which I came here for. He gave it to me and said let’s go into the meeting room and he shouted at the girl at the front desk to bring a couple of cups of coffee for us. She knew that I take a black coffee, too.
When we got our coffee, I said, I was reading somewhere that a development application must be reviewed on the generally established standards, policies, and legal requirements that guide the review. Frank said what I have given you is a complete document which deals with all those things that you mentioned.
I said, Frank, you know that I don’t have any background the land development or building houses, and do you think I would be able to handle the committee? Franks said, the folks who applied for the permit know very well how to make sure that every requirement is met. While you must browse the application and double-check the requirements, we never ever found any major requirement was missed in any applications that came to our office. No, you don’t have to have any architectural experience, Mir. He continued, you should know that before the application for development comes to you or the members of your committee, it had to be scanned and reviewed by the staff, and typically they will catch anything missed by the applicants. It was indeed an excellent piece of information to know about the staff review. I thanked again Frank before I grabbed a copy of the documentation which Frank had prepared for me.
Frank said just so you know that when Don heard from the chairman of the Water Committee about you, he walked in my office and said to me that he made a right decision to select you for the committee. I said I am glad and just so you also know that I will try my best not to let you both down.
When I came back home, I sat in my favourite chair in our living room before I started looking at the documentation that Frank had provided me with. I wanted to dedicate my time to review the document before Lynda gets back from wherever she was, and I learned that a development application is typically assessed against:
- Provincial Legislation:
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- Planning Act;
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- Development Charges Act, 1997 (where applicable); and
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- Other applicable provincial legislation (e.g., Environmental or heritage laws).
- Provincial Planning Policies:
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- Provincial Planning Statement, which sets province-wide land use planning policies.
- Municipal Planning Documents:
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- The municipality’s Official Plan;
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- Secondary Plans, where applicable; and
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- Community or neighbourhood plans.
- Zoning Regulations:
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- Applicable Zoning By-law; and
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- Required variances or rezoning requests.
- Urban Design Standards:
These may include:
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- Building placement and massing;
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- Streetscape compatibility;
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- Public realm improvements;
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- Accessibility;
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- Landscaping; and
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- Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).
- Engineering and Infrastructure Standards:
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- Stormwater management;
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- Water and wastewater servicing;
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- Transportation impacts;
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- Road design;
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- Fire access; and
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- Utilities.
- Environmental Considerations:
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- Natural heritage protection;
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- Tree preservation;
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- Floodplain constraints; and
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- Environmental Impact Studies, if required.
- Technical Studies:
Depending on the proposal, municipalities may require:
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- Traffic Impact Study;
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- Planning Justification Report;
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- Functional Servicing Report;
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- Geotechnical Report;
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- Noise Study;
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- Environmental Site Assessment;
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- Archaeological Assessment;
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- Heritage Impact Assessment; and
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- Shadow or Wind Studies.
- Public Interest and Compatibility
Reviewers often consider:
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- Compatibility with surrounding development;
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- Housing needs;
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- Public comments;
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- Effects on neighbouring properties;
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- Parks and community services; and
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- Economic development objectives.
- Agency and Departmental Comments:
Input may be sought from:
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- Internal municipal departments (planning, engineering, parks, fire, transportation);
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- Conservation authorities (where applicable);
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- School boards;
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- Utility companies;
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- Provincial ministries; and
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- Other external agencies.
At the end of my review of the documents, I thought about what the principles of a good planning review should be and decided to write it down:
- Consistent with applicable legislation and planning policy;
- Evidence-based, relying on technical studies where required;
- Transparent, with reasons documented for recommendations;
- Procedurally fair, giving applicants and the public appropriate opportunities to participate; and
- Consistent with previous decisions unless there is a planning basis for a different outcome.
As soon as I finished writing it down, Lynda walked in and asked me why I was so contemplative. I said, I have just gone through a quick review of the documentation designed to help review the applications for developing a property in Sidney. It’s unbelievably extensive, but the good news is that the staff who are trained for the job review thoroughly before they send it to us for our review. Lynda said, it only makes sense. I said the question that comes to my mind is why they should be bothered with having a group of folks involved in the name of the Town Planning Committee. Lynda said, perhaps the town wanted to demonstrate to the public that there are folks like you who are involved in the process to finalize the review and help approve the application. Lynda said, I think it’s indeed a meaningful practice to seek public blessings.
We decided to go for a walk.
