A fourth public open house for the Comprehensive Zoning By-law review project is set for Wednesday, June 26.
The public open house will take place at the Highline Hall, Wellington & District Community Centre (111 Belleville Street), from 6 pm to 8 pm. A presentation will occur at 6:30 pm followed by a question-and-answer session. A children’s table with colouring pages and activity sheets will be provided.
The public open house is the first chance for community members to provide input on the initial draft of the municipality’s new Zoning By-law. The public can still submit comments and feedback after the meeting. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 19. All input received will inform the second draft of the Zoning By-law, which will be presented at a statutory public open house this fall.
The municipality is undertaking the review to support the vision for future development in Prince Edward County and capture emerging planning issues. To date, the project team has held three public open houses and met with several groups. Feedback gathered at those meetings has informed the first draft of the Zoning By-law, which includes proposed changes in several priority areas:
For Business/economic development: Updated business definitions, more commercial uses in certain zones, and reduced parking standards for businesses
For agriculture/farming: New provisions for agriculture-related and on-farm diversified uses; Proposed restructuring of the Rural Zones and addition of a new Agricultural Zone to recognize agricultural lands in Prince Edward County, per direction from the Official Plan
For affordable housing: Reduced setbacks and parking requirements, as well as standards for additional dwelling units
Other proposed changes in the draft document:
Overall refresh and restructure of the document, including diagrams and illustrations, as well as a guide that describes how to read and understand the Zoning By-law
Added contemporary permitted uses such as additional dwelling units, community gardens, and shipping containers
Why is a Comprehensive Zoning By-law important?
The municipality’s Zoning By-law sets out rules for how land is used and developed. The Zoning By-law should be reviewed if you are interested in understanding what is permitted for development on your property and implications for development of your property, such as:
Constructing a new home or building
Building an addition, such as an extension to a house or attached garage, or an accessory structure like a detached garage, shed, or gazebo
Adding a porch or deck
Adding an additional dwelling unit or units
Changing the use of your property (i.e., commercial to residential)
For those who may be unable to attend but wish to participate, the presentation boards will be made available on the Have Your Say project page following the event.
To submit questions or comments, please contact Michael Michaud, Manager of Planning, County of Prince Edward, at 613.476.2148 extension 2025 or email mmichaud@pecounty.on.ca.
