The policies of this Plan shall be implemented by the municipality through the powers conferred upon it by the Planning Act, the Municipal Act, the Ontario Building Code Act and other applicable statutes of the Province of Ontario. In particular, this Plan shall be implemented through the Zoning By-law, development agreements and through site plan agreements.
6.2.1Boundaries of land use designations, as shown on Schedule "A", shall be considered as general and approximate, and are not intended to define the exact limits of such areas, unless they coincide with a road, lot or concession line, railway, watercourse or prominent physical feature. Where boundaries do not coincide in this manner, they may be adjusted to the nearest such feature without requiring an amendment to this Plan, providing the general intent of this Plan is maintained. Similarly, minor adjustments may be made in the boundaries in the Armour Township Zoning By-laws without amending the Official Plan, providing the By-law conforms to the general intent of this Plan.
6.2.2Whenever an objective or policy of this Plan is changed, added or deleted, an amendment to this Plan shall be required, however, it is not intended to amend the plan unless substantial evidence can be presented which will justify such an amendment.
The policies of this Plan are not binding on undertakings carried out on Crown Land by the Crown or its agents.
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6.4.1Council intends that all amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law will be subject to a program of Public Participation. It is intended that Council shall notify, inform and seek the input of interested citizens regarding the Official Plan, Zoning By-laws and Amendments thereto. The procedure regarding Public Participation is as follows:
(a) To obtain input from the public regarding a proposal, at least one public meeting shall be held. Depending on the nature of the proposal, Council may convene an open house, have public displays, hold workshops or use other appropriate forums.
(b) Every owner and tenant of land within 120 metres of the proposed site shall receive, via personal service or prepaid first class mail, notification of such meeting(s) and a summary of the application a minimum of 20 days prior to the date of the meeting(s) .
(c) Where an Amendment application is considered generally applicable to the Township, a notice of the public meeting may be placed in a local newspaper having a general circulation in the Township, a minimum of 20 days prior to the date of the meeting(s) .
(d) In addition, any person who has requested to be notified of any meetings on a particular amendment application shall be notified of the public meeting by personal service or prepaid first class mail.
(e) A copy of the proposed amendments shall be circulated prior to the public meeting and to all agencies considered to have an interest in the matter and their comments will be requested prior to the public meeting.
6.4.2Minor housekeeping changes may be made to the Official Plan without public notice or public meetings so long as such changes do not affect the purpose and intent of the approved Plan. Such changes would include revised section numbering, spelling errors, re-illustrating Official Plan schedules, and consolidation of approved amendments or modifications.
6.5.1An amendment to Schedule "A" is required to permit the establishment of areas for uses other than those included in the Land Use Plan, Schedule "A". In considering an amendment to the Land Use Plan, Schedule "A", to designate additional areas for a particular use or to change the designated use of a particular area, the Council shall have due regard to the criteria set out in paragraphs (a) to (f) inclusive of this subsection which are in addition to those specified in the remainder of the Section. These criteria shall also be considered when reviewing an application to amend the implementing Zoning By-law to permit a development that is in conformity with this Official Plan.
(a) The need for the proposed use;
(b) The extent to which the existing areas in the proposed categories are developed, and the nature and adequacy of such existing development;
(c) The physical suitability of the land for such proposed use;
(d) The location of the area under consideration with respect to:
(i) the adequacy of the existing and proposed highway system in relation to the development of such proposed areas;
(ii) the convenience and accessibility of the site for vehicular and pedestrian traffic and the traffic safety in relation thereto; and
(iii) the adequacy of the potable water supply, sewage disposal facilities, and other services in view of the policies contained in this Plan and in accordance with technical reports or recommendations which the Council shall request from any authority deemed advisable, such as the Ministry of Environment & Energy.
(e) The compatibility of the proposed use with uses in adjoining and surrounding areas; and
(f) The potential effect of the proposed use on the financial position of the municipality.
(g) The potential effect of the proposed use upon the natural environment, including areas of wildlife and fisheries habitat, and areas of natural and scientific interest.
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It is the intent of Council pursuant to Section 44 of the Planning Act, to appoint a Committee of Adjustment to assist in the administration of the Zoning By-law. The key function of the Committee of Adjustment is top process applications relating to minor variance(s) to the Zoning By-law, or applications regarding extensions or enlargements of non-conforming uses, pursuant to Section 45 of the Planning Act. The Committee of Adjustment shall consider the policies and general intent of this Plan and the Zoning By-law when dealing with such applications.
6.7.1All of the area of the Township of Armour affected by the Official Plan shall be deemed to be a site plan control area, and shall be subject to the provisions stipulated under Section 41 of the Planning Act. Council shall, under Section 41(3) of the Planning Act, pass a by-law describing a Site Plan Area by reference to one or more zones contained in the Township's Zoning By-law. The following uses will not be subject to site plan control provided they comply with Armour Township's Zoning By-law regulations:
(a) Low density housing and additions thereto, except low density housing in the flood plain.
(b) Any building or structure accessory to the uses stated above.
(c) An in-ground or above-ground swimming pool.
(d) Any agricultural building.
6.7.2The need to implement Site Plan Control shall be based on the following principles:
(a) the need to minimize inconsistency and incompatibility between new and existing uses;
(b) the need to ensure safety and efficiency of vehicular and pedestrian uses;
(c) the need to control placement and provision of required driveways, parking, loading facilities, garbage collection, walkways, emergency access, etc.;
(d) the need to ensure the provision of functional and attractive on-site landscaping, buffering and lighting facilities;
(e) the need to ensure that development is built and maintained as approved by Council and;
(f) the need and opportunity to ensure the safe and environmentally sound development of the subject lands.
6.7.3No Building Permit shall be issued in respect of any development in the Site Plan Control Area until the plans required have been approved by Armour Township and any agreements required to be entered into have been executed by the Township and the Owners, mortgagees or other encumbrancers of the land.
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(a) It is intended that Council amend the comprehensive Zoning By-law to establish regulations for the use of land and development standards within Armour Township in conformity with the relevant provisions of this Plan and the Planning Act. Any application to amend the Zoning By-law shall be in conformity with the policies of this Plan.
(b) In areas where the existing use is in conformity with this Plan or where a future use can be anticipated in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Plan, then such use may be appropriately zoned in the implementing Zoning By-law.
In areas where Council wishes to review the existing land uses or establish new policies, and where a study of land use planning policies for the area has been directed, Council may adopt an Interim Control By-law. The Interim Control By-law restricts the land use to its present use until the required studies are completed, at which time the Zoning By-law may be amended to reflect the desired use.
Council may adopt Temporary Use By-laws to allow for temporary use of lands, buildings or structures. Timing and extensions for such uses will be subject to the provisions of the Planning Act. Temporary uses not allowed by the applicable policies of this Plan may be permitted if the proposed use is compatible with the adjacent use; buildings and structures are of a temporary nature and can easily be removed at the expiry date; the size of the parcel of land and the buildings and structures are appropriate for the area; services are sufficient to accommodate the use.
Upon expiry of a Temporary Use By-law, uses permitted by that By-law must cease and cannot be considered as Non-Conforming Uses.
(a) In situations where the ultimate use of land is precisely known, but where Council wishes to delay development, a Holding Zone may be applied by using the Symbol "H" in conjunction with a land use zoning category under any or all of the following circumstances:
(i) when development or redevelopment is anticipated in accordance with the provisions of this Plan, but where the details of such development have not been determined;
(ii) when land assembly is required to permit orderly development or redevelopment;
(iii) when the level of engineering and/or community services is not adequate to support the ultimate use, but such services are to be provided at a later date in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Plan.
(b) The objective of the Holding Zone is to identify the ultimate use of land and to limit or to prevent the ultimate use in order to achieve orderly, phased development and to ensure that the servicing and design criteria established in this Plan have been met prior to the removal of the "H" symbol.
(c) The actual Holding By-law shall clearly specify the land uses to be permitted in the interim, the conditions for removal of the holding provision and any regulations applying to the lands during the period of time the holding provision is in place. Interim uses shall be limited to uses that are considered to be compatible with the ultimate use of land.
The timing of the removal of the holding provision would be dependent on meeting the conditions identified in the Holding By-law. When all conditions specified in the Holding By-law are met, Council may consider passing a by-law to remove the holding symbol and allow development to take place in accordance with the zoning category or categories assigned.
6.12.1Council will consider a review at five year intervals commencing from the date of Ministerial approval of this Plan.
6.12.2The Plan will be reviewed on an on-going basis as deemed necessary by Council, to incorporate Plan amendments and new information as it becomes available.
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