ZONING BYLAW CHANGES

The concept for a new Zoning Bylaw has four key actions in mind.

Simplifying the Zoning Bylaw

  • The current Land Use Bylaw contains repetitive sections and overlapping land use districts. This means understanding specific rules for different areas can be challenging.
  • The new Zoning Bylaw will create a simpler, easier-to-use rulebook for guiding developers, the public, and Council on land use decisions.

Consolidating Similar Zones

  • The current Land Use Bylaw contains 64 districts (also known as zones), many of which are redundant.
  • The Zoning Bylaw proposes 21 zones.

Streamlining Rules

  • Many uses are identified as “discretionary” under the current Land Use Bylaw. This means they require a review process before the use can be approved. Permitted and discretionary uses have been reviewed to ensure the rules enable development The City wants to see more of, while retaining control and regulation over more complicated uses.
  • Rules around many uses have been reviewed and removed, updated, or consolidated where overlap and redundancy exists.

Fixing Regulations to Address Evolving Development Trends

  • As the development industry changes and evolves, our land use rules must as well.
  • Much has changed since the current Land Use Bylaw was approved in 2007. The new Zoning Bylaw reflects modern trends in construction and changes to the Building Code since that time.


ZONE DESCRIPTIONS

One of the key actions for the Zoning Bylaw is to consolidate zones to allow a greater range of building types and uses. Every zone in the Zoning Bylaw has a unique purpose.

For example, the Commercial – Community 1 zone is intended to help guide development along emerging Main Streets, while Commercial – Large Format is intended to guide the development of large-scale shopping centres.

Each of these contexts requires their own special set of land use rules, and the intent statements help City staff and Council to understand what the purpose of each zone is when making land use decisions.


Click here to view the Zone Purpose Statements (PDF) open in new window

ZONES & USES

“Uses” are specific activities that occur in the city. Where they are allowed is regulated by the individual zones.

One of the big changes for the Zoning Bylaw is a reduction in the overall number of defined uses. By combining uses with similar impacts, the Zoning Bylaw can allow a greater number of activities to occur within each use.

For example, the Zoning Bylaw would not differentiate between a licensed restaurant, an un-licensed restaurant and a take-out restaurant. Instead, all these activities would be identified as a restaurant. Another example is that a bank, a hairdresser and a dog grooming service would all be considered Retail and Consumer Service.

Uses are listed in each zone as either discretionary, permitted or exempt from needing a development permit:

  • Exempt: Where a use is exempt and meets all the rules of the bylaw, a development permit is not required
  • Permitted: Where a use is permitted and meets all the rules of the Zoning Bylaw, that use must be approved by the Development Authority
  • Discretionary: Approval is at the discretion of the Development Authority


Click here to view the Zone/Use Matrix (PDF) open in new window

REGULATIONS

Zoning Bylaw regulations are rules a development needs to comply with. Examples of rules within a Zoning Bylaw are lot size, building height, building setbacks and parking requirements. Regulations for the new Zoning Bylaw are currently being considered and reviewed.

Check out the Mobility section to learn more about Parking Regulations and share your ideas.