Wellington County’s planning and development department hopes to have a new comprehensive zoning bylaw for Mapleton Township completed by the end of this year.
Township officials wanted to replace the current bylaw, passed in 2000, because they say the document has become cumbersome.
Last March, the township approved the terms of reference for the new bylaw, which is costing the township $20,000 – with half paid in 2007 and half this year.
County Planner Linda Redmond outlined some of the details of the new comprehensive zoning bylaw for council on July 8.
She said the goal is to produce a more user-friendly final document by:
– condensing the current bylaw, including a reduction of the approximate 126 maps now used;
– making it more clear about what is expected of everyone involved;
– up to date environmental mapping;
– eliminating duplication and ambiguity; and
– conforming to the Provincial Policy Statement and the county’s official plan.
One topic Redmond said the new bylaw will address is site specific zoning, which affects over 300 properties in Mapleton.
Clerk Patty Sinnamon noted that every one of “well over 240” property owners that received a township survey by mail has responded.
“We’re really pleased with the response from those properties,” Sinnamon said.
Redmond said the new bylaw will reduce the number of site specific zoning categories by eliminating non-existent uses, introducing industrial and commercial agricultural categories, amending accessory structure regulations, and adding provisions for secondary dwellings on farm properties.
The new bylaw will also tackle the issue of wind energy, which, as Redmond stated, has drawn lots of interest in Wellington County, including Mapleton, the proposed site for the Conestogo Highlands Wind Energy Project.
But even micro (three kilowatts or less) and medium-sized (3kW to 100kW) windmills – the types commonly seen throughout the county, including on many farms – will be regulated by the new bylaw.
The next steps in developing the new bylaw include continued meetings with township staff; public open houses in August and September; and preparation of a draft bylaw and associated mapping, followed by further consultation with council and the community.
Redmond concluded by saying she hoped to present a final bylaw for council’s consideration in December.
