Community improvement includes all those activities both public and private, which maintain, rehabilitate and redevelop the existing physical environment of the community in order to create a more pleasant community in which to live. Part IV of the Planning Act shall apply to all community improvement projects.
(a) To maintain and improve the rural character of all areas of Armour Township.
(b) To reduce or eliminate any deficiencies in municipal hard services.
(c) To provide an atmosphere in which private maintenance, rehabilitation and renewal can be undertaken to the advantage of the municipality as a whole.
(d) To provide improved opportunities for recreational and social interaction within the municipality.
(a) Community improvement may include:
(i) upgrading or providing municipal hard services such as roads to existing developed areas of the community;
(ii) upgrading or providing additional recreational facilities and lands where it is considered advantageous to serve the residents of the municipality and surrounding areas;
(iii) providing and expanding upon facilities required for social interaction;
(iv) rehabilitation and renewal of existing buildings and structures;
(v) elimination or reduction of the impact of non-conforming uses and uses having negative impact upon surrounding uses; and
(vi) stimulation of the awareness of the potential for commercial and industrial development in the community.
(b) The selection of specific renewal programs or works must be undertaken in a logical and concise manner in order to ensure that the Township's objectives can be met within budgetary, temporal and manpower constraints. Selection of the community improvement project shall be based on the following:
(i) the condition and/or appearance of buildings, landscaping or other site features indicates that physical improvements are necessary to meet community standards;
(ii) municipal hard services such as roads are substandard or inadequate in providing for a specific area;
(iii) there are inadequacies in the municipal circulation system creating conflicts and/or dangerous conditions for vehicular and pedestrian movement;
(iv) municipal recreational services and facilities do not serve their intended function, due to deterioration, inadequate size or non-existence;
(vii) the size, location or type of signage is inappropriate or is in a state of disrepair and requiring maintenance;
(viii) pedestrian accessibility and circulation is considered inadequate or disorganized.
(c) Pursuant to Section 28(2) of the Planning Act, Council may, by by-law, designate the whole or any part of an area covered by this Official Plan as a community improvement project area.
(d) In addition to the criteria used in the selection of community improvements, the following shall be considered when identifying priorities for the phasing of community improvements:
(i) prior to undertaking any community improvement, Council shall be satisfied that it can reasonable finance and afford the Township's share of costs associated with the required improvement;
(ii) the improvements which will most substantially increase the well-being, safety, stability and aesthetic quality of the community shall be undertaken first;
(iii) the importance of the improvements shall be determined with reference to comments received from the landowners/residents at advertised public meetings under Section 17 of the Planning Act; and,
(iv) community improvements shall be undertaken so as to minimize disruption or negative impact upon surrounding neighbourhoods and properties.
(e) The Township of Armour has a variety of means available in which to implement the goals and projects of Community Improvement. The following detail a few of these methods:
(i) participation and support in federal and provincial community improvement programs;
(ii) use of municipal authority granted under Section 28 of the Planning Act to designate by By-law, community improvement project areas, adopt community improvement plans, and acquire and service land, which are approved by the Ministries of Municipal Affairs and Housing;
(iii) encouragement of infill development;
(iv) enforcement of property standards by-law;
(v) continued support for historical preservation through the application of the Heritage Act;
(vi) co-operation with school boards, service clubs, businessmen, industrialists, etc. to provide new facilities, redevelopment projects or new services in the Township; and
(vii) encouragement of the rehabilitation or private buildings by advising owners of government incentives and programs.
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5.2.1Council shall enforce by-laws pursuant to Sections 31 through 33 of the Planning Act, for the following purposes:
(a) Setting forth Property Standards for the maintenance and occupancy of all property within Armour Township;
(b) Prohibiting the use, or occupancy, of any property that does not conform to these standards;
(c) Requiring property to be repaired and maintained to comply with those standards; and,
(d) Requiring lands cleared of buildings, or structures to be left in a graded and levelled condition and free from debris or refuse.
5.2.2Council shall endeavour to raise the standards of new development, both intrinsically and in relation to the immediate environment, through the strengthening and wider application of Site Plan Control policies, pursuant to the Planning Act.
5.2.3On its own initiative, and complementary to the enforcement of Property Standards on private properties, Council shall undertake to keep in a fit and well maintained condition all municipal properties and structures and to provide, or maintain in good repair, such municipal services as roads, and other public works.
Certain sites and structures of historic and architectural value in the Township of Armour should be preserved. These features are unique and all too often irreplaceable. Therefore, it is the objective of Council to preserve and enhance structures, buildings and properties of historical, cultural and architectural significance.
(a) All new development permitted by the land use policies and designations of this plan shall have regard for heritage resources and whenever possible be incorporated into any plan that shall be prepared for new development in the Township.
(b) In order to promote the preservation and maintenance of heritage resources within the Township, Council, as permitted under the Ontario Heritage Act, may designate various historically or architecturally significant buildings, structures or areas.
(c) Council may establish a Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) under the terms of the Ontario Heritage Act to advise on matters relating to this Act and any other concerns relating to the preservation and maintenance of historic buildings or sites.
(d) Major development or redevelopment will not take place within or in close proximity to residential areas having historical or architectural merit where Council determines that such development or redevelopment will detract from or indirectly impair the character, quality, amenities, or stability or the residential areas.
(e) Encouragement may be given to proposed commercial development to incorporate a building, or group of buildings with historic character or architectural value and to proposals which utilize buildings or lands serving obsolete functions and which are therefore, underutilized or vacant.
(f) It shall be the policy of Council to use all relevant legislation to encourage the preservation and enhancement of heritage resources that would seek to develop a greater awareness of the value or heritage conservation in the community.
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It is the intent of this Plan to promote energy conservation in all areas of the Township of Armour. Accordingly, development which minimizes energy consumption and emphasizes the use of renewable energy sources will be encouraged to the extent practicable and feasible.
To promote energy efficiently in the growth and management of the Township, Council will endeavour to achieve the following:
(i) Reduce energy consumption and dependency on non-renewable energy sources, particularly in all Township-owned, maintained, and/or operated facilities and equipment;
(ii) Formulate energy-oriented planning policies, particularly encouraging compact and higher density developments;
(iii) Co-operate with the appropriate public and private agencies to inform the public of energy concerns and promote energy conservation;
(iv) Co-operate with other levels of government and private industry to assess the merit of new and innovative energy conserving measures applicable to the Township;
(v) Encourage and support the practical application of innovative ideas relating to energy conservation through site planning, building design, renewable energy, alternate energy and efficient equipment;
(vi) Require, where practicable, the use of topography and landscaping in the design of residential, commercial and industrial subdivisions and the siting of buildings for proper sun and wind orientation;
(vii) Locate higher density uses along major roads to promote the efficient flow of traffic;
(viii) Design the road system and traffic controls to eliminate unnecessary stops, idling, starts and turns, to decrease travel time; and to maximize solar orientation and sun exposure while minimizing road maintenance;
Appropriate buffering shall be required between land uses where the subject uses are incompatible. In considering buffering requirements Council shall ensure that such buffering is sufficient to minimize the land use conflict, and is appropriate to the particular conditions encountered. Buffering may include appropriate combinations of the following:
(a) Sufficient vegetation in the form of landscaped strips, rows of trees and bushes, and grassed areas;
(b) Architectural screening such as perforated or solid walls, fences, trellis work or other appropriate structures;
(c) Extra distance separation between incompatible uses;
(d) Prohibition of parking, loading and unloading, and outside storage adjacent to residential uses;
(e) Regulation of lighting and signs so that they are deflected away or shielded from adjacent residential uses; and
(f) Use of earth berms.
It shall be the policy of Council to ensure, wherever possible, that the landscape amenities are preserved and enhanced. This shall be a major factor in the review of all development. Council shall encourage the planting of trees and provision of landscaping within new development. Where trees must be removed Council will encourage their replacement.
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